Since independence, Kuwait has been moving towards a social model of liberal democracy. However, there exist contradictions between Kuwait’s democratic aspirations and, first, its constitution, which restricts the rights of women, children, and immigrants; second, its definition of citizenship, which discriminates on the basis of arbitrary criteria; and, third, the widespread conservative interpretations of Islamic shari‘a, which tend further to disenfranchise women and children and to curtail civil liberties more generally. Successive governments have recognized the role of education and youth in the democratic process. Kuwait’s membership in the UN, UNESCO, and as signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child mark this awareness. However, these pledges are “irreconcilable” with the country’s school system and curriculum (Edward Said, Humanism 143). The segregated, Kuwaiti children-only school system is discriminatory by design, and the curricular emphasis on religion and nationalism tends not to promote any critical thinking. Substandard school buildings and classrooms are not designed to facilitate student-centered activities. In short, Kuwait’s educational system is in direct conflict with its democratic aspirations. I suggest that it is only by anchoring Kuwait’s educational system in a discourse and practice of human rights that a truly cosmopolitan citizenry equipped to advance democracy can emerge (Audrey Osler and Hugh Starkey, Changing Citizenship). The secular discourse of human rights, as Lynn Davies argues, makes possible the types of discussions religious discourse forecloses in advance (Educating Against Extremism 159). As a “universal value system” separate from religious belief, human rights discourse may open a more flexible social and political space to educate on rights, responsibilities, ethics, and tolerance—all exigent concerns in an increasingly multicultural society in a globalized world (Davies 159). My paper addresses whether such a value model can overlap both with Kuwait’s constitution and its restrictive curriculum within its undemocratic school system. Informed by the case study methodology of Robert Yin, I analyze the unique case of Jumana Bint Abi Talib Secondary School—a member of UNESCO’s Associated Schools Project Network and the only Kuwaiti government school to win an international award in human rights and citizenship education. Utilizing UNESCO ideals, ASPnet learning themes, and the powerful rhetoric of the UN and international human rights laws, this school has, despite many irreconcilable knots, “go[ne] forth to try anyway” (Said 143). Its success generates optimism and offers a viable model for change in Kuwait’s system of education.