In rich Gulf Arab states, some feel shamed by refugee response

Pope Francis laughs with a baby during a special audience with parish cells for the evangelization in Paul VI hall at the Vatican September 5, 2015. REUTERS/Tony Gentile

DUBAI (Reuters) - When Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, fellow Gulf states raced to shelter thousands of displaced Kuwaitis. Fast forward 25 years, and the homeless from Syria's nearby war have found scant refuge in the Arab world's richest states.

For critics of the Gulf's affluent monarchies the contrast is profoundly unflattering, especially as several are backers of the combatants in Syria's conflict, so must, they argue, shoulder a special responsibility for its consequences.