Babbling Bahrania

Letter to Abdullah

2008-05-24T03:08:00.010+03:00

22nd May 2008

Dearest Abdullah,

The “cage went in search of a bird” - Kafka.

It was only a matter of time – but still, I didn’t expect you to be caged up for this long. Each word is a dagger wrenched out of a heart weighed heavy with shame, guilt and sorrow over what you are having to endure. The pen doesn’t know what the heart will say, but you have seen these words even before they appeared on this page since you are closer to my heart than the jugular vein. The pen is merely executing this letter-writing exercise as a postdated transcription of my tormented thoughts drained by internal bleeding.

I feel powerless in the face of a system that conspires to crush threats to its authority with brute force - which is the precise intended effect of your arrest. Yes you, Abdullah, threatened its power and authority. This either credits you with extreme strength or credits the throne with extreme insecurity. You and the others are the real heroes, and I recognise that because I know what you are about and what you were trying to do. Like the character 'Rahmatullah' in the story you wrote in your last letter, you will go down to save the others - you will take the bullets and the hits. I really want to read the next part of the story to see what you think will happen to the Turkman - I can't help wonder if your fates are intertwined.

In your letter you say that “they can fire bullets at us and at our dreams but they can not stop us from dreaming”. Abdullah, they no longer fire the bullets, instead they have made us turn the guns against each other. The dreams are nightmares … just to let you know that Attiyatullah made a grand performance recently and received standing ovations – only in Bahrain and Israel this year is fascism being openly celebrated… I’d join in the fun if it wasn’t so audacious or if I hadn’t been batting on the wrong side.

I should be praying for your quick release, but I find myself wondering if it is better for you to stay where you are. Since December 21^st, the day of your arrest, I can’t say there has been a single substantive development in the country; the most hated American president came to visit for the first time to try the local bacheh and harees, I think he was impressed by the hospitality he received – yiqtil il mayit o yimshi fi ijnazeteh. It really did feel like the final nail in the Arab coffin.

Like K. in Franz Kafka’s book called The Trial you have been arrested for an unspecified crime and you have had to participate in a theatrical trial that I’m sure leaves you delusional with the comic state of reality. K. did not know what the charges against him were. It wouldn’t have made a difference if he had known because once arrested there are only three possible outcomes to his struggle: definitive acquittal, ostensible acquittal, and indefinite postponement. In the book, there is zero chance of definitive acquittal, therefore K. is almost forced to plead guilty to a charge for a crime unknown to him. In your case, you have had to endure the seemingly indefinite postponement and the prospect of ostensible acquittal; living with the risk of re-arrest. I tried to get a hold of an Arabic translation of this book for you, but thought maybe it wasn’t the best time for you to read it for obvious reasons. It does leave one feeling slightly paranoid and despaired with modern day bureaucratic systems with unknown agendas. I really do feel safe now that I have a smart ID card in the hands of such trusted and transparent authority .

One last thing, if it is of any comfort, some eight other Bahraini guys managed to get lost and accidently ventured into a no-go security area in Saudi. They haven’t been seen since. We should be grateful really that you are in a Bahraini jail – torture and all. They were arrested for reading the directions on a map wrong - imagine what would happen if they had committed thought-crime!

Stay strong, passionate and committed…a hero needs no saviour, but we definitely need you!

With love.

Bahraini blogger and activist arrested

2008-01-18T05:26:00.000+03:00

It is with a heavy heart that I have to inform the online community of the arrest of another Bahraini blogger in the recent escalation of events. On the 21st of December 2007, the author of the blog Bahrain Eyes was picked up in the wave of arrests following the death of Ali Jassim on 17th December. I am told that he has been questioned on his online writings there and elsewhere on the internet. I came to identify the blogger from the unique style of poetry and my subsequent inquiries confirmed my suspicion.

This arrest follows a string of harrassment of bloggers over the last few years, with some even being banished from the country. But due to the sensitivity of these matters, their identities must remain anonymous for their own safety and their families.

Recent reports from inside the jail tell of atrocious conditions, torture and the denial of visits, with confessions obtained under duress. I urge the blogging community to rally and call for the release of all of the prisoners.

A disturbing testimony of a family member of one of the prisoners who was forced to kiss the feet of a police officer:

Why we are in a gloomy mood...

2008-01-18T05:09:00.000+03:00

"IT IS not easy to be an Arab these days. If you are old, the place where you live is likely to have changed so much that little seems friendly and familiar. If you are young, years of rote learning in dreary state schools did not prepare you well for this new world. In your own country you have few rights. Travel abroad and they take you for a terrorist. Even your leaders don't count for much in the wider world. Some are big on money, others on bombast, but few are inspiring or visionary. "

The Arabs - Between fitna, fawda and the deep blue sea

Arab generosity

2008-01-18T04:11:00.000+03:00

Some offered their blatant hypocrisy

Some offered their remaining dignity

Some offered thier beloved children

...and some offered simple rage

ملك البلاد اراهم قد اسرفوا اذا قلدوك من النفاق وساما

2007-09-25T01:43:00.000+03:00

A source tells me there is a field in thepassport/ID database system which says "compulsory airport security check". I now know the extensive airport searches are NOT a coincidence. It's always baffled me, that in at least the area of Intelligence we are unsurpassed. Our intelligence machine is the most sophisticated in the world, no expenses spared, the latest technology of smart cards and biometric identifying systems as well as the latest in surveillance technology. I don't know about you but I boast about this everywhere I go.

2007-09-25T01:24:00.000+03:00

(Not online, excerpt from magazine) Interviewer: What's the most surreal situation you've been in?
Will.i.am: Sheikh Abdullah flying me out to Bahrain from Brazil. We landed and went to the motor racing. Plus being in the Sheikh's studio in his palace in the middle of this desert island, when two days ago I was in the favelas with the planet's poorest people.

Maybe you would have found it even more surreal if he'd bothered to take you to the other side of the island where our own 'favelas' are crammed into the same land mass as your host's palace.

2007-09-25T01:21:00.000+03:00

My mother's cooking. A very useful site for this time of year! Hope she gets on with desserts soon.

Julia Botros (Intasara Loubnan)

2007-08-04T14:12:00.001+03:00

Boycott Israel Medical Association

2007-08-01T01:43:00.000+03:00

Group of British doctors call for a boycott of the Israel Medical Association

Owen Dyer

London

A group of British doctors has called for a boycott of the Israeli Medical Association (IMA) and its expulsion from the World Medical Association (WMA) in a letter published in the Guardian newspaper. The petition, signed by 130 doctors, argues that by refusing to criticise Israeli policies in the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel, the IMA is a failing to uphold international medical ethical standards.

The Israel Defence Forces "have systematically flouted the fourth Geneva convention guaranteeing a civilian population unfettered access to medical services and immunity for medical staff, "the letter says, citing reports of soldiers attacking ambulances; patients and essential drugs obstructed at checkpoints, and bombing of the public health infrastructure.

"The Israeli Medical Association has a duty to protest about war crimes of this kind but has refused to do so," it continues "Eighteen leading Palestinian health organisations have appealed to fellow professionals abroad to recognise how the IMA has forfeited its right to membership of the international medical community".

Derek Summerfield of the Institute of Psychiatry, one of the letter's organisers, said a boycott was the only remaining option when all normal channels have been exhausted. "We've sent exhaustive reports, with evidence carefully documented by leading human rights organisations, to the IMA, the World Medical Association, and the BMA, but they've been ignored".

Please please please take a moment of your time to vote. Copy and paste the following link into a seperate browser to submit your vote.

http://www.surveymk.com//s.aspx?sm=zrDgLYed7wn_2fe_2bcR2lC4Pw_3d_3d

2007-08-01T01:04:00.000+03:00

Has anyone invented telepathic blogging yet? Let me know when th Japanese, Apple, Microsoft, Google get their act together. Surely we're passed the age of typing now.

سرقاتٌ و اختــلاسٌ ...... وفـسـاد طـال أذنــي

2007-05-23T21:09:00.000+03:00

جريدة " الميزان " الاعلانية العدد ( 32 ) السنة الاولى الصادر بتاريخ 21 / 5 / 2007

يــا رئــيس الـوزراء ...... أيـهـا الـزعلان مـني
عــن كـلام قـلـتــه ...... كـي أزيـح الـظلم عنـي
إن أكن قـلـت كــلاماً ...... عنك في قبوي و سجنـي
أنت مـرمـرت حيـاتي ...... قدتنـي مـن دون إذنـي
مـذ وعـى عقلي و أنت ...... الناطق الرسمي عـنـي
قدتني للـفـقر عنــوة ...... رغـم أن الله مـغـنـي
راسم التمييز خــطــاً ...... بـيـن شـيعي و سنـي
باذلاً جـهـدك تبـغـي ...... في ربـا التعطيل دفنـي
ناسياً في زحمة الـدنيـا ...... وعُـقـم الـحكـم أنـي
من بنـى ذا الـصرح ...... مـن لـحـمي و دمـي
صادقاً يبقى الــوطـن ...... فـي مـاء عـيـنــي
وجزائي أنت تـغـنـى ...... و أنـا يـزداد ديـنــي
إن يكن تقصير حـتـماً ...... ليـس ذا التـقصير منـي
إنما مـنك فـــأنـت ...... بـفـسـاد الحكم معنـي
قد جنى الحكم عـلينـا ...... وعلى الباقي سـيـجنـي
سرقاتٌ و اختــلاسٌ ...... وفـسـاد طـال أذنــي
سرقوا بري وبـحـري ...... وأماتوا كل إبداعي وفنـي
صار رزقي عـدمــاً ...... فـي كـبـر ســنــي
لـيـس لـي بـيـتٌ ...... أداري فــيـه حزنــي
أخشى أن لا ألقى أرضا ...... بعد أن أقـضـي لدفنـي

شـــعــــر
أحـمـد سـلـطـــان

The political ding-dong

2007-05-11T13:36:00.000+03:00

As usual, we quabble over peanuts whilst the powers that be enjoy the meat and potatoes. Those who chose to participate in the government-scripted political production, demonstrate naiivety at best, stupidity at worst, claiming at the outset that it is better to have peanuts than nothing at all. Must we always go through this arduous political ding-dong? We just keep waiting for the next blunder, make a little hoo-haa, pundits spew the same articles, and the people continue to live in stagnation.

This parliament, as fellow blogger Nido put it, is a like a coat hanger, we hang all our problems on it without seeing their causes. In fact it is doing more harm then good; frankly it's a distraction, a mass deception, resource-sucking game of ping-pong (picture alwefaq holding the bat from the mouth and hands tied). I don't say this nihilistically, I say it realistically. George Orwell said in 1984, "Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two equals four. If that is granted then all else follows". Well, lets see what Alwefaq will get if it keeps saying it equals five.

Unfortunately, part of the problem is a communal political elite that has become an exclusive gentleman's club (a.k.a. Alwefaq). Many an insider has talked about the defeatist and compromising attitude that seems to have overshadowed this group. Well the question is, has this reflected on Alwefaq's political strategy? Lets look at the list of decisions that have effectively lead to the gradual neutralisation of the opposition through a series of concessions to the governemt:

Registering Alwefaq under the political societies law - effectively bringing it under the auspices of a constitution that it effectively contends to be illegitimate
Effectively giving up on the constitutional conference after this, and after foreign participants were not allowed to enter Bahrain. From then on none of the political societies challenged this or contested the ban on foreign participants
The decision to end it's boycott of the parliament and to participate in the 2006 elections on the condition that electoral boundaries are changed to proportional representation. Somewhere along the line Alwefaq disbanded this condition.
The break-up of the quaternary alliance that up until the 2006 elections was a quasi-unified opposition force that was supposed to transcend ideological and sectarian lines. This was a key strategic mistake on Alwefaq's behalf and now it is clear that it accelerated the fragmentation of the opposition.
Failing to secure key posts in the parliament at the outset (the Chairmanship of the House), they walked out and they walked right back in.
The secrecy and underhand dealings in the society's decision-making process. What happened and what was said in meetings with members of the royal family? What deal did they strike with Alasala and almenbar etc?
Failing to raise any significant questions throughout the period of the first session of parliament, then attempting to do so at the last minute. Walking out when the motion was rejected, and by the looks of it, Alwefaq MP's will walk right back in.
Obscure priorities and motivations. What is alwefaq's agenda over the next four years and why has it not maintained a consultative relationship at least with other political players outside parliament, including other politically shunned groups such as Wa'ad and Haqq.

This is just a basic list that springs to my mind. I am told that Alwefaq never expected to face the full force of the state machine in parliament; that a nicey-nicey give-and-ake approach would lead to gradual change. I agree, this approach might get you some peanuts (maybe a few extra pavements, an increase in a measly budget etc), but when it steps into the realm of 'accountability', a basic democratic tenet, the 'democratic' carpet is pulled from right under their feet. What Bandargate gave Alwefaq, was one key GOLDEN opportunity, just one; he gave them the evidence; the documents, the cheques, the signatures, the names. Not in a million years would anyone have thought incriminating evidence would fall into the opposition's lap. We see and hear corruption, but until now, the black-box of the state machine was heavily guarded. It as if you have always suspected your husband was having an affair and then suddenly u find the red lipstick on his collar. Albandar's kiss-and-tell pointed out the household names (journalists, MPs, officials) yet they walk-around arrogantly in the comfort-zone carved nicely by their protectors. It's no surprise Alwefaq was halted in its tracks the minute they raised the issue, albeit with completely silly timing at the end of the parliamentary session before the curtain was closed.

Talks of a new 'resistance' movement, or 'lines of prevention' (خط الممانعة) seems to be forming by a disconnected grassroots movement that is taking the tentative steps to reassert itself. As of late, this seems to have begun with sporadic bouts of violence in areas as a response to the frustration with the political players lack of advancement in any particular field. What is interesting is that it seems to be a clear dissent from the religious line that supports engagement in the given political channels. وهذه عادة ضعفاء العقول يعرفون الحق بالرجال، لا الرجال بالحق
Is this just another part of the cycle and as my generation comes to maturity, will this ding-dong continue for much longer?

The speed of walking

2007-05-04T20:07:00.000+03:00

...as a barometer of the pace of change in a country it is a smart metric. Bahrain is ahead of only Malawi in the fight for the last spot, with an average speed of 17.69 seconds per 60 feet. The fastest is Singapore with a whopping average speed of 10.55. Local press decided that our rather 'unrushed' walking speed is actually a virtue of our lifestyle, compared to the fast-paced living of urban-dwellers in other countries facing 'all kinds of diseases'. Do the people who constructed this index not understand the cultural differences between these countries. Living in Bahrain, one fails to see the point of walking at all. The lack of pavements testifies either to lack of demand for walking or the cause of a walking-deficient nation. It seems our legs have been created to perform essential manoevering duties rather than general transportation. Bahrain must have had the coolest weather in it's history this year, how many ppl put their walking boots on? (probably only those who participated in the survey above).

One exception where walking becomes of use, is in the sport of shopping. Shopping malls are indeed one of the few places where you find Bahrainis putting legs to use. Either in the aisles of Geant or the forecourts of Seef, people find great pleasure in having an excuse to walk. Even here however, speed is in 1st gear, rarely moving up to two in a display of wobble-walking that would make mother goose proud!

To be fair, the cultural-aversion to walking is probably due to the other obvious reason; the hot climate, the reliance on cars (a person to car ratio would be a useful statistic alongside the speed of walking), the lack of public spaces (pavements, parks, beaches like Abu subh which is getting destroyed v soon, safe pedestrian cross-overs etc,) and obesity levels (average weight:speed of walking would be useful too). It's great seeing people making the effort to go for walks in the evening after the sun sets but more often than not they are either want to lose weight or have heart problems and face the high-risk of getting run over (how many ppl have been killed in Saar?). It would do our country good to try and incorporate walking into daily life, taking the stairs rather than the lift, having more shaded streets and walkways (like in Spain), maybe even encouraging cycling which is the next best thing (how many Asian labourers get killed cycling every year though?)!

Come fly a kite with me my friend...Forget the woes that will never end

2007-04-26T14:11:00.000+03:00

2007-04-26T13:39:00.000+03:00

There is only one piece of news really worth mentioning today. The Queen of England is an Arsenal supporter.
"صاحبة الجلالة كانت مولعة بالأرسنال على مدار أكثر من 50 عاماً، كما كانت الملكة الأم مولعة كذلك بحب الأرسنال".كما أن حفيد الملكة "الأمير هاري" 22 عاماً كان قد أبدى حبه للأرسنال

That is seriously great news. There's definitely been a spring in my step since I read that this morning. I don't know what will happen to me if I found out the Queen's favourite chocolate bar is Kit Kat. That might just be a tad too overwhelmining to handle.

Blog template...

2007-04-24T19:00:00.000+03:00

Can anyone fix my template....it looks fine in Mozilla Firefox, but in internet explorer it is completely screwed up...any techies out there....? help...and no i don't want to change it...just need it fixed... :)
To be honest everytime i open the page i want to vomit and hence any inkling of inspiration to write dissipates instantaneously...

Duty free Nido

2007-04-24T02:02:00.000+03:00

Long live the nido generation!

I saw this in a neighbouring Gulf country's airport and couldn't resist. (Nidoism; the study of the economically well-off in Bahrain as invented by Nido blog)

Behind the lens in Ras Roman

2007-04-14T10:13:00.002+03:00

Click click click...run run run

Once Upon a Time in Iran

2007-02-26T15:05:00.000+03:00

An interesting documentary aired on the 28th anniversary of the Iranian revolution on how the tragedy of Karbala and Hussaini philosophy influences Iranians today.

I liked the irony, something which I've always noticed and thought was portrayed quite well in the video. The young beardless dude with the pretty wife with peroxide highlights and the mother with a fag hanging off her lips doesnt exactly epitomise religious adherance, however the passion and devotion to Imam Hussain seems to transcends this. The scene in the service station where they talk and joke of martyrdom like people relishing the thought of bungi jumping in cape town or something is ironic knowing the very real calamaties that could be awaiting them in Iraq, and the twist being that they are all going voluntarily. Some watching this might think it is orientalist romantisization, but i'd like to reassure that it is very real. My grandparents late last year waited on the Iraqi-Jordanian border for four days as border control refused to let them enter because of the dangerous security situation. I was quite shocked at what I thought was my grandparents complete oblivion to a raging bloody war that was killing thousands, but it just turned out that they didn't care. They literally went there with the worst case scenario in mind, that if we die it might as well be here and it might as well be for Imam Hussain. In fact I can't help but tease them about how disappointing it is that after a month long stay they came back alive.

أنا لا املك في الدنيا الا عينيك وأحزاني

2007-02-22T17:55:00.000+03:00

أنا إنسان مفقود
لا اعرف في الأرض مكاني
ضيّعني دربي
ضيّعني اسمي
ضيّعني آه عنواني
تاريخي مالي تاريخ
إني نسيان النسيان
إني مرساة لا ترسو
جرح بملامح إنسان
ماذا أعطيك أجيبيني..
قلقي ..
الحادي ..
غثياني
انا ألف احبك فابتعدي عني عن ناري ودخاني
فأنا لا املك في الدنيا الا عينيك وأحزاني
نزار قباني

Photo series: Out and about in Bahrain

2007-02-17T03:35:00.001+03:00

I've harboured a secret hobby over the last year or so involving a kinky and intimate relationship with the 'camera' although the product is far from so. I discovered its an awfully fiddly business. I've played with settings and switches, messed around with photoshop, spent sleepless nights sifting through quite a vast digital collection (mostly useless) and now, I will try to share a few every week or whenever. I'll focus on Bahrain for now and hopefully will get round to doing travel shots at a later stage. Feedback would be great esp technical. Hope u like!

Manama: outside Mo'min mosque

Two girls from a village

Manama: Alnajjar coldstore

Tikriti flavoured tajnees

2007-02-15T01:03:00.002+03:00

The news of the naturalisation of an entire Iraqi tribe from Tikrit to serve in one state arm or another doesn't seem to have ruffled many feathers in Bahrain other than the mention on our beloved internet forums. Eyewitnesses who have paid visit to the Ministry of Immigration note the arrival of a new Iraqi strain of passport applicants. Since tolerance and shock levels are at a high alert level and almost breaking point, this dangerous and provocative development if true could be a potential tipping factor. This kind of event however, is not quite the tangible contravention that seems to demand immediate mass action, it is more of a simmering problem and its undertones in public discourse are clear, yet impossible to verify by the very nature of the problem. How on earth do we go about proving that the state is unlawfully naturalising people, if the state decides the law, controls the judiciary, and blacks out the ministries involved?

The state's ingenious demographic engineering is not going unnoticed abroad however. The decision to import and naturalise a fleeing saddamist sunni tribe in Jordan seems to have touched a sensitive nerve with the Kuwaitis. In addition to the reported arrest of Asian criminals in Kuwait carrying Bahraini passports is of obvious concern. Hence the official flurry back and forth between the two countries earlier this month. As is Gulf politics, what settlement was reached in the royal courts is anyone's guess and probably comes too late to undo the damage.

This 'Tajnees' (naturalisaiton)is happening below the radar, officially denied and statistically unrecorded. Yet it is as clear as the blue sky to almost everyone. What began with the use of mercenaries for the ruling family's security now serve a new purpose as symbolic imports of the sectarian conflict in Iraq, signed, sealed and delivered to Bahrain to spread the hate. No doubt we share responsibility in the biggest refugee crisis to face the region since 1948, but as Albandar's exposé of state sponsored sectarian policy unfolds day by day, this latest development is yet another loosening of the strands that form Bahrain's social fabric. A moral cover of humanitarian responsibility could not even biggen to disguise this.

هو في حاجة؟!؟

2007-02-12T20:08:00.001+03:00

اعزائي اقدم لكم الشاعرة المصرية ايمان بكري ...(و اضيف لها تعديلات بسيطة لتتناسق كلماتها مع الوضع في البحرين اللي مفيش حاجة!!)

بصو لو حد من القراء عايزنى أبلغه بحاجة يقول مايخفش من حاجة

نعم .. فيه إيه؟ ...لالأ مافيش سرقه ولا تطرف ولا طائفية ولا حاجة
.
بتقول إيه..البندر مين...و البطالة إيه... ده كله كلام مفيش حاجه

حرامى إيه ... و تقرير إيه ... و فساد إيه؟ شــفـافـيـه مافيش حاجة

وبتقول إيه .. لالآلأ عـــيب لافيه تجنيس ولاتمييز ولا تزوير ولا حاجه

سعادتك برضه مش زَيـىِ مافيش حاجة

أهـه بيضحك بيقول مافيش حاجة

Bahrain on the brink...

2007-02-03T05:13:00.000+03:00

2007-01-23T18:17:00.000+03:00

Saudi bust up over a play. I got excited watching this on aljazeera today because it eerily resembles a scene in Orhan Pamuk's book, Snow, in which a nationalist coup ensues on stage in a Turkish town called Kars, following a play that ridicules the islamic headscarf and it is all filmed on live TV for the whole country to see.

Spoon bender

2007-01-23T18:10:00.000+03:00

This one-trick jinni called Uri Geller really does bend spoons. He bent the spoon I was eating my houmous and bread with in a restaurant once. I'm not kidding I actually have the spoon somewhere which the restaurant charged me for. I didnt even ask him to come and bend my spoon. He just read my mind because he knew I recognised him when he walked in and then voluntarily came over and bent the spoon. I spent the rest of the meal holding onto my seat I was so freaked out thinking "what else can this jinni do with his x-ray eyes?".

Petition

2007-01-22T19:20:00.000+03:00

Please do SIGN this petition calling for the release of two Bahraini detainees of conscience.

Petition

Thanks.

Opinions

2007-01-22T18:57:00.000+03:00

"Why would I want to hear your opinions when I've got so many more interesting ones of my own?" Charlie Booker of the Guardian states.

Then he goes on to state "Opinionated people are everywhere... Never in history have there been so many opportunities to put your opinion across. You can print it in papers, shout it on the radio, text it to the news channels or whack it on the internet. And it all happens so quickly, you don't even have to think your opinions through; if you can't be bothered doing the brainwork, you can simply repeat what someone else has said using slightly different words. And poorer spelling."

In my case I have ceased to see the value of having an opinion particularly on this blog. Does it seriously matter? Of course, I am more than happy to give it when I am asked a question. However, offering an opinion nowadays is like banging another pan in the cacophony of self-important voices with very little marginal instrumental contribution to what is now incomprehensible script. Reading anything nowadays is more of an exercise in filtering what is of informative value and what is ineffable tedium. And even this post, in all modesty contributes to the latter, so what is the point of this blog all together.

Meet my friend's shrink...

2007-01-14T23:56:00.000+03:00

He is thinking "you might as well kill yourself now"
(feel free to write a caption for this photo!)

Disobedient 'slaves'

2007-01-09T16:28:00.000+03:00

Slavery still exists in all shapes and forms, especially in the Gulf, except we call it a 'migrant labour force'. New type of de facto slave is the one 'bought' and in return is expected to give absolute allegience and loyalty according to particular tribal mentality that governs and dictates so.

Our country needs more Jawhers and Albandars to revolt against their paymasters. Nothing irks them [the powers that be] more than a 'disobedient zanji slave' as they see it, ultimate treachory and betrayal of people perceived to be disposable. I can just hear them saying, "for god's sake we even gave you a hardcore bedoin name like Jawher you ungrateful *******".

If it is patriotism that drives you to go scouting for Kenyan athletes, Syrian singers, Sudani advisors, Egyptian judges, Jordanian constitution-writers, Yemeni policemen to displace local natives in these positions, then it is my patriotic duty that drives me to rejoice at each backslap you get in the hope you will come to the realisation that ultimately we all lose.

Note: this may sound like some right-wing nationalistic anti-immigration diatribe. It is (until the rule of law returns to this lost land of disfunctionality).

The 'liberal-moderate' strain

2007-01-09T16:15:00.000+03:00

Arab 'liberals' and 'moderates' are much abused terms. It now means any person/country who is self-hating, pro-israeli, pro-american, pro-war and pro-White Man. I feel sorry for anyone who ever gets called that, there isn't a better way of discrediting a person/country. Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are now 'moderate-liberal states', as well as a few writers, politicians, and well-known bloggers out there who go out of their way to prove their 'liberality'.

The Marriage Market

2007-01-09T15:46:00.000+03:00

I thought this debate is hilarious. Is polygamy an efficient outcome in an unregulated "marriage market"? Some argue that polygamy should actually raise women's bargaining power, since they'll have more marriage options to choose.

Issues to consider market efficiency, demand and supply, bargaining power, competition, etc :)

2007-01-09T15:25:00.000+03:00

The Initiative for Open Arab internet (المبادرة العربية لإنترنت حر) on Bahrain (in Arabic):

"ويبدو الوضع بالنسبة لحرية الإنترنت غريبا فى مملكة البحرين، فبينما لا تمارس الحكومة الحظر العام أو المكثف على الشبكة خاصة فيما يتعلق بالمواقع التى تروج الإباحية، فإن الوضع يختلف كثيرا بالنسبة للمواقع السياسية.
قبل إجراء الانتخابات البرلمانية التى طالبت بعض القوى السياسية بمقاطعتها، قامت شركة "بتلكو" بإغلاق أكثر من عشرة مواقع بحرينية خشية استغلالها أثناء فترة الانتخابات"

2007-01-09T15:22:00.000+03:00

The Angry Arab News Service. Read it. Follow it. Link it

Happy bladdy blah

2007-01-01T00:04:00.002+03:00

We apologise for the intermittant correspondance of blogger to blog on this site. This is due to the unexpected pressure of bad news in the area which has overwhelmed the blogger's mental bandwidth. We hope new systems are put in place in the new year to replace faulty rulers and restore Arabia once again in order to improve this blog's service to it's valued readers.

Happy eid, happy new year, happy bladdy blah

BB

Revolution is in the air!

2006-12-12T15:00:00.000+03:00

It is the most apparant anti-imperialist manifestation to date. It was given minimal if not totally biased media coverage, but last Sunday's mass opposition rally in Beirut, must have been the largest mass mobilisation in Arabia for a long time. Over two million lebanese called for a national unity government. At least there still seems to be some breath in the dying arab nationalist horse, whether you ideologically agree or not, this could be a turning point, hopefully we will see others raise the above banner against corruption, imperialist collusion, and dictatorship in this antagonistic part of the world.

Christians shoulder to shoulder with muslims - chador-clad women carrying a banner of the Christian leader, "Awn for president".

Power in unity and alliance, Hizbollah alongside Amal, alongside the Christian Maronite Awn movement, altayyar alwatani alhurr, and I don't know what Pi is ?

Niktat Marjaiyoun and hence the cups of tea are referring to "Minister of ping-pong" Ahmed Fatfat who served tea to Israeli troops when they invaded the southern town of Marjaiyoun.

One protestor was holding this picture of Johnson's baby shampoo, he dedicated it to the very tearful and sensitive Prime Minister "boohoo" Siniora who broke into tears everytime the war was mentioned - he defintely needs this special "لا دموع بعد اليوم" formula.

Bahrain and the new ME

2006-12-08T03:51:00.000+03:00

What is the best way for a a totalitarian Arab regime of telling it’s US master that a democratic project in the Middle-east is not in their mutual interest? What explains the US’s u-turn on its greater Middle–east project ? Where are the thriving Arab democracies that the US set out to promote?

The US shoved democracy down Iraq’s throat, it failed, having no legitimacy whatsoever amid a security vacuum. The US shuns Palestinian democracy altogether because it detests the elected Hamas government. While in Lebanon, it hasn’t hidden it’s disdain of the civil protests that will bring down the pro-US government while outwardly supporting the cedar revolution against Syrian de facto rule that used the same tactics last year. Brushstroking all of the above as evidence of expansionist Islamism is the justification of the US’s shift in policy of ‘democratisation’ and in faviour of a ‘new Middle-east’, which we were supposedly witnessing the ‘pangs’ of. So what is the new Middle-East?

It’s a Middle-east of arab countries that occupy the top 3 news headlines on a daily basis; one in a clear civil war; one that is on the verge of one; and one that is the unresolved perennial anathema that is the bain of the entire region. It is ‘new’ because it sets a precedent in pan-regional political instability anywhere in the modern world.

Where does Bahrain fit in the new Middle-East? It maybe small compared to the above, but on such a shaky boat, the region isn't difficult to rock. The Bahraini regime played it shrewdly in two main ways; domestically it thwarted a national constitutional movement by constraining it within a powerless parliament and diffusing it along sectarian lines; and internationally, by showing it’s US masters that the product of any arab democracy is yet another big-bad islamist demon. You still wonder why no organised ‘liberal’ representatives made it through the elections? The concerted electoral fraud is nothing personal against Fakhro, Nu’aimi, or Shareef. Not because they lack popular support, rather, it is exactly because they are ‘non-tainted’ nationalists that they are not politically desirable. Having an islamist parliament suits the current regime just fine, because it's a good excuse not to have one at all in the current regional climate. So with a dollop of salafi candidates, a dollop of cash, a dollop of 8000 floating votes, unleashing the full-force of a defeatist shia majority cramming for pre-restricted minority share of seats, the parliamentary recipe is ready to be served, totally halal islamist ingredients of course - even a teaspoon of 'liberals' in this particular recipe will ruin the sectarian taste. Although the people will ultimately be left legislatively famished, the Khalifa's are rubbing their full stomachs whilst serving a concoction that relieves Condalizza Rice's pangs, who has been convinced that better the undemocratic devil you know, then the democratic one you don't.

2006-11-29T03:26:00.000+03:00

"In a dictatorship you can't speak. In a democracy you can speak," said Minister of Information Mohammed Abdul Ghaffar Abdulla.

He forgot to add "In a dictatorship I [MoI] have a job. In a democracy I don't have a job".

Adversial politics; media summary so far

2006-11-26T04:26:00.000+03:00

The elections in Bahrain have received relatively good coverage and overall noted the skepticism and distrust over the whole process due largely to the recent Bandargate scandal. "Playing by unfair rules"as the Economist aptly describes the elections. Nevertheless, you are left to wonder at times whether reporters have accidently used an Iraq or Lebanon quick template, not just for their nauseating emphasis on sectarianism where every other word is Shia or Sunni, but we also had reports of "civil war", "Muqtada al-Sadr" appearances, harbingers of potential "Shia uprising" and even plots of ethnic "cleansing". Certainly the regional situation isn't a bunch of roses, and you realise how tension can spillover indirectly from your unruly neighbours. Lebanon - Bahrain is not, however much the media would like to play up Saudi or Iranian influence on the country. It is American influence on the ruling family which determines our political course more than anything, the story ad nauseum repeats itself across the ME.

Others have preferred to attribute Bahrain's "blossoming" situation to the initiative of our "reclusive" King. 'Blossoming' maybe just slightly exaggerated, i'd prefer the word "buggered", however 'reclusive' is an unintentionally fair description - so reclusive he is in fact that he has only ONCE ever paid visit to most of the unworthy villages in a tour of the country that covered the best part of 4 kilometres from his palace. The latter being the subject of this Financial Times article; Google's gaze over palace wall spurs equality drive in Bahrain.

“Some of the palaces take up more space than three or four villages nearby and block access to the sea for fishermen. People knew this already. But they never saw it. All they saw were the surrounding walls,” said Mr Yousif, who is seen in Bahrain as the grandfather of its blogging community." Apparantly, "80 per cent of the island has been carved up between royals and other private landlords, while much of the rest of the population faces an acute housing shortage."

(An aside, I assure you that outside the geographic boundaries of Bahrain, namely in Geneva, London or Nice, reclusiveness is not a prevalent characeteristic of HH). The briefly blocked Google Earth and other "popular websites, such as the occasionally banned forum Bahrain Online, have a larger readership than any of the country's newspapers, and the young population is adept at using proxy sites to bypass official blocks." notes the Economist Intelligence Unit in Bahrain Politicals: Adversarial which on the bandergate scandal and subsequent gagging order states;

...the government has resorted to a clampdown on public discussion of Bandargate. The High Criminal Court has banned any reporting related to the report while Dr al-Bandar awaits trial, and the information ministry subsequently blocked some 20 websites (including personal blogs) that had discussed the case. In addition, two Haq activists were arrested in early November for allegedly possessing and planning to distribute leaflets encouraging Bahrainis to boycott the vote.

Let us not forget that there are prisoners of conscious still dwelling in Bahraini jails while this raucus ensues.

هل يدفع الملك فاتورة الكهرباء؟

2006-11-22T17:30:00.000+03:00

The mother of the three dead Bahraini children used "candles to light the flat, as the family could not afford electricity."

يا وطن الأغنياء. يا وطن النفط. يا وطن الطبّالة والسحّارة وتاج الملك

ألهذا الحد أنت مفلس،
ألهذا الحد أنت حقير!؟.
- يا وطن وزارة
الكهرباء.

***
ثمة سؤال يؤرّقني منذ طفولتي:
- هل يدفع الملك
فاتورة الكهرباء الشهرية؟.

***
لم يدفعوا أجرة الفاتورة
فدفعتهم
الفاتورة.
صبيّان وبنت.

***
أشرفُ منكم أطفال المنامة،
أشرف
من كل فواتيركم،
اشرف من انتخاباتكم، من سائس خيل الوزير، من الوزير
نفسه ومن الوزارة
وأشرف من علمكم ونشيدكم الوطني

From Madas Ayatallah blog who asks the pertinent question, does the King pay his own electricity bill?
Well the answer is No, and not because he can't afford it.

Plea

2006-11-22T00:42:00.000+03:00

...to all journalists, NGO's and human rights activists who will be visiting Bahrain in to cover the parliamentary elections in two days time.

Two major issues need to be mentioned in your coverage. Firstly, the arrest of two political activists on charges of printing material criticizing the regime and the Bandargate scandal.

Should you require more information and contact help in Bahrain. Email me on
alma7aba@hotmail.com

It is astonishing if not oxymoronic that so-called democratic elections are held at a time when innocent political activists are jailed, and a string of royal totalitarian edicts the latest of which is today's ban on worker's strikes virtually everywhere except your backyard.

STRIKES BAN

GDN, 21.11.06

MANAMA: Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa yesterday issued an edict banning strikes at vital facilities.

Striking or calling for one at these locations are forbidden as they 'may disturb national security and disrupt people's daily course of lives'.

Establishments include security, civil defence, airports, seaports, hospitals, health centres and pharmacies.

The ban also applies to all means of transport involving people or merchandise, telecommunications, electricity, water, bakeries, educational establishments and oil and gas facilities.

I guess Bahrain is lucky that it doesn't have an underground tube system where strikes frequently occur bringing one of the biggest world cities to a standstill. Where protesting on a daily basis outside the Houses of Parliament in London, is legal, however much Tony Blair hates it. In fact, earlier this year, university staff in nearly all British universities earlier this year held an assessment strike for months. Industrial action and unionisation are the cornerstones of a democracy, however inconvenient.

Reportedly, an infamous minister once told Hamad, "take the constitution and tailor it to your size". That is what we ended up having, a deMOCKracy tailored and fitted to Alkhalifa's interests. Just so nice and convenient, is it not?

He's back!

2006-11-19T16:53:00.000+03:00

The legend who sang Lady d'Arbanville, Peace Train and Father and Son in the days where music and lyrics were meaningful and cogent...returns after 30 years of religious metamorphosis, older but still with the same great voice...await the new album, An Other Cup.

Irony

2006-11-19T01:42:00.000+03:00

"Did talk of sure but gradual reform, mean changing things for the better, or a re-form, old ways taking another shape?

When it was said that the most beautiful of days are yet ahead of us, who were the “us” therein? The Riffa-based lot only or the dwellers of towns and villages as well?"

Beside the dextrous use of vocabulary, fellow Bahraini blogger Manama Republic masters the use of metaphor and Irony like no other (even the title of the blog carries deeper connotations). The previous quote is intended to highlight the irony between promises and the disappointing eventualities. I am no literary critic or english lit graduate, but I have come to discern the power of language in engaging the reader and conveying a message as a true art-form. The subtle wit is carried in every word and sentence structure. For example in coining terms such as "the dignity tax" or describing the soul of a man matching his "white thoub".

I am always left in wonderment and a sense of satisfaction reading the blog, "very nicely put", or why didn't I think of it like that. There is not much more left to comment on any particular issue. It is thoughtful "truth-seeking" at its very best-whilst he finds the nuances, most other blogs and I, report the superficialities in comparison.

On the eve of Halloween, he asked,

"Were jails empty of political detainees a trick or a treat?
Were homes unbroken into in the middle of the night trick or treat?
Was the most favourite mask, the Charter, trick or treat?
Was the top performing costume, the Reforming Democrat, trick or treat?"

The rhetorical and situational use of irony here is extremely poignant, has this King of ours actually given or taken away?

Today, he highlighted the irony of the arrest of two political activists for breaking a gag order,

"So swift the wheels of our ruling family justice turn in this constitutionally owned kingdom of theirs. When it suits their "just" purposes that is . It has been more than 48 days since a ruling family judge slapped a gag order on Al-Bandar Report, and yet not a single legal proceeding was undertaken against the really and criminally seditious".

Constitutional Fallacy

2006-11-17T16:59:00.000+03:00

...constitutional monarchy? Self-appointed monarch and self-written consitution I agree.

There is no room in Bahrain for genuine dissent. As long as you keep your views within the confines of a given political margin set according to some screwed up monarchial barometer you will be ok. This margin is set by laws promulgated through royal decrees. Over the last few years the most dangerous of laws have been set this way, laws banning group gatherings, press freedoms, impunity of former officials, societies laws, terrorism laws and now the banning of any debate/publications on Albandar. Two activists arrested last night in a printing shop whilst collecting a print order of a publication calling for the boycott of the upcoming elections were arrested and charged under new terrorism laws that can carry the death penalty.

Quite frankly i'm dismayed that some still use the word 'democracy' or 'reform' in our country, Bahrain is the anti-thesis if there ever was one. Certainly, its a fallacious argument one that is built on repetition, if you repeat these two words enough times it becomes fact. Political discourse in the media set directly by the Ministry of Information in uncanny Orwellian fashion is quite sickening. The existing parliament is about as significant as my university's debating society, and at least we have a credibly fair Chairman. But let us not, the free-thinkers of us, regurgitate this fallacy. As things have progressed, I have come to believe that self-serving proponents of this fallacy are not just the usual suspects, but the bourgoisie and the religious establishment. To me this has been the most disillusioning. I don't expect much from the top dog, but I expected more from these two. The topic of Bahrain's mediocre bourgoise and faltering religious establishment will be discussed another time. They got our Bishops (the clerics), Knights (the bourgoisie) and Rooks (the political societies), and our pawns are scattered as each unashamedly chases a worthless parliamentary seat.

Its Check, but hopefully not Checkmate yet.

Time for a pawn or two to block the attack. Join the rally calling for investigation into Bandargate today.

Release Dr Mohammed Saeed NOW.

Aljazeera English

2006-11-16T03:50:00.000+03:00

Tonight I grabbed my remote control and fiddled with the frequencies till I found Aljazeera English to see what all the fuss is about.I haven't watched enough to judge content, so just my aesthetic impression will suffice. In summary, I thought it had enough White household names to keep Western viewers happy, and more than enough Arabs with heavy Englsih accents to keep Arab viewers happy. Although probably the 30 second interview snippets they get on other English channels is more than I can usually bare ("All broblem habbening in 3irrraq izzz all Amreeeka faulld") . Unsurprisingly, Aljazeera's infatuation with Mohammed Heikal continued, however I was surprised that he is actually a very good speaker in English.

A very old media pundit and old-school don once put it..."Rageh Omar, Riz Khan, well you would just expect them to join wouldn't you?...but David FROST - part of the old-school British media establishment...now that is a surprise...!" I didn't know whether to take this as an insulting racist comment...but my gut feeling is that it summarises the tentativeness of the West towards this channel simply because for once, it is White people choosing to work for a foreign organisation rather than the other way round. The next comment that usually comes after that of course, is how much did they pay them!

Nevertheless it was a good strategic move, and the 'real' accents of the presenters make a change from annoying CNN American or posh BBC english, although you may need a bit of the latter, no one does weather reports quite like them!

Now this brings me to the next issue of, when will a good English broadsheet come out of the Arab world, can someone please suggest it to the Qataris?

2006-11-14T23:02:00.000+03:00

Sabeeka and her army of Gucci handbags asking for equal rights. I agree, every woman should have a Gucci handbag.

2006-11-14T22:59:00.000+03:00

If you want us to help you clear up your mess. At least ask nicely.

2006-11-13T01:54:00.000+03:00

What is the GCC doing with $500 billion of oil surplus revenue this year other than building a few hotels with gold-plated toilet handels ...?

Keep it mundane, keep it sweet....or blog anonymosly!

2006-11-12T19:56:00.000+03:00

A bit of advice to Bahrain bloggers to avoid getting jailed, interrogated or gagged. Restrict your opinion solely to the earth-shattering topics of your pet dog, your mental health, music or the progress of your pot plants. Be careful when debating pot plants...this could spark a grassroots movement(pun intended)...so better steer away from anything green that grows from soil all together.

إثنانِ في أوطاننا يرتعدانِ خيفةً من يقظةِ النائم .... اللص والحاكم
Two people are scared from waking the sleeping...the thief and the ruler...(Ahmed Matar)

Bahrain to Beit Hanoun

2006-11-09T17:24:00.000+03:00

Poster made for Al-Quds rally 20th October 2006 (click to enlarge)

By all standards I did not expect this poster to be considered a 'threat to the regime' in Bahrain. But when my friend got hauled into the back of a police car, cautioned and threatened with arrest should he dare to be so 'unpatriotic' ever again someone obviously doesn't want these facts publicised. I took this photo just before it got confiscated.

This poster shows a photo of Sheikh Hamad shaking Shimon Perez's hand, an article that quotes the Crown Prince telling Perez that, "the day is not far when you could visit us and we could visit you" and the Bahraini head of the UN General assembly boasting her regular meetings with Israeli officials.

It is almost impossible to reconcile or justify such stances with the horrific situation going on in Palestine today. Hamad et al provide the legitimacy to the Israeli state with their silence, secret deals as thousands are killed in Palestine, and an entire elected government held under seige and undermined.

However regurgative this topic may seem, images will forever resonate in arab collective consciousness:

The blood of innocents is on all their hands.

Bahrain's formidable arsenal

2006-11-08T22:52:00.000+03:00

At a time when the world is shuddering at the thought of Iran flirting with the idea of nucleur weapons.... and flashing its Shehab-3, Fatih - 10 and Thulfaqar-73...missiles in a naughty display of defiance....

Bahrain has taken giant leaps and strides in the latest laser-guided plastic weaponry that can shoot precision-guiding shots of water across a 3 metre distance...

Bahrain's state-of-the-art naval fleet of raft boats

(take a closer look at the impressive arsenal of blue guns here)

This is a dangerous escalation in the region. Reports suggest teddy bear hand grenades and anti-tank barbie dolls were also on display.

Bahrain recently came under attack by a foreign-made bomb called Albandar, although only paper was used in this device, reportedly of Sudanese-origin, the ruling family establishment was hit severely. Serious measures have been implemented since this attack, including the banning of paper in the country all together.

Thanks Maroon Al-raas

Blog ressurection

2006-10-31T19:52:00.000+03:00

....its getting more and more difficult keeping my mouth shut... does anyone still visit this site??

The Historic Fart - The Final Post

2005-06-05T22:34:00.000+03:00

My favourite story as a kid was the ancient arabian version of an episode of the Simpsons. Certain versions of Tales From the Thousand and One Nights, contains a short story called "The Historic Fart". Running to my father's lap and reading this story to him, he found it so funny, he'd make me retell it to any guests visiting our home, with a proud smile on his face. A little summary of the story goes like this:

It recounts the humorously lamentable story of a young man called Abu Hasan who, upon his wedding night, “let fly a fart, great and terrible” that shamed him into abandoning his bride and house full of startled guests. Thereafter '9irt, for its sanitary and respectful nature, acquired such attention that records were kept indicating the first time a person of distinction was heard to break wind. Thus, in conversation with a stranger, it was not uncommon for an Arab proudly to say: “I was born on the very night that Abu-Hasan farted!”

This isn't just a story of of a legendary fart, this is a story of how something embarrassing can often go unforgotten!

On that note ladies and gentleman, fellow bloggers, and silent observers lurking in the shadows, I wish to thank you for being great readers over the last 7 months and being interested in what I have had to write which represented my views and my views alone. I started the blog on impulse, blogged continuously on impulse, and now wish to end it on impulse. I refer my readers to other great Bahraini bloggers out there, both the established and the new, whose links you will find on the left of this page. One worthy of a special mention is the blog of Ward and Wardah - the painful story of exile, prison, and government tyranny.

I wish, like the legendary Historic Fart, to be remembered imemorially as the passionately cocky Bahraini blogger who babbled on for 7 months and then decided to shut up.

Maybe we'll meet again in another life or should I say, another blog... but for now I bid u farewell.

Bahrania

(PS i'll keep comments on for another week or so to wrap up the discussions before this blog becomes totally defunct).

Khalaf's take

2005-06-05T18:15:00.000+03:00

There is only one serious Bahraini academic who has attempted to write and publish papers studying the socio-political situation in Bahrain, and that is Abdulhadi Khalaf (2005, 2002, 1998), sociology Professor in Lund University, Sweden. You can find his most relevant papers here:

What the Gulf Ruling Families Do when They Rule
A King’s Dilemma –Obstacles to Political Reforms In Bahrain (highly recommended)
Contentious politics in Bahrain, From ethnic to national and vice versa

Since Dr Khalaf is a regular reader of this blog, I hope that he would partake in this discussion and elaborate on certain concepts related in the above articles, which may help each of us concerned with the political situation in Bahrain, contextualise history and analyse events in this framework. This fits in nicely in the series of posts that I wrote a few weeks back. It takes us out of the common and rather obtuse terminology we often used when discussing politics (government/opposition, sectarianism etc. ) elevating the discussion to a slightly higher intellectual standard. It is heavy stuff, and took me a while to read and digest, however, I will summarise the main concepts here.

These concepts are that of ‘vertical segmentation’. Sustaining vertical segmentation of society has proven a useful form of social organisation and, hitherto, an effective vehicle for rule. He also contends that contentious politics is the result of the tension between two socio-political forces in Bahrain; the champions of enlightenment, and the defenders of the status quo. He also explores the instruments of regime stability, and the way the monarchies subdue society through effective use of strategies of penetration, fragmentation and marginalisation. And that even when combining what Michael Mann calls the “despotic power” of pre-modern states and the “infra-structural power” of the modern state, the Gulf monarchies have maintained their capacity.

“One of the immediate consequences of its control of rent and its circulation is making loyalty to the royal family a social as well as a political imperative. Unlike other society/state situations, what can be observed in the Gulf monarchies is shaped by two characteristic features of the state. The first is that the state is the ruling family, in other words more just an instrument of the ruling families. Rather, there is a distinct intertwining of state and the ruling families in a relation of indistinguishable organic unity. The second is that the state/ruling family is off-limits for all other social actors.

In its turn, the state promotes levels of dependency by citizens on its agencies, its welfare services and other facilities. Within this relation of dependency, a citizen becomes “disinclined to act economically or politically on his own behalf, let alone seriously criticise the state”.

Citizens, including merchants, entrepreneurs and business people, become more pre-occupied with attempts to access the rent circuit than reaching to build productive efficiency.”

Specifically on recent developments in Bahrain, he says:

“Recent history of contentious politics in Bahrain […] is a tension between the socio-political forces defending the status quo (plus minus) and the socio-political forces championing what has been referred to as enlightenment (plus minus). In Bahrain, according to Khuri (1980:198) 'this enlightenment meant rejecting sectarian politics, opposing colonial rule and the tribally controlled regime, and championing the cause of labour classes'. At the risk of over-simplification, the forces of status quo (plus minus) included the ruling family, the notables and the clerical establishment, while the forces of enlightenment (plus minus) most of the nascent business community, civil servants and workers.”

“Moves towards constitutional order in 1973-5 and since 2001 have not contravened the concentration of power…

While the ruling family may have wanted on both occasions to acquire constitutional legitimacy, it did not accept the formal and informal political, administrative, and judicial consequences of that legitimacy. The price seemed simply too high…There are some factors to add to this.

First, the ruling core has continued to exercise full control over all major sources of surplus appropriation. This unrestricted control has enabled it to continue steering the major economic and political actors, play them against each other and affirm their dependence on its goodwill. All other classes and social strata lack solid economic capabilities outside the orbit of the regime. All of them are dependent on the regime’s economic ventures and the political goodwill of its ruling core for their survival and prosperity.

Second, neither 1973 nor 2001 constitutions provide for mechanisms to separate the regime and its ruling core from government. The ruling family’s core continues to lead executive and administrative organs as well as other institutions of the state such as the judiciary, the military and the security forces. In spite of constitutional stipulations, all organs of state continue to be extensions of formal and informal powers of the ruling core.

Third, resources at the disposal of the regime, the docility of its social base, and regional and international support, have enabled it to embark on a massive reconstructive operation. These resources have enabled the regime to dismiss totally calls for a return to constitutional rule. Moreover, to the dismay of increasingly demoralised opponents, the regime has actually been able to initiate a modernisation process of its institutions, or to borrow an expression, with rather than against tribalism and communalism. “

Strategies of control

Byman and Green describe six strategies of control that ruling families in the Gulf employ. These are:

1) use of aggressive security services to monitor, and at times suppress, opposition;
2) cooptation of dissidents and potential dissidents through extensive use of largesse; dissidence is also contained through control of the media via subsi-dies and direct funding or the threat to suspend publication and not so much through formal censorship;
3) creating divisions within communities and fragmenting any political opposition;
4) cunning and ideological flexibility which helps appease local critics and off-set outside meddling;
5) pseudo-participation using appointed and partially representative majlis to provide for discussion and input into decision-making; and,
6) accommodative diplomacy and the use of aid to placate foreign adversaries.

Vertical Segmentation

A very insightful concept explored is the idea of 'vertical segmentation of society' (maintaining a division of society and social institutions into a number of vertical parallels that are separated from each other through, mainly political, sanctions), as one of the main factors preserving the Al-Khalifa rule in Bahrain which has been "gradually expanded and refined into an effective instrument of power and of legitimacy of power. "

Vertical segmentation, in Bahrain, is maintained through mobilisation of tribal, confessional, and ethnic myths, through appropriate parts of communal histories, through co-optation as well as through actual use of physical force. Top dogs within each vertical segment are strong enough to keep order within their sphere but not enough to prevent the regime from intervening, directly or indirectly, whenever need arises. On an extreme end of the segmented system one finds the ruling family itself and chiefs of some of its tribal Sunni allies, while on the other extreme one would find the impoverished local Shia peasants. Foreigners, presently making more than one-third of the population, continue to be outside the system. Paradoxically, foreigners who live as temporary residents with virtually no other right than right to work, play important roles enabling the regime to maintain its hold on society.

Obviously, vertical segmentation between Sunni and Shia communities is the weightiest, but not the only, form of the system. Other criteria for social stratification operate separately or alongside confessional affiliation. In particular, wealth, kinship, as well as tribal and rural-urban backgrounds will persist and contribute, whenever mobilised, to strengthening segmentation of the socio-political order.

Effective manipulations of existing hierarchies, sustaining a suitable level of vertical segmentation, and pre-empting opportunities for horizontal, cross-hierarchy, interaction provided al-Khalifa, with a strategic asset to maintain its rule and a local source to legitimate that rule.

Oil, particularly since the oil boom of the mid-1970s, provides sufficient resources to continue recruiting additional, potential, intermediaries from nearly every social background. The entrepreneurial sector, for example, which was a major beneficiary of oil-boom investments, provided the ruling families with a new, and relatively modern, source of intermediaries. Advancement within this sector has been personal and based on political loyalty and acumen, rather than tribal or sectarian proximity to the regime. Project contracts, big and small, have been awarded largely for political loyalty. Those entrepreneurs whose loyalties were in doubt simply lost their access to contracts. Being in the good books of the ruling core and other senior members of the ruling family adds some considerable push to a business venture. Regular attendance to the weekly majlis, court, of any of these potentates, or preferably all, provides as strong a guarantee as any bank credit.

Overall

Political reforms in Bahrain since 2000 have provided a model for the kind of measures that do not require the ruling families to give up any of their privileges, including their control over economic resources and political institutions as well as their command over the armed forces and the security apparatuses. While the Bahraini scheme represents a significant step towards reducing symptoms of the prevailing political stagnation, it could generate new problems. Concessions by the ruling families may embolden local elites to demand more substantive political reforms. On the other hand, procrastination is likely to be more dangerous if it leads to enraging the gradually expanding networks of domestic and foreign actors demanding change. The urgency of the situation could force even the most reluctant of the Gulf rulers to conclude that reforms must go beyond the customary episodic cosmetic changes.

The most interesting of the papers I found, was the one on the King’s Dilemma, if you're going to read just one, i'd recommend that one. In it Khalaf evaluates and analyses the situation solely from the King’s perspective, the ‘astute tactician’, how the novice king cohabitates with his uncle who remains the strongman in the country, as the longest serving Prime Minister in history. Unfortunately I cannot copy and paste off this paper for some reason, so I leave it up to you to peruse and discuss. He touches on the weakness of the secular left, the mutual mistrust and the internal squabbles of the ruling family that are fuelled by political reforms that would challenge tribal privileges. Extremely insightful exposition, ends with the question : “how far needs a non-democratic ruler move on the path of political reforms before realising the reform process is becoming futile or even counter-productive?” He cites the important point right at the end, “Mutual mistrust is a serioius threat to any future collaborative attempts to rebuild bridges between the regime and its opponents. Second the corrosive effects of past decades of misrule, mismanagement of resources and violations of human rights, makes current reforms appear temporary and unsustainable”.

The survival of the cockiest

2005-06-04T18:20:00.000+03:00

British humour which entails sarcasm to the extent described as ‘cocky’ is a deeply engrained cultural disposition and difficult to acquire. I’ve learnt two things about the importance of cockiness for the British species:

1. For each and every cocky remark, there is an equal and opposite cocky reply.

2. Cockiness is essential if u want to make it in a white-male dominated world. It is actually a yardstick for success.

There is a deeper reason behind this that reveals an important trait in the cocky-minded. Sarcasm requires a certain amount of sharpness, wit and quick judgment. Possessing this skill means that you can engage Brits in a conversation they find meaningful and entertaining. Even if it is a pile of tosh, the important thing is the ‘ability to converse’ in this manner. The epitomy of British cockiness was personified in the form of George Galloway a couple of weeks back whilst testifying in front of US senators, but programs like Have I Got News For You or even Prime-Ministers Question Time in Parliament would underpin the perfect course on how to improve your ‘cockiness in conversation’. Cockiness and its underpinning sarcasm is another British institution (other than penny-pinching). To be cocky or not to be cocky, that is the question.

Cockiness however, is considered an extremely undesirable characteristics in eastern cultures in general (except Egypt, Egyptians can be terribly cocky). I’m not sure what the Arabic word for it is but a local phrase often used in Bahrain is ‘lsaan toweel’ – long tongue. And if you’re deemed too cocky then u’d get chastised with the phrase, “lsanish yi7taj ga9” ie ur tongue needs to be cut. Cockiness verges on the common perception of rudeness and insult. Humour over here is a different paradigm all-together. This is a culture of gental joviality, mojamalaat, not one of quick comebacks.

(As an side, isn’t it ironic, I don’t know the Arabic translation of cockiness/sarcasm or the English translation of mojamalaat..a cultural clash for sure, someone plz help out!)

You maybe thinking why I’ve brought this topic up. Last week, in a coffee shop with some friends, to my left was seated an English patrician. Excusing himself to the bathroom he asked me to kindly look after his belongings. I naturally agreed. When he came back he decided to start a conversation. Although I rarely talk to strangers, this guy seemed a bit of a character, in his 60s, redevelops properties in the French riviera, with absolutely nothing in common with a twenty-something veiled arab woman. It was a bit of an effort to make idle chatter, but "min baab almojamala" as we say in arabic, or for the sake of common courtesy I made the effort. In the end out of no where he said this:

“I can tell you’re not going to be very rich, but you will have a very interesting life full of experiences ahead of you”

Although this remark isn’t cocky in itself, it was the way in which it was said. How the hell does he have the audacity to prophecy my life!!! So I asked him, “ and how did u reach that conclusion, by reading my eyes?”

“No, I do lips”

“Hmmmm” I thought to myself…how the hell do u read lips…bloody English cocky twat. Dismissing this remark and bidding him farewell, I left the place, but two weeks on, im still wondering why he consciously decided to make a point of the fact im not going to be rich. I don't think it was the ripped jeans or the old trainers that did it. Im not actually worried that i'll live in poverty my whole life and if it was an issue for me, there isnt a shortage of affluent men on bended knee. It really did feel like I was in a movie and the guy was some sort of messenger. Then again, its probably another cartload of cocky tosh I'm thinking too much into.

Papparazi Bahrania

2005-05-25T22:29:00.000+03:00

Having lunch earlier on, I quickly took this shot of Steve Job, founder of Apple sitting on the table next to us. I had a good mind to go up to him and tell him I dont think the ipod is gona last 2 years.

And it really is him, as verified by this description in an article I found online:

Everyone knows Parisians are snobs. So it probably shouldn't have come as a surprise that an unshaven, middle-aged American, speaking English and dressed in cuffed jeans, sneakers, and a worn black T-shirt, was rudely turned away from the bar at a lavish fete inside Paris's Musee d'Orsay on September 16, 2003.

Except that the man was Steven P. Jobs, the cofounder and chief executive of Apple Computer Inc.

Ok Ok, big deal...sorry, i just wanted to prove to myself that it is useful carrying your camera everywhere, shame I didn't have it when I bumped into Madonna, Hugh Grant, and D-list like Jordan, Rebecca Loos and a host of arab celebs. This week the sequel to Basic Instinct is being filmed in my uni, wohooo, i'll keep an eye out for Sharon Stone... i really think i have a budding future in the paparazzi...there is a gem of a photo i'm hiding of an arab popstar in a charity concert whose brief appearance on stage exposed more than just a bad voice.. now where do i go to sell this photo?

Gift Ideas

2005-05-25T14:47:00.000+03:00

I thought i'd use this blog for something vaguely useful instead of letting it lie dormantly in cyberspace today. I have to get a graduation present for a close friend of mine and my boss’s birthday is coming up this week too. Let me just say that both are materially well-endowed, that is putting it mildly since they are probably worth half of Bahrain’s GDP collectively.

any suggestions for something cheap and cheerful, that won’t strain my limited resources and serve as a decent gift too?

(PS no one say a 'good book', I thought of that one already, but I ruled it out)

.

2005-05-23T12:11:00.000+03:00

There's just something about a guy who can kick a ball about well that makes a girl tick. This kid is called Soufiane Touzani.

The opposition has come up with a practical suggestion for proportional representation as outlined in the diagram below. Each voter has 3 votes, for local, county and national representatives. They'll pass it onto the King, I hope he likes diagrams and colours.

The United Nation's Committee Against Torture in Geneva concludes its 34th session with the following recommendations to the Bahraini government:

"The Committee was concerned about the persistent gap between the legislative framework and its practical implementation with regard to the obligations of the Convention; the lack of a comprehensive definition of torture in the domestic law as set out in article 1 of the Convention; the large number of allegations of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment of detainees committed prior to 2001; the apparent failure to investigate promptly, impartially and fully the numerous allegations of torture and ill-treatment and to prosecute alleged offenders; the inadequate availability in practice of civil compensation for victims of torture prior to 2001; lack of access by independent monitors to visit and inspect places of detention without prior notice; and the rejection of the House of Deputies in March 2005 of the establishment of an independent National Human Rights Commission.

The Committee recommended, among other things, that Bahrain adopt in its domestic penal law a definition of torture in terms consistent with article 1 of the Convention; respect the absolute nature of article 3 in all circumstances and fully incorporate it into domestic law; consider steps to amend Decree 56 of 2002 to ensure there was no impunity to officials who had perpetrated or acquiesced in torture or other cruel and inhuman or degrading punishment; ensure that any measure taken to combat terrorism, including the draft law, be in accordance with Security Council resolutions; fully ensure the independence of the judiciary; and consider adopting a Family Code including measures to prevent and punish violence against women."

Since Chan'ad and I have been nominated for Freedom Blog Awards, there is an interview with us in the Italian Peace Reporter. Chan'ad is obviously way too modest to publicize himself in this way so i'll do it for both of us shamelessly! I never realized that the whole thing would be published UNCUT, but I thank Naoki in taking interest in publicizing Bahraini bloggers.

Student Prayer

2005-05-19T20:57:00.000+03:00

I put this up for my sake as well as all the other students facing exams this time of year.

الدعاء قبل المطالعة

اللهم نفعني بما علمتني وعلمني ما ينفعني اللهم إني أسألك فهم النبيين وحفظ المٌرسلين والمقُربين اللهم

اجعل لساني ذاكراَ بأمرك وقلبي بخشيتك إنك على ماتشاءُ قدير وانت حسبنا الله ونعم الوكيل

...........................................................

الدعاء عند المطالعة العصبة

اللهم لا سهل إلا ما جعلتهُ سهلاَ إنك تجل العصب إذا ما شئت سهلاَ إنك على ماتشاء قدير و أنت حسبنا الله

ونعم الوكيل

..........................................................

الدعاء بعد المطالعة

اللهم إني استودعٌك ما قرائتهٌ فرٌدها الي عند حاجتي اللهم إنك على ماتشاءُ قدير وأنت حسبُنا الله ونعم الوكيل

..........................................................

الدعاء قبل الامتحان

ربِ أشرح لي صدري ويسر لي أمري واحلل عُقدت من لساني يفقهُ قولي وأنت اللهم ربي ومُعيني عليك توكلت

وإليك أنيب اللهم اجعل في قلبي بصراَ ونوراَ وفهماَ وعلماَ برحمتك يا ارحم الراحمين

نسألكم الدعاء

Noble or outrageous?

2005-05-17T18:02:00.000+03:00

This photo of a women washing cars outside a shopping mall was published in Alwasat newspaper last year.

Alot of people were outraged that a 'Bahraini' woman has to resort to this kind of work for money. Its not the sort of image u'd expect to see in the 'oil-rich Gulf'.

To be fair, after the story was broken, this lady did get offered another job. I don't know how many other women work in hard-labour jobs, but I heard that many work in factories in terrible conditions too. This reminded me of one of the first posts I made 6 months ago about Bahrain's star volleyball player collecting tin cans for a living.

Keepin' it short & sweet

2005-05-12T22:59:00.000+03:00

No shortage of interesting material on the planet to blog on, though i'm suffering from a severe bout of CBA* Syndrome right now so i'll be quick:

On the philosophy of Bullshitting

"Bullshit is unavoidable whenever circumstances require someone to talk without knowing what he is talking about. Thus the production of bullshit is stimulated whenever a person's obligations or opportunities to speak about some topic exceed his knowledge of the facts that are relevant to that topic."

I'm starting to get the hang of flickr. Albeit with a cheap camera and no photographic dexterity whatsoever, any tips?

Whoever thought it was funny to sign me up to this. You see me laughing?

Never thought Mahmood would have a change of heart. I am genuinely surprised. Patience is a virtue indeed.

A rather odd yet talented Bahraini blogger joins the scene.

To the malicious snooper spying on my email: Spin on it u bugger, how do u get off reading other people's emails? Take you're trojans and patches somewhere else, goodfornothingsonofa***** I say this after running an Anti-virus for the first time on my laptop, which detected 211 virus thingies. I sat there for 4.5 hours watching this program scan and exterminate these foreign bodies that have impregnated my gateway to the universe.

Orlando bloom. Nuff said... well actually no...I have a great offer for you Orly, I can just about envision an epic remake of the movie called "Kingdom of Bahrain" starring Orlando Gloom and debuting Bahrania? We can put all the rest of the bloggers as background extras...Mahmood as court jester, Chan'ad as the loyal sidekick, DIB as the leader of the Knight Templars...(sorry SBG no other female roles in the film ;)..."the AlKhalifa crusades and the fight for Manama"... but who should take the role of Salahaldeen?

$260 million in total revenue for Bapco (Bahrain's oil company), and only $40 million reported in the state budget!!! MPs hope King will intervene and sort out the shortfall, how democratic.I'm sure Bapco will come up with the dodgy accounts to make up for the missing $220 million somehow in the next few days...Oh I dunno, a random hunch tells me they should ask around in Switzerland where most swindled petro-dollars end up.

As u can tell i'm in a vibrantly good mood today.

*Can't Be Arsed

2005-05-12T18:18:00.000+03:00

To Jassim Alsaeedi...

With Love. Bahrania

See Chan'ad's Redressing Torture for more details.

من الصبح بطّلت الجريدة وراسي افتر
شفت (السعيدي) وصورته جنه( كنكتر)
فـي الـبرلمان يـصارخ وبيدينه دفتر
* ويـقول قـانون الـملك لا تـمنعونه
شـدني الخبر رحت (التتمة) أبغي اقراه
والله خـرطي( الشيخ) يلقبونه ، ألف آه
شاخت اضروسه وغربل الله كل فتاواه
* وينه ووين الدين؟ وعن الشيوخ وينه؟
فـحوى الـخبر انه عفس ليهم الجلسة
وأي جـلسة يـتكلّم يـسّوي فيها عفسة
أرائـه عـوجة هالخبل وأفكاره حوسة
* ومـن( تورا بورا) جنه امحّول علينا
قـانون هـذا يـحمي اللي عذب الناس
قـانون مـن سنه ابد ما يحمل احساس
يـساوي بـين الظلم والمظلوم وتنداس
* فـيه الـكرامة واللي يبطش يرفعونه
مـن قـبل هـالمجنون يريد العزا يمنع
ويـقول ازعـاج الـماتم لازم انـزع
هـذي بـطولة عندي خل الناس تسمع
* مـسكين يحسب أي شيء بيطاوعونه
يـا خـايب الـحظ والرجا خل الدلاعة
وخـل الزمط جانب ولا تمشي البضاعة
ولا تـدور الـشهرة ترى تزول المناعة
*والـعزا مـبدا فـي الـقلوب امغلفينه
مـحفور فـي الـصدور حـبنا للماتم
ومـا مـمكن بلحظة على المبدا نساوم
جـرب تـشوف الـناس بتسطر ملاحم
* تـحمي عـقيدتها ودمـهم يرخصونه
والـقهر بـيدافع عـن الـلي عـذبونا
والـلي رمـونا فـي الـسجون والمونا
هـذا شـكثر قـلبه بـحقد يحقد علينا
*هـالناصبي الـشيعة لازم يـحذرونه
والـقهر اسـمع عـنه بـيسافر اوربا
وفـي الـطائرة معلوم بياذي اللي صوبه
يـا ربـي ما يرجع ويسفرونه( لكوبا)
* (لـغوانتنامو) ويـا ربـعه يـحبسونه
مـستغرب انا شلون هذا يصييرنائب؟
ما عنده شهادة وفي الاعدادي كان راسب
بـس لـحية عـنده ينخدع منها الناخب
* وبـالدين يـتلاعب عشان يرشحونه
اشـلون نـترجى مـن المجلس منافع؟
وهـذا الـسعيدي جـاثم بكرسيه وقابع
ولا يـوم شـفنا عن حقوق الناس يدافع
*يـا لـيت يـطردونه بشوته ويفلتونه
لـو فـيه خـير الـبرلمان احنا دخلنا
ومـنهو بـثقة واخلاق وبطيبة انتخبنا
ولا فـاز هـذا بـشلته واحنا اللي فزنا
*لـكن يـراويك الـزمن جوره وفنونه

By Qamr Alhowashim

Blog Quiz #2 - Answers

2005-05-08T23:34:00.000+03:00

The main source of information for the quiz was the paper "Patrons, immigrants and ma'tams in Pre-modern Bahrain", by Nellida Fuccaro, and a series of papers written by Hasan Abdulla here and here. The former uses a book by Abdulla Sayf as its source. The answers are open to debate, and any input or corrections i'm sure would be useful to the authors of the papers. A few of you did manage to get some write, well done!

When did the first Ashoora procession take place in Bahrain?

In 1891 Muhammad Mirza Ismail, a Persian merchant, used his position as agent for the British India navigation company to lead the procession in front of the Ma’tam bin Rajab, one of the oldest of the city. This was a momentous event for Manama’s Shi’i communities. People flocked behind an heavily armed Mirza Ismail who confident of British protection made his way through Manama streets defying the veto imposed by the Sunni rulers on public manifestations of Shi’i devotion.

What ‘new’ tribal town was established in 1809?

Muharraq, was a ‘new’ tribal town established in 1809 on an island facing Manama.

Name a Bahraini who started off working as an as an interpreter for the British Agency in 1893 and then went on to become an extremely wealthy businessman.

For some foreign merchants political connections yielded spectacular results. Ahmad bin Yusuf Kanu, an Arab originally form southern Iran, started his career in 1893 as an interpreter for the British Agency. Acting as middlemen for the Agency and for British companies he became an enormously rich and influential businessmen, and adopted a cosmopolitan outlook and lifestyle. Shaykh ‘Isa resented so bitterly his association to the British that in 1920 Major Dickinson, the Politcal agent, remarked that ‘he undoubtedly would get into serious trouble if [the] British ever withdrew from Bahrain’. As Yusuf Kanu’s example suggests 19th Manama was a city of self-made immigrants where merchant capital and outside connections were far more important than decades of prominence on the local scene. Even when Manama’s notables like Yusuf sat on one of commercial councils convened by the ruler in Muharraq (particularly the majlis al-‘urf), their appointment did not automatically grant them access to new sources of wealth and influence. Rather, it expressed Shaykh ‘Isa’s recognition of their ability to control the material and human resources of Manama and to contribute to the often depleted treasury of the royal family, particularly with cash loans.

By 1905 Manama had 13 main ma’tam buildings , 11 controlled by the Baharna (Arab population of the city) and two by the Persian. What was the first ma’atam to be established in Manama and who established it?

Ma'atam Bin Rajab in the 1840s? was this the first. i'm not sure.

In what period of the 19th century did the collapse of the pearl industry occur with an ensuing poverty and famine decimating the urban population?
In the late 1920s, beginning 1930s, as a result of the world depression, which reduced demand for Bahraini pearls, and as a result of the Japanese development of a cheaper way to “breed” pearls, or make cultured pearls.
Who gave this illustration of the 'intricate role of weapons of the weak' in local politics:
'.... Bus- and taxi drivers went on strike. They copied the technique of the Beirut taxi-drivers who constantly went on strike. They caused an almost total dislocation of traffic by organising bands of small boys -and sometimes girls- who strewed the roads with nails, struck through Coca-Cola bottle tops, which punctured the tyres of hundreds of cars. The boys used to dash out from narrow lanes, lay a few nails and watch the results from dark alleys where they could easily retreat. It may sound absurd that the activity of lads and children caused such serious trouble, but it was very difficult for the police to catch them, and although a number of boys who were caught were suitably dealt with they were not deterred. The strike was to some extent due to the high premiums which were demanded by British and other insurance companies. When the Government gave permission to a local company to compete with the foreign companies most of the opposition died away and the strike ended. However having once learned 'the nail game' small boys found it such a fascinating occupation that they engaged in it whenever there was any trouble in Bahrain, and sometimes they played it for their amusement'.

While 'everyday forms of resistance were originally associated with peasants it is not strictly a peasantry affair. Susan Ekstien notes (1989: 8-9) that all subordinates social groups may resist conditions imposed by dominant groups in roughly similar ways. Sir Charles Belgrave (1960), the British advisor to the rulers of Bahrain 1926-57, gave the illustration above which is an example of this.

When was the first prolonged and organised industrial strike in the oil industry?

Which Sheikh was said to have had a Jewish prostitute called ‘Mas’ooda’ who was used to lure the sons of noblemen to her house after which the Sheikh’s men would blackmail them for large sums of money or expose the scandal and imprison them.

9. In what year were the first ever public calls for an elected legislative chamber (parliament), and reforms in the police and judicial courts?

10. One of the companions of the Prophet (swt) is buried in Bahrain after being banished from Kufa by Muawiya. What is his name and where is he buried?

عاش صعصعة فترة طويلة من الزمن وعاصر الرسول الأعظم والخلفاء الراشدين . وقد اصطدم في اكثر من موقف بالخلفاء الطغاة حتى جاء معاوية بن أبي سفيان وقال له : " والله لأجفين بك الوساد ، وأشردن بك في البلاد . " فأمر معاوية المغيرة بن شعبة بابعاده عن الكوفة ونفيه إلى جزيرة أوال ( البحرين حاليا ) . وعلى هذه الأرض ، أرض أجداده جاء أجله فدفن في قرية عسكر سنة 60 هـ وعمره 70 سنة .

وقد رثى صعصعة الإمام علي (ع) عند مماته بكلمات منها :

هل خبر الغبر سائليه أم قر عينا بزائريه

أم هل تراه احاط علما بالجسد المستكين فيه

لو علم القبر من يواري تاه على كل من يليه

يا موت ماذا أردت مني حققت ما كنت أتقيه

An important event which I touched on in Blog Quiz #1 was the Battle of Dul3 which occurred in 1869. I offer a simple translation from Hasan Abdulla's papers:

Mohd bin Khalifa was known for his extreme tyranny in Bahrain, Qatar and Eastern province. The situation got so bad that the British had to directly intervene, ousted Mohd bin Khalifa, banished him and replaced him with Ali bin Khalifa. This period was marked by in-fighting in the Al-khalifa family, the main battle of Dul3 in the 1869, in which the Abdulla bin Ahmed branch of the family regained power for a short period of time, after which the British intervened again to oust and banish this branch of the Al-khalifa (Mohd bin Abdulla, Nasser bin Abdulla and his son Ali bin Nasser and other sons) to Qatar and Hassa, where that branch remains till today.

What happened was that Ali bin Khalifa asked the British to allow his brother Mohd to return following the coup which ousted him, argueing that it would be easier to keep an eye on him in Bahrain. However, Mohd continued to plot to overthrow his brother when he returned to Bahrain and so was exiled to Kuwait and then he moved to Qateef. There he forged an alliance with Nasser bin Mubarak (the grandson of Abdulla bin Ahmed) and together planned to attack Ali bin Khalifa. In 1869, both men led a sea campaign consisting of five boats and 500 men, attacking Bahrain shores and in East Rafa3 there ensued the Battle of Dul3 in which Ali bin Khalifa and his son were killed.

This divided the Al-khalifa family in half. Nasser bin Mubarak bin Abdulla went to Qatar to seek recourse from the Ottomon rular of Qatar, Qassim the Second. Following warnings from Britain to Qassim and Nasser not to intervene in Bahraini affairs, Qassim cunningly, decided to wed his daughter, Mariam, to Nasser for political purposes.

What I find most interesting about this event is to understand the role the colonialist powers played in domestic politics and their role in propping up a ruling family in order to gain domestic stability. At that time, there was a mass exodus of Bahrainis escaping the terror of the rulers at the time. Baharna communities sprung up around the world from Zanzibar, to the Seychelles, and even as far as some European countries. I've seen photos of Baharna fighting in the Saudi army against the Ottomons because thousands of Baharna had fled Bahrain and settled there.

Unfortunately, it hard to come by any detailed information of this event. I don't know if anyone has dug up the British documents on this. Maybe my curiosity arose purely because this event has been totally covered up and the current members of the family wish to see it totally wiped off the history books. As they say history is written by the winners, maybe this blog quiz was a simple attempt to highlight certain events that the 'winners' would rather not dwell on. If you look at nearly all accounts of Bahrain's history online, you will see that there is a giant gap from pre-islamic Bahrain to the Portuguese conquests, afterwhich Alkhalifa appear on the scene. Literally, over a 1000 year gap. In one account, it was said that this period was 'characterised by relative tranquility'. Ok, so nothing happened in that 1000 years worth mentioning at all? Some would like us to think that life in Bahrain began when Ahmed Alfatih 'liberated' Bahrain, as if Bahrain was living in an age of darkness before the current rulars came along and then a torch shone over Bahrain for the next two centuries.

A total whitewash of our history is unacceptable. Bahrain was a great civilisation, lived through a glorious post islamic-period, produced some respectable philosophers, was home to many noble men, and saw a string of dynastic elites rule the country for centuries. All of which are considered not worthy teaching in school, or even naming a road after.

Ditzy by nature

2005-04-30T19:33:00.000+03:00

Im so glad this week is over, it had its fair share of downers; speeding ticket, outbids on ebay, blog-haters, pms, college strife, hosting guests, and a family member having a physical accident. In addition my close friend left this morning, and it feels a part of me was on that plane.

Often, when I have alot of things on my mind the ditziness kicks in big time, and my auto-pilot mode can screw up during the conduct of everyday human activity. Today after having enjoyed what I thought was a mug of lemon-flavoured tea (even though I used the usual Earl Grey teabags I have every morning), I later found out that it was in fact, a mug of limescale remover left in the kettle and not water. Im ok so far, no stomach cramps and being hospitalised right now for chemical poisoning might bring a much needed stomach flush. How better to detoxify? Although I noted that 'the tea tastes slightly tangy', I added another spoon of suger and consumed the whole thing.

Previous bouts of ditziness included booking an airplane ticket under the wrong name, forgetting valuable rings in a pubilc toilets on a few occasion, ransacking an entire building in search of a master key which was in my handbag all along, getting locked out of a car with the engine running, breaking 3 laptops by spilling various refreshment drinks on them, crashing into the neighbours parked car, always breaking a cup or a plate when I attempt to wash dishes. These are just some of the incidents I remember, my mind has a tendency to block the really embarrassing situations i've put myself in. Oh yeah, this one I never heard the end of, as I was turning off Mothercare in Mahooz this guy hit me from behind, he said it was his friends car and I was in a rush and didn't have time to call the muroor, so I gave him some money and got on my way. My family went nuts...how can u get hit from behind AND pay the guy to fix his car!! I'm still scratching my head over that one myself. ... wait .. there's another one.. how could i forget this one ... my parents packed us off one summer to Dubai to visit relatives. Getting off the plane and making our way towards passport control, I realise my passport is missing. I get on one of those buggies in a frantic panic and rush back to the plane as that is the only place the passport could be. Bugger, once passengers leave the plane regulations state they arn't allowed back on. After much pleading they allow me on, I tell ya it was a sight to behold; stewerdesses, stewerds and pilots were on their hands and knees in search of the passport, even the pilot came to help out finding the whole affair quite funny. Luckily someone finally found it stuck down the side of a chair. Phew... ditzy episode over....i'll leave the story of the lost bag in Damascus airport another time...what the heck i'm on a roll...I had to get on the luggage conveyor belt, out on the tarmac, where the Syria's efficient system of baggage handling means there piles upon piles of bags which I had to sift through. No luck, bag not found and had to survive off other people's clothes for two weeks.

I feel really sorry for my parents though, they've had to endure their accident prone daughter and would be first to tell everyone "bitna imfahya", "inteen filim" (you're like a film). At school, I was known to be dopey and always the first to get holes in her new tights, and paint stains on the white shirt. Now, i've slightly improved although incidents like todays, and the fact that I drop my mobile at least twice a day and hope that it lives to see the next day, make me wonder why i'm still so ditzy way into adulthood. It has its advantages for sure, you can get away with a lot more cos people just expect u to cock up somewhere. Now when I cock up, I laugh or cry depending on how much its gonna cost. Of the downers this week, I laughed off all of them except the last two (which were no fault of my own!).

Jahanam or Jail...

2005-04-29T17:54:00.000+03:00

Warning: "D" word repeated MANY times...long...but needs to be said and understood...i'm probably not saying anything new but what the heck...its my rubyatain... or think of it this way, read it as the last words of a dying blog...

An article in this week's Economist called Should the West always be worried if Islamists win elections? hit the nail on the head. The argument that is propogated by most Arab governments, Bahrain being no exception, is that we don't deserve democracy because democracy will bring islamists to power, islamists are backward, and should have no place in the modern world. In fact they are enemies of democracy, and they would use the democratic channel to create an islamic state. Islamic states are anti-western, they breed extremism blah blah...increasingly trying to picture islamism as the anti-thesis to democratization. Hence, we should all be grateful for pro-western corrupt autocratic states, because of course, no one wants religious police and segregation. Citing Algeria 1990 only too often. In my opinion this argument is seriously flawed. Extremism itself is a product of oppressive regimes who are make this case against democracy. The Economist concurs and asks, are islamists such a threat?

Indeed, the wave of islamism over the last two decades, has clearly influenced the outcomes of the limited elections that have occurred in the Arab world (examples cited in the article from Morocco to Iraq), even in Bahrain, the likes of Alsaeedi and co. gained parliamentary seats. The autocratic state then argues that its either us or the islamists, portraying the notion as a choice between Jahanam or Jail (as Akbar Ahmed puts it); the choice between the wrath of the mullah or the prison of the dictator, has led to certain disillusionment amongst the youth, and u get endless diatribes like this and this, questioning whether we deserve democracy at all. The Economist argues, that some islamist movements are actually quite progressive and understand the modern day needs of people whilst trying to preserve their islamic values.

One of the basic tenets that should be encompassed in a democratic system is that of pluralism and tolerance meaning that distinct ethnic, religious, or cultural groups are present and tolerated within a society- be them the BNP or Monster Raving Loony Party (extreme parties in the UK). I personally do not fear the emergance of islamist groups/societies/parties/candidates. They have the right to stand and to participate in a democratic system like anyone else. Their influence and power will depend on the collective ignorance or awareness that exists in society, which will eventually come to understand and to judge those who represent their interests and vote on that basis. The emergence of islamists as a strong social force isnt an argument for ruling out democracy at the outset.

Abdulkarim Saroush, also contends that even the enemies of democracy should have a place in a democracy in the pluralistic sense. It is necessary to read the debate on political islam raging between Iranian thinkers especially, such as Hussain Nasr in the US, and Suroush in Iran, based on the their living Iranian experiment reconciling democracy with the religious establishment. This debate can get highly philosophical going back to Ibn Rumi and Hafez who may view pluralism as positive (differences occur as a result of the richness of truth ) or a negative (differences occur because of ignorence). The question can then be put forth, is democracy a function or a value. In the Arab context, I think democracy is a function. As a function, we can adapt it to suit our specific political situation and sensitivies. Although I have diverged somewhat, this leads me onto another issue.

In the midst of the debate about democratization, an invaluable point often missed by everyone in general, and the state in particular, is the emphasis on the role of civic society in underpinning democracy. Democracy, as proposed by the West, has only too often appeared to be the magic pill that is supposed to solve our predicament. Unfortunately, this pill isn't blue and doesn't have instant effect. People need to understand what civic participation is and their role in society, how to organise themselves in action groups, institutions, lobbying etc. However, I still go along with the thesis that disproportionate growth in the state's strength vis-a-vis the society leaves the latter still at the former's mercy. The major obstacles to inaugurating democracy are the presence of strong states and weak societies, where not only are there no effective groups and associations to limit the state's power but also the majority of people remain poor and uneducated. The first thing as a state, if you are true in democratising is you need to allow social dynamics to work freely with no impediments in order to build a strong civial society NOT threatening to close societies down, or needing permission for gatherings of more than 5 people. Generally however, Bahrain despite state interference, has a long tradition of civic society, as witnessed by the proliferation of societies since people were given room to breath in 2001 even if they largely relfect social divisions or what Khalaf (2003) describes as the policy of vertical segmentation. Generally the civil liberties movement over the last century has not ceased and was a peaceful one even if it was quashed over and over again by the state and coloniolists (see last post)

Homer proposed the concept of "cohabitation", which from what I understood assumes a half-half equation of power between the nation (x) and the state (y) in which their will be a perpetual crisis due to the inherent conflict of interest (an agency problem). Hence, even if there is total support for this imposed bicameral parliamentary system in place, this conflict will simply move to the four walls of the parliament building and al9afria palace. Clearly, this system or parliament will not resolve the political conflict in this case. Its not hard to see that this equation needs to assign different coefficient ratios to the two parameters (math's speak). The solution to the problem is not x=y (cohabitation), but either x greater than y (democracy) or x less than y (autocracy).

Democracy is not just a ballot box and a few puppet MPs, as Imran Khan kindly pointed out in a recent BBC interview mentioning Bahrain. The winds of change are blowing strongly, and will soon blow the putrid stench of corruption and despotism away from the desert lands of Arabia... we need a steadfast civic society ready to takeover when it does. Civic participation starts with you and me, you don't like a society out there, then go start you're own.

I don't have a degree in political science, but that is my take as inspired by today's Economist and if you've managed to read this far then well done.

Expansion-contractioN

2005-04-26T01:42:00.000+03:00

In the last post I talked about the recursive historic pattern of uprisings decade upon decade over the last century, manifested as mass street protests. I now contend that within each cycle of uprising there first comes a period of expansion of freedom (allowing civic participation eg in the 50s, 70s and 2002), and before people get too used to it, a sudden or gradual contraction of this freedom (arrests of activists, dismantlement of civic institutions eg sudden dissolution of parliament in 73 etc) which then leads to an uprising (protests, resistence, opposition etc) which then leads to human rights abuses etc. When the situation reaches this state of deadlock, after a period we may see the government under intense, domestic and international pressure, allow a degree of public freedom, hence going back to the beginning. This cycle has happened over and over again.

If this cyclical theory is true, then I would say that right now we are most definitely in the 'contraction' part of the cycle. Unfortunaly, my fellow bloggers seem to jump the gun a bit too quick and failed to read the rest of today's newspaper (alwasat) beyond the article regarding the orders for every webmaster to register their site inside or outside of bahrain (I agree this sucks). In today's issue also, 'terrorists' laws are about to be introduced that carry the death penalty and include criticism of the constitution, and another law that bans the disclosure of names of defendents to local or international media prior tothe final court verdict (eg Free Ali campaign is totally illegal). So if it's not going to be failing to register your site with the MoI, then the content of the site may easily be judged as breaching 'terrorist' laws AND if you get arrested (if not executed), then you're family or any human rights organisation cannot reveal ur identity or campaign on ur behalf!! WOW i think we've just hit a triple whammy!!

I also further argue that this decade, although sharing the cyclical charecteristics of previous times, is facing a unique predicament in that what is essentially happening right now, is that autocracy is being ENSHRINED in law before our very eyes; through the constitution, royal decrees, press laws, law 56 etc, that have outwardly stated that one man rules this country. This is a precedent. Whereas before, the situation may have been more chaotic and ad-hoc, NOW I feel it is concerted and is clever enough to emerge behind different facades like a lizard changing his skin and cunningly gaining a degree of legitimacy under the banner of 'democracy'. This is much more dangerous as such laws will be very difficult to reverse and could easily drag the political crisis on for many years to come in the absence of the true will to reform this country.

That's my simple opinion, don't give in, our forefathers never did.

Notice a pattern?

2005-04-24T21:28:00.000+03:00

One of the first lessons in forming an opinion is building it on good understanding and awareness using a zoom-in zoom-out approach- focus in on the small details, and focus out on the big picture. You can apply this to any aspect of your life, personal, social, or political issues.

You may have noticed that I have avoided politics as much as I could recently despite events unfolding, and news emerging on a delay basis. I consider the everyday goings on as the odious details of a much bigger situation and there is no point getting bogged down in it or at least blowing it out of proportion. If you concern yourself with these details, you lose perspective, you lose hope, unnecessarily burden your mind and hence probably die-young (especially if you happen to be working on a news desk in a local paper!).

Let us zoom-out, build an overview of both the global and the historic context of our domestic issues. You'll be surprised at how everything falls into place. So much so, that certain events are pretty much predictable. Knowing this will then balance the way you deal with everyday shenanigans such as imbecilic laws and clampdowns, tit-for-tat politcs etc etc this then prevents u getting caught up emotionally in the hullabulloo of it all and then endlessly ranting about it, although naturally at times, emotions will takeover.

Now lets apply this exercise, by Zooming-out and assessing the present political quagmire in a chronological historic context. See if you can spot a pattern, events that seem recursive, in the simple time-line I now present:

1930s

In 1938, a group of leading personalities representing the main trends and sections of society in Bahrain, led a movement calling for the establishment of a parliament reforming of the newly established police force and other related demands. The leaders of that movement, amongst them Mr. Sa'ad Al-Shamlan, were forcibly deported to India (then under the British Crown).

1950s

A more powerful and broadly-based pro-democracy movement appeared between 1954 and 1956. A network of 120 dignitaries elected eight representatives to form the "High Executive Committee" representing all sections of the society. The movement demanded an elected parliament, a unified written law, formation of an appeal court and the freedom to form trade unions. Both the ruler of Bahrain, Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa and Sir Charles Belegrave refused to respond to the call for political reforms.

In December 1956, a "state of emergency" was declared and the British army was deployed, leading to the shooting and killing of several people by security forces during street clashes. Later, the three senior leaders of the movement, Mr. Abdul Rahman Al-Bakir, Abdul Aziz Al-Shamlan (son of Sa'ad Al-Shamlan who was deported to Indian in 1938) and Mr. Abd Ali Al-Ulaiwat were all forcibly exiled to St. Helena in the Atlantic Ocean. A battle was fought in the British House of Commons as to the legality of British involvement in that forcible deportation. The three were then released in 1961 and given compensation by the British Government, while the other leaders remained in detention for the rest of the Sixties.

1960s

Courtesy of Reflections from Canada a

In 1965 an uprising erupted calling for freedom of speech, the right to form trade unions and other demands of social justice. Again the British army was deployed to restore the situation and several people were shot dead by police during mass demonstrations. Those who were killed include: Abdulnabi Mohammed Sarhan, Abdulla Saeed Sarhan, Abdulla Hassan Bu-Naffor, Abdulla Saeed Al-Ghanem and Faidsal Abbas Al-Qassab. No independent enquiry ever took place. However, in 1966, the Special Branch was restructured and another Briton, Mr. Ian Henderson, was called in to head the security apparatus.

1975-1995

Black era- Amir dissolves parliament and the 1973 constitution, promulgates State Security Law. The country enters the worst period in Bahrain's history, thousands arrested, tens killed, thousands deported. A pro-democracy movement started to develop with the main call for the reinstatement of parliament and restoration of the suspended articles of the constitution. The government began a process aimed at concentrating the powers in the hand of few persons from the ruling family and for this to be achieved the interior ministry was given free hand for persecuting the opposition.

The 1980s witnessed an escalation of repression and sectarianism.

1990s

September 25, 1995- outside Sh. Aljamri's house

1994 the biggest uprising Uprising, demonstrations, petitions

The millenium

2005 Sitra protests calling for constitutional reform

Source: The Parliamentary Human Rights Group Report on Bahrain 1996 by Robert Wilkinson

The point of the post was to make you realise that this is a cycle that is apparant on an eerily consistent basis, decade by decade over the last century. When will the people and the ruling family settle on a mutually satisfactory relationship? Or is THIS the equilibrium steady-state that has been so entrenched in the collective psyche that no only are we part of this cycle, we even self-fulfil it?

We must be the only country in which taking to the streets has had no direct domestic influence on authorites only when it gains international media attention. However, with all possible forms of clampdown, threats, arrests, tear gas, rubber bullets, generation after generation continue this protesting tradition. Hell, I can't even remember the first protest I ever went to, riding high on my father's shoulders.

With this approach you see, that even if the flavour of the decade changes (nationalism, communism, islamism) the contentions between the nation and the state have prevailed throughout time. Is it social, economic, religious, driving this contention? I answer you very simply that it is a combination of all factors that prevent you living with DIGNITY on you're own land.

PS anymore photos are most welcome...I'd really like to see ones from the seventies especially - when the Afros and bell-bottoms hit the streets of manama :)

Meet Shahad...

2005-04-22T15:53:00.000+03:00

What a cute little rosy-cheeked 3-year old. I could just imagine playing with her although she does look like she’s in a bit of a sulk… now read her profile here:

Shahad, is my sponsered orphan, and I knew about her in a little pack I received this morning.

I was at a conference a few of weeks back featuring Nizam Yacubi, the Bahraini scholarly King of islamic banking, and an organisation called MuslimHands had set up a stall and u know what its like; you walk past it thinking oh its just another charity, just another collections box, wrist bands, ribbons..there is no escaping. This time though, I thought no, let me face up to my responsibility for once. Once I got chatting to the guy, he reminded me of a salesman attempting to flog off a catalogue of goods. This wasn't really the situation, but the sponsership schemes and projects that you can choose to send you're money to, leaves u with hard decisions to make. Do you go for the orphans, teachers, elderly, disabled, or student sponsership schemes?

"I think i'll go for orphans" I replied.

The guy then asked me, "what country would you like your orphan to come from?". What a question I thought to myself, but in a hurry after offering me a list, I chose "Palestine", this seemed the natural answer at the time. What makes an orphan in Palestine more worthy than an orphan in Iraq, Kashmir or even Senegal? Anyway, he then asked me for any other preferences regarding age or sex etc. In all honesty, I wasn’t really concerned with the details, I told him I prefer you just take the money and give it to whomever you deem most in need of it. I didn’t want to begin envisioning or putting a face to these people or they're dire circumstance. There are endless worthy causes and countless needy people, Im not in a position to start evaluating and judging, whether the tsunami victims need the money more than Ethiopians.

That attitude simply changed when I subsequently received the pack from MuslimHands containing all the information and background about Shahad, including a Polaroid photo and her correspondence address! The small monthly amount that I send her covers her school fees, clothing & footwear (inc. school uniform), books & stationary and travel costs, and at the price of what? At the price of a 3 course meal at an average restaurant that I would usually have, or 3 trips to the cinema (I've almost quit both by the way).

Well since it is the Birthday of our beloved Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) I think this is as good a time as any to send her some sort of gift. Shahad, your pressie is in the post darling!

All hail...

2005-04-19T18:11:00.000+03:00

Tis the day Bahrania had chosen to change her handbag. On this auspicious occasion, all divine blessings shall reign down on mankind.

It is said that on this day, when Bahrania awoke at 7.36am, opening her eyes to a ball of white light, it was as if an angel was sent from heaven above to inform her that she must sacrifice her black leather saddle bag on the same day otherwise she would face the wrath of fashion connoisseurs worldwide. The time had come, the message had been received. With a new season, comes a new bag. The ultimate test of material obedience. The bag, beleagered from months upon months of heavy use across continents and seas, had to GO.

Friends, family and common folk gathered as Bahrania carefully removed the abundant items from her old bag. Thereupon she discovered deep at the bottom beneath the lining numerous items that have been missing for some time. Alas, she had at last discovered the explanation surrounding the mysterious increase in weight of this item holder. The bag had been swallowing up various valuable items that treasure-seekers, gold-diggers and explorers have been searching for. The bag had devised an intricate plan; smuggling the items through a tiny hole in the bottom corner and concealing them under the unbecoming lining, undetectable with the naked eye. She recovered 2 flash memory sticks, pens, lipsticks, coins, business cards, and the most valuable item of all, 2 sets of house keys. This cursed bag had caused the misery not just of Bahrania, but all those who were falsly accused of misplacing and even thieving these objects.

For never was a handbag so bestricken. You were her companion, at her side wherever she went, the protector of her belongings, the guardian of her possessions, her credit cards, her IDs, her makeup, her life! For never will freedom-loving women trust a handbag again after this day.

Another version of the story relates the curse back to the original time and place the bag was purchased. The immigrant seller who had pestered Bahrania, that late Autumn night as she wandered the cobbled streets of the Brera district in Milan, some say, may have used African Black magic to pass the curse onto the buyer. Fearing for her safety, she had unknowingly purchased the bag for a few euros if only to lose the trail of the seller, even though the unique design and elegant style had caught her attention in the first instance.

The ultimate fate of the handbag remains unknown. Some say, the bag lies in an unknown location somewhere near Bahrania's place of birth, others say Bahrania in that moment of rage had given it away to charity. We shall never know.

What would Jesus do? Part II

2005-04-16T18:11:00.000+03:00

I've been sitting on this for a few days now, and i'm not to sure what Jesus would do on this one.

Imagine this scenario, you accidently come across a piece of information that could 'potentially topple' a high-ranking public official - destiny has led you to discover a deep dark secret. In a democratic context this could lead to something of Watergate proportions; the resignation of a discredited humiliated MP/minister/officer, a public enquiry, and even changes in the law. What do you do?

(1) do you leak this information to the press, hope that (alsul6a alrab3a- the fourth authority) makes such a media frenzy that the government, MPs and opposing political factions have no choice but to pressurise this person to leave office for everyone's sake.

(2) do you approach the official concerned, blackmail him for the greater good of society and hope he changes his corrupt ways by forcing him to use his powers in office to make real change, in return for you're silence.

(3)do u just pretend you know nothing and turn a blind eye. In our culture, such a scandal would seem disrespectful to an older person, you fear future repurcussions against you.

(4) do you hide you're tracks, pass the information onto someone else who would then have to make decision (1)-(3) and may decide to use it to further their own political agenda?

Just in case you're wondering whether this is a true situation, well, yes and no. No, I don't think in the Middle-East context this would be a scandal, in fact, a major-coverup situation would probably ensue, and as the source of information, you'd probably be hassled for the rest of your life for revealing the truth and exposing a fallacy. Yet would u wish to see the public downfall and humiliation of someone you know, and bear the responsibility of exposing them? What is worse, living with a secret or with the burden of exposing it?

Old Bahrain Photos on Flickr

2005-04-13T13:27:00.000+03:00

Got these by email and felt obliged to upload and share them with you. Click here for a slideshow to see all of the fotos. If anyone has an idea about the dates and places of the fotos then please do share. Maybe there a few dinosaurs out there who might even recognise some faces too!

Rome and Mecca

2005-04-12T11:30:00.000+03:00

ٍٍSome sad bugger thought it would be funny to sign me up to Father Frank's weekly sermon mail-list. I don't have a clue who this Father Frank is. After a while of reading a few of these sermons, I realised that FF is a pretty cool guy. His latest sermon about "Rome and Mecca" draws a comparison between the millions of pilgrims descending on the Vatican and on Hajj - St. Peter's square being like the Ka'aba:

Rome and Mecca

“I am afraid: it puts me in mind of Mecca…I’d never thought people in Rome would resemble Muslims.” What an interesting remark. Quoted in the Italian left-wing weekly L’Espresso. By an unnamed Milan woman terrified by the amazing masses devoutly mourning the Pope’s death. What she imagines Muslims to be like, I wonder. Prayerful? Disciplined? Fervent? Hope so. How surprising, though, the fearful lady should have presumed those were not Christian qualities, as well…

Come on, Fr Frank. Perfectly obvious what she meant. You were in Rome yourself last week and witnessed it all. A bit like the Haj. Four million pilgrims descending on the Holy City. Italians and foreigners alike. Of all ages. An invasion at once peaceful and well-behaved. A flood of pious humanity thronging stations, roads, bridges, squares, the Metro, everywhere. Like around the Ka’aba, St Peter’s Square and surrounding streets filled solid with people. All of them willing to queue obediently, to stand in serried ranks for as long as twelve hours to pay their last homage to John Paul II. Modern, hedonistic, fat and secular Rome transformed into the irrational Holy City of the Middle Ages. Plenty to worry the non-religious, no?

Man, it certainly was memorable. Staying in the Domus Romana clergy house less than 800 yards from St Peter’s, I was right in the eye of the cyclone, so to speak. Probably half a million people processed under my second floor window every night on the way to see John Paul’s body. (White nights, yep, don’t laugh.) Most of them young. No fanatics. Actually, I managed to chat to a few people.
[...]

Dogmatic secularists determined to damn all forms of religious piety would call the Quakers fanatical. Maria Letizia, the doctor, certainly was no bigot. She combined admiration for the Holy Father’s personality and dissent from his strict moral teaching. Which brings me to an important point. It is too soon to draw a balance of this pontificate. Media hype is sensational and superficial. To call John Paul II ‘the greatest Pope in history’ is hyperbole, not sober judgment. Realistically, there are shadows, as well as lights. John Paul, giant as he was, did not manage (how could he?) to roll back the devastating ‘wild free-marketism’ and consumerism which, spreading like a plague from the West, are fast enveloping large parts of God’s globe. It is not spirituality which has possessed Holy Russia after communism’s collapse but another, pervasive, lethal form of materialism. Moreover, relations with the Orthodox Church are at a low ebb. Moscow’s Patriarch Alexei snubbed the funeral, sent a stooge instead. Paradoxically and, to some, painfully, John Paul’s prestige seems higher amongst Muslims than amongst many Eastern Christians…

Oh, yes. The Mecca connection. But is it real?

It depends. John Paul’s personal, indomitable opposition to Western assaults on Muslim lands such as Afghanistan and Iraq must not have passed unnoticed. And he is the first Pope in history to have kissed the Qur’an. Good Muslims also appreciate his strong, traditional Catholic stance on sexuality. Perhaps because our two religions share similar problems. Many of the same nice young people in Rome who grieved for the death of their beloved Father in God are unlikely, I suspect, to abide by Catholic morality on pre-marital sex. Likewise, an Iranian diplomat confided in me what is happening to his country’s youth in cities like Teheran. A fluent Italian speaker, he admitted, candidly: “Oggi le nostre belle citta’ sono diventate case di puttana” It made sense. Rome and Mecca may have a common battle to fight, it seems.

Fr Frank, so, what was the secret of the Pope’s popularity?

Oh, it’s simple. I figure it must boil down to his having been a good man. And his final, personal calvary. The way he bore his painful, humiliating last illness. All religions, Christianity especially, (the Cross!), offer hope, release from pain, from the horrors of illness, disease, decay and death. John Paul made himself into a living icon of how a frail, sick old man can bear, and so overcome, all that, openly, publicly, without fear of shame. He made an offering of his own person. A thing of enormous significance for us all.

Father Frank

Hey Father Frank, tell me which parish you preach in, I'd really like to attend you're Sunday service. I've made pilgrimage to both Mecca and St. Peter's square, the former for my God, and the latter to pay homage to historic Italian art.

Michael

2005-04-10T14:48:00.000+03:00

I dedicate this post to a good friend of mine called Michael, he is Greek, a right-wing social introvert and a living breathing genius at that, and one of the few acquaintances who bothers to read this blog. The funny thing about Michael is that he doesn't like talking face-to-face, most of the time he tells me to not disturb him with my idle chatter. Yet I insist on pestering him and now he stopped coming into uni cos of me. He often grimaces in despair at some remarks I make and shakes his head in embarrassment. But on MSN messenger, he is more than chatty! I had this MSN chat with him this morning (totally uncut!):

Michael says:

hey Freedom blogger, what's up?

Bahrania says:

nothing much

Michael says:

i'll tell you what

Michael says:

i'm afraid you are getting westernized

Michael says:

now you like Handel?

Bahrania says:

yeah

Michael says:

AND you read Dostoevsky

Michael says:

I think you're converting

Bahrania says:

converting to westernarity?

Michael says:

yes

Bahrania says:

thats good isnt it... easternarity is mean to be backward and barbarian?

Michael says:

according to Shariah TV there is conflict between the west and islam

Bahrania says:

how can u have a conflict between a geographic entity and a religion

Bahrania says:

what is the 'west'?

Michael says:

well, broadly speaking European/north American styles of governments, capitalism, enlightment, renaissance, European values (and some will say the Christian faith)

Bahrania says:

hmmm what about the western value of eating fish with a fork?

Bahrania says:

that is civilized right?

Michael says:

look, personally, I don't think the west is more civilized, or that the rest of the world is more 'barbarian"

Bahrania says:

in the east we eat rice with a spoon?

Bahrania says:

i really think there is a clash here!!

Anyway the conversation degenerated incoherently from here on, i'll spare you the details.

MICHAEL U R A LEGEND. I will buy you an Egg Mayonnaise sandwich if you leave a comment on my blog!!

Introducing...

2005-04-09T19:48:00.000+03:00

سقطت حروفك من فمي

و أنا الذي

خبأتها

لم ادري كيف تبعثرت

و دمي تعهد

حفظها

هل شوقها للانطلاق و للحياة

أم عشقها للانطلاق من القيود

و كسرت القيود

و سافرت

و ما استطعت منعها

و رأيتها

مزدانةً ..... ريانةً

في كل يوم

في الشروق

و في الغروب

لتخبر الاكوان

إنها أنطلقت

مني

و ما طلقتها

و بأنها

محبوبتي

و أنا الذي

أحببتها

و أنا الذي أهديتها

قبلاً

على و جناتها

بحرٌ

و ياءٌ

ثم نون حروفها

سقطت مني

فكونت ....

..... إسمها

We have our own Bahraini poet blogging now online... (in arabic), romanitic and political yet extremely passionate.

2005-04-08T17:39:00.000+03:00

I am suffering from an identity crisis which lies in my fear of adulthood; broken hopes of a utopian society; dashed dreams of an arabian prince charming; unattainable ambitious career plans; spiritual disengagement in the face of this adversity; the vulgar reality of humankind; the never-ending quest for happiness; ageing and mortality...

the first thought when i wake up every morning...am i thankful for another day of life or sorry for the delay in meeting my maker... one day I will not wake up though...i'm only too conscious of this... death is nothing to fear

this isnt a suicide death wish just in case you're wondering and i'm not depressed either...i just don't like being so aware... awareness eventually consumes you as it leads to the perception that you are no more than an ant with an intellect...a hiccup could kill you and there is 100% probability that you will be a smelly corpse in less than 100 years time...ta3addadat al-asbab wal mowt wa7idu. So to know the meaning of life, you have to know the meaning of death...

is this normal, or just the what they call the twenties-crisis?!

Freedom Blog Awards

2005-04-06T19:06:00.000+03:00

Moi is honored to have her blog nominated (among 60 others including fellow Bahraini blogger Chan'ad) for RSF's Freedom blog awards for defending freedom of expression. I won't deny that it is flattering to get acknowledged by such an NGO even though my modest efforts pale in comparison to the tremendous role they played in campaigning for the release of the Bahrainonline trio last month. Alongside are other general household bloggers that form the Middle East blogerati, such as Baghdad Burning and Digressing.

To vote click on the icon below:

The dilating Bahraini Archipelago

2005-04-05T18:54:00.000+03:00

A useful clear map of Bahrain, click to enlarge:

Map of Bahrain today

Courtesy of Bahrainonline.org

Future map of Bahrain with all proposed plans of dredging and land reclamation:

Are there no international regulations regarding dreding? What are the environmental effects of this? Can man play with nature like this? My friend was telling me that there is a high chance all this reclaimed land can sink in the sea in the future? What if the sea level rises?

Baba Yohanna Bolis II

2005-04-03T21:07:00.000+03:00

My condolences to all Catholics at the loss of a great man who has only been a force of good over the last 26 years. Im not a Christian, but he is my own symbol and role model for how spirituality and faith can be a strong anchor in a turbulant and dangerous world. Promoting Christian values in dangerous political situations like Palestine, Soviet Union and Ireland helped put many things in perspective. What moved me the most was the way he kissed the guy who tried to assassinate him, the ultimate gesture of mercy and forgiveness.

I can only repeat the poignant prayer he made on his historic visit to Palestine:

"Today and always the Palestinian people are in my prayers to the One who holds the destiny of the world in his hands. May the Most High God enlighten, sustain and guide in the path of peace the whole Palestinian people."

and his prayer for Christian/Muslim dialogue:

"May the hearts of Christians and Muslims turn to one another with feelings of brotherhood and friendship, so that the Almighty may bless us with the peace which heaven alone can give. To the One, Merciful God be praise and glory for ever. Amen. "

The spirit of enlightened people always transcends life and transcends death.

May he rest in peace

صوت صفير البلبل

2005-04-03T19:52:00.000+03:00

The other day, I heard a Saudi student recite a poem that made all of us in the audience laugh hysterically. Quite frankly at the time we didn't understand a word but were tickled by how he had managed to memorise this tongue-twisting poem in the first place. I've tried reading it myself a few times and have failed miserably. I really hope all arabs will try reading this at a decent speed.

The really fascinating thing about classical arabic poetry is that it often comes with an imaginative mythical or romantic story that is equally as interesting as the peom itself. I give two examples below by a poet called Alasma'i (الاصمعي) . The first one is slightly dubious and some say is wrongly attributed to this poet. But the story goes like this; the Abbasid caliph, Abu Ja'afar Almansur makes a deal with each poet who visits his court, "I will give you your due on the condition that i have not heard the poem before". Poets come from near or far to recite very long poems over one, two or three nights, which if the Caliph asserts he has not heard before gives them the poems weight in gold. He uses a trick, when the poet recites his poem once, the Caliph memorises it and repeats the poem saying he heard it a long time ago. He then brings forth his pageboy who after hearing it twice has also memorised it and recites it and claims he also heard it a long time ago. Then the Caliph calls on the maid, who by then has heard it three times (by the poet, the Caliph and the pageboy) and then recites herself. This way the poet then starts suspecting himself and the poem he supposedly wrote. He gets no money, and is sent away.

The Caliph does the same to all the poets who visit him, and earns a notorious reputation for this. Upon hearing this, a famous poet called Alasma'i takes the challenge of the Caliph upon him and composes a linguistically complicated poem designed to trip up the Caliph. He goes to the Caliph's court one day in disguise, to which the Caliph asks him "do u know the rules" and Alasma3i replies "yes", reciting the following verses:

صوت صفير البلبل
صـــوت صـفـيـر الـبـلـبـل * * هــيــج قـلـبـي الـثـمـل
المـاء والـزهـر مــعــــا * * مــع زهـــر لـخـط المـقـل
وأنت يـا ســـيــد لـــي * * وســيــدي و مـــــولـلــي
فــكــم فــكــم تـيـمـني * * غــزيــــــــــــل عــقــيــقــــــــل
قــطــفــتـه مــن وجـنــة * * مـــن لــثــم ورد الخـجـل
فـــــقــــــــال لا لا لا لا * * و قــد غـــدا مــهــرول
والــخـــود مــالـت طــربا * * مــن فـــعـــل هذا الرجل
فــولــولــت و ولـــولــت * * ولــي ولــي يـــا ويـــــــلـلـي
فـــقــالـت لا تــولــولـي * * وبــيــنــي الـلـــــــــؤلــــــــؤلــي
قــــالــت لـه حـيـن كــذا * * أنــهــض وجــــــد بـالمـقـل
وفــتــيــة ســقــــــــونــنـي * * قــهــيـــــــــــوة كــالـعــسـلـلي
شــمــمـتــهــا بـأنــفـــــــي * * أزكـــــــى مــــــن الــقــرنــفــل
فـي وسـط بـسـتــان حـلـي * * بـالــزهــر والــســـرور لـي
والــعــود دنــدنــدن لي * * والــطــبــل طـبـطـب طـبـلي
طـــبــطــب طــبــطـــــــــب * * طــبــطــب طــبــــــــــطـب لـــي
والــرقــص قــد طــاب لـي * * والـسـقـف ســقــسـق سـق لـي
شـــوا شــــوا وشــاهــش * * عـلـى ورق ســــفـــرجــــل
وغــرد الــقــمــري يـصيح * * مـــلـــل فـــي مــلــلـــــــــــي
ولــو تــرانــي راكــبــــــــــــا * * عـلـى حــمــــــــــار أهـــــزل
يــمــشــي عـلـى ثـلاثـــــــة * * كــمــشــيـــــــة الــعــرنــجــل
والـنـاس تـرجـم جـمــلي * * فــي الــســوق بالــقـلـقـلـلـي
والـكـل كــعـكــــــع كـعـكـع * * خـلـفـي ومـن حــــويـلـلـي
لـكـن مــشــيــت هــاربـــا * * مـن خــشــيــــة الــعــقـنـقـل
إلـــــى لــقــــــــــــــاء مـلـك * * مــعــظـــــــــم مـــبــجـــــــــــــــل
يـأمــــــــــــر لـي بِـخِـلـعَــةٍ * * حـــمــراء كــالـدم دم لــــي
أجـــــــــر فــيــهـا مـاشـيا * * مــبــغــــــــددا لـلــــذيــــــــــــل
أنـــا الأديــب الألـمــعـي * * مــــن حــــي أرض الـمــوصـل
نــظــمــت قــطــعـا زخـرفـت * * يــعــجــز عــنــهــا الأدبـل
أقــول فـي مـــطــلــعــهـا * * صــــوت صــفــيــر الــبـلبل

The Caliph couldn't memorise it the first time round, he called his pageboy who also couldn't memorise it fully, likewise the maid. So the Caliph in defeat asked the poet to bring what he had written the poem on so that he can give him its weight in gold. The poet told the Caliph that he had inherited a marble column from his father on which he engraved the poem. The column is on the back of the camel and needs four soldiars to lift. The Caliph was horrified and emptied his coffer and all that was in it to give to the poet. As he was leaving, the poet revealed his identity as the infamous Alasma3i, the Caliph understood the point he was trying to make and they made a deal that the in return of the Gold, the Caliph would give poets what they deserve from then on.

Second story attributed to Alasma3i is about a stone he came across in the desert with a line of poetry written by a heartbroken lover..to which a few exchanges were made in the following days. On the final day, Alasma'i found the grief-striken man dead near the stone with the final line of exchange. Aaaah sad. How romantic and creative they were back then!!

حكى الاصمعي قال: بينما كنت اسير في بادية الحجاز اذا مررت بحجر قد كتب عليه هذا البيت !
أيا معشر العشاق بالله خبروا *** اذا حل عشق بالفتي كيف يصنع ؟

فكتب الاصمعي تحت ذلك البيت:
يداري هواه ثم يكتم سره *** وخشع في كل الامور ويخضع

ثم عاد في اليوم الثالي الى المكان نفسه فوجد تحت البيت الذي كتبه هذا البيت !
وكيف يداري والهوي قاتل الفتى *** وفي كل يوم قلبه يتقطع؟

فكتب الاصمعي تحت ذلك البيت:
إذا لم يجد صبرا لكتمان سره *** فليس له شيء سوى الموت ينفع

قال الاصمعي:
فعدت في اليوم الثالث الى الصخرة فوجدت شابا ملقى تحت ذلك الحجر وقد فارق الحياة وقد كتب في رقعة من الجلد!

سمعنا اطعنا ثم متنا فبلغوا *** سلامي الى من كان للوصل يمنع
هنيئا لارباب النعيم نعيمه *** وللعاشق المسكين ما يتجرع

Not the promised land thankfully

2005-04-02T03:23:00.000+03:00

I bet no one knew that Bahrain was nominated as a potential Jewish homeland before Palestine was even suggested in the Balfour Treaty of 1917. No this is no April Fool's joke. This revelation comes in a book called "Bahrain and the Palestinian Issue 1917-1948" by Bahraini author Khalid Bassam.

Had history taken a different course, Bahrainis would not exist as a people under occupation, or displaced across the Arabian peninsula and Iran. It could have just as easily been us now bombing ourselves into oblivion *cringe*.

Funny this news comes on the same day that Bahrainis celebrate Black Saturday when Bani Jamra came under seige and people were shot dead. This may sound extreme, but for a long time people have made a comparison between the Israeli government and Alkhalifa on policies of discrimination (apartheid), demographic change and the use of live ammunition against unarmed protestors.

In the name of egalitarianism

2005-03-31T20:35:00.000+03:00

In this day and age, some ridiculous things are done in the name of equality of the sexes, I suggest a few more important things that need to be done for the sake of gender egalitarianism:

In the name of egalitarianism, single sex toilets should be abolished.

In the name of egalitarianism, high street stores should not segregate their clothing ranges - home delivary catalogues too.

Titles like Mr, Miss, Mrs, Ms are sexist too and should go.

In the name of egalitarianism, sport should be mixed, starting with football.

In the name of egalitarianism, men should take pills to develop fully-functional milk-producing breasts to feed babies so women can go to work.

In the name of egalitarianism, gender should be eliminated all together.

In the name of egalitarianism, scientists should clone an asexual genderless human with a womb and a penis for self-fertilisation.

In the name of egalitarianism, god should be a woman sometimes (as recently suggested by certain feminists remaining nameless). She is sexist because she was unfair when creating man and his physiology.

In the name of god, why the hell is it so difficult to accept gender differences exist for their own sake?

I got wires...

2005-03-29T10:24:00.000+03:00

I've been on a field course all last week. Got back last night, but feel like I have a hangover today; head thumping, dark circles, fatigue. Anyways, as I was stuck in traffic this song, Wires by Athlete was playing. Not much of a british urban music fan but the lyrics are my national anthem right now combined with the bri'ish accent to top it off, im lovin it. Yeah mate awight keep it real the chav way.

You got wires, going in
You got wires, coming out of your skin
There's dry blood, on your wrist
Your dry blood, on my fingertip

Running down corridors
Through automatic doors
Got to get to you, got to see this through
I see hope is here, in a plastic box
I've seen christmas lights, reflect in your eyes

Deep stuff or what.

Constitutional reforms FIRST

2005-03-24T03:33:00.000+03:00

If looks could kill, then Jaleela Alsayed is a serial murderer. Her stern unfaltering gaze and the resolute aura of confidence that emanates from the podium when she takes the stand is apparent on the few occasions she chooses to address an audience. Voted Bahraini Woman of the Year in 2004 by Alwasat's readers, primarily for the lead she took in organizing last year's notorious Constitutional conference which like everything else round here, led to confrontation with the government who spared no lengths at attempting to stop the event- from forcing the hotel manager of the venue to cancel his contract, to refusing entry to foreign participants, Alsayed had to come face to face with her ex-colleague on the National Charter Committee, the Minister of Labour who threatened the organizing societies with closure.

Ok, so she may not have had many contenders for the Award. We aren't exactly overflowing with pioneering women who have influenced the public sphere even if u do count the token women in government. A respected lawyer with international credentials, she was a member of the Supreme Council of Women- a media glorified group of handpicked women chosen by the King's wife probably as a poor excuse for getting out bed in the morning, palace-life can get tedious you see. Later she was also chosen to be part of the Committee to promote the National Charter and market it to the public, especially women. It was in this role that I had first met her.

On 14th February 2002, the day the Bahraini ppl, as Emoodz puts it, were fooled, it appears that Alsayed was as shocked, if not more shocked than everyone else at the undemocratic amendments made to the constitution which severely restricts civil liberties (see La Monde article ) having been a misguided campaigner for the King's initiative in the first place. She immediately handed in her resignation for all government/official positions she held, helped write the legal paper that sought to prove the illegitimate way the King amended the constitution and switched to oppositing ranks. As an independent figure, she was chosen by the four boycotting societies to head the Committee that implements the proposals agreed in the constitutional conferences. The latest being a national demonstration that will be held this Friday (25th March) under this year's slogan of "Constitutional Reforms First", in addition to a rally held late yesterday attended by over 4000 people.

If we zoom-out for a moment, you will realize that all the recent problems in Bahrain, the eighties, the nineties, and the new millennium spill into a a popular constitutional movement that began in 1973 when the late-Amir dissolved parliament and suspended the constitution ending a democratic experiment that lasted 2 years from 1973-1975. The constitution, being the social contract that bind the ruler with his people needs to be defined, and hence the slogan CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS FIRST. If not, the four main political societies, will boycott the 2006 elections again.

Bahrain's Shawshank

2005-03-23T04:23:00.000+03:00

Abdulemam's latest post describes his experience of being arrested on 28th February and detained for 16 days. He notes the irony of being repeatedly questioned on his 'national loyalty' and love for his country by a non-bahraini chief officer (an egyptian).

He emphasizes that the case is NOT over. The General Prosecutor is still building a case, and has summoned several people as prosecution witnesses since their release. When will the court case begin and how long it will take no one knows. The Committee supporting the Bahrainonline trio is still campaigning for the charges to be dropped and organising protests and rallies. Here are photos of 21st March protest.

Meanwhile, in the latest edition of Aldemokrati magazine there is a fascinating TRUE story (in arabic) recounting the way a young man called Abdulla Tooq and another inmate, arrested in 1996, escaped from Jow prison in 1997 using an ingenious plot that involved shutting down the electricity in the prison compound. A risky plot like this had two possible outcomes: freedom or death if it goes wrong.

Escaping through a pipe, and into the outside world, he lived in hiding for 8 months in Bahrain, managed to sneak out of the country, to another Gulf country, then onto Malaysia, finally reaching the safe shores of New Zealand where he is now living. No this isnt something out of Hollywood, this happened in Bahrain! All the while I was reading the article I was reminded of scenes from one of my favourite movies, the Shawshank Redemption. He doesn't miss out on any details either, recollecting how he saved the toenails that were ripped off his feet by Adel Flaiful (notorious officer or should I say more like a war criminal) and tried to show them to the judge before he was sentenced to life imprisonment on fabricated charges.

Part 1: [1] [2] [3] Part 2: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Many other political detainees have their own stories to tell. One of our family friends had gone to the extent of dressing up as a women, hiding in the back of a lorry and into Iran, where he lived till 2001.

Next week from 24th March-1st April is Martyr's Week where there is a program of activities in remembrance of the many people who died in the nineties in the name of civil liberty. Concluding with a human chain that will be begin near the American Ambassador's residence on Friday 1st April. Someone has also taken the effort to compile a photo gallery of Isa Qambar, executed by a shot in the head in the nineties on a fabricated charge of murder.

What strikes me about all these different activities (articles, remembrance services, photo galleries among many other things) coming from many different sources is that people are not letting this issue go and are still seeking some form of justice. Will they get any response or is this just a way of dealing with grief and seeking comfort in collective mourning?

Zere iz Sumazing wrong wiza zith thithtem

2005-03-22T19:21:00.000+03:00

There is only one english language accent barely comprehensible and worse than Scottish, and that is the cacophony of an Egyptian talking in english with a LISP. It is torture to listen to. The grimace on my face is hard to conceal everytime this particular Egyptian colleague of mine insists on making verbal noise that is supposed to be a comment. Has no one heard Mubarak speak english?

PS Hello all Guardian Newsblog Readers!

Queen of Fruits

2005-03-19T15:28:00.000+03:00

I tried some of these the other day:

They are called Mangosteens, grown in Thailand, where they are known as the "Queen of Fruit".

And the taste!!!! Its a combination of apricots and peaches and raspberries and mangos and every sweet fruit you can think of, in succulent white flesh. Does anyone know if they sell them in Bahrain and where? Soug almarkazi (central market) maybe?

Can't wait to dig in an entire box.

Bahrain: the royals rule

2005-03-18T03:12:00.000+03:00

In the March edition of Le Monde Diplomatique:

President George Bush has hailed Bahrain’s progress towards democracy. Yet Bahrain’s emir proclaimed himself king three years ago, promulgated a constitution giving him full powers and has attacked the few remaining civil liberties. Arbitrary imprisonment is commonplace and one of the main human rights organisations has been closed.

The journalist 'tells it like it is' and gives an excellent exposition of recent events since the Amir came to power in 1998. Had he waited a month, he could have added another two paragraphs on the clampdown on free speech and the UN recommendations on discrimination. I really recommend reading it for anyone who wishes to understand the reason behind the political stalemate between the government and opposition over the Constitution.

Opposition movements were preparing to celebrate the first anniversary of the adoption of the charter when, on 14 February 2002, the emir proclaimed himself king. The next day, on opening their newspapers, they discovered he had promulgated a new constitution, which had been decided without prior consultation and came into force immediately.

There was no longer any social contract between the monarch and his sovereign people. The constitution set up a parliament, divided into an upper and lower chamber. The 40 members of the Council of Deputies (lower chamber) would be directly elected.

But the king would appoint the 40 members of the Shura Council (upper chamber), an advisory body originally set up in 1992. He would also name the prime minister and cabinet, members of the constitutional court and all judges.

I'll make it a permanent link in my sidebar as 'Background information' when I get the chance.

Quick round

2005-03-16T13:55:00.000+03:00

I've always thought that there was no biological explanation for yawning. Fortunately for the sake of humanity, important research is being carried out on the yawn. Damn you Freud, there is just no escaping you.

At last we have a stunning celebrity emerging in the middle east; young, good looking, with a PhD AND a motor racing champion:

......with a perfect set of nails to top it all off. Our very own 2-in-1 Angelina
Jolie+Schumacher.

I can now officially declare that I have been a witness to this crime. Sitting have a coffee at St Mark's Square in Venice, I saw a pigeon being chased down and raped. The perpetrator had spent a good part of half an hour chasing the victim, much to our amusement. When the alleged rape took place it was just too quick, leaving no time for me to intervene. I thought it was pretty entertaining. Since then i've been on the look out for this kind of activity, and last month saw a duck being raped underwater. On this particular occasion however, I ran to the victims rescue, flailing my hands in the air. When this crime is carried out in mid-air, it is adviced that helicopter services be called in.

Interview with Ali Abdulemam in today's Alwasat paper. Seems the main difficulty they faced in their questioning was explaining basic internet concepts to a bunch of technically inept officers and making them understand that they can only omit material posted in the site only AFTER it is published online, and since Bahrainonline.org has been blocked by Batelco for 3 years they do not have sufficient timely access and hence cannot control it adequately.

The UN sees through the government's attempt at deception. GDN article

Political activism can cost you alot in Bahrain especially if you're in a government-controlled institution.

Released!

2005-03-14T20:11:00.000+03:00

Free at last, the Bahrainonline crew have been released WITHOUT bail!

What a relief.

I have a feeling its not the last we'll here from these three. The charges haven't been dropped and the Solidarity Committee will continue its protests till the case is closed. A statistic: the officers had gathered around 700 thousand articles from BahrainOnline.org, of which 10 break the law and NOT written by any of the three. I look forward to their account of events.

Apparantly the police officers have been hassling the families to pay up so they can chuck their sons out of jail since yesterday. Lesson learnt: next time your a prisoner of conscience, refuse bail. You can save yourself up to 1000BD or more!

Well ladies and gentleman, this saga has given you a minor glimpse into the way things work in Bahrain. You can be detained on a whim and released on a whim in a land with a long discredited judicial system.

Thank you for all you're support, i'm sure their release was a result of our collective campaigning efforts in Bahrain and out of Bahrain. A special thanks to the Committee for the Protection of Bloggers, it is a relief to know that you're there just in case anyone else gets arrested!

A price for freedom

2005-03-13T23:59:00.000+03:00

Following the developments earlier on today, in which the detained Bahrainonline trio were given the choice of being released on 1000BD bail each or detained for another 15 days while the case against them continues, the trio chose option number 2. A brave choice for the following reasons:

(1) your freedom is priceless.
(2) your freedom should be unconditional.
(3) 3000BD ($8000) all together is a lot of money by Bahraini standards (in Bahrain you don't get your bail money back apparently.)
(4) they'd rather not live under the uncertainty of being summoned at any moment
(5) taking a moral confrontation for their politically motivated arrest.

Good news is they have been moved to Dry Dock prison where prison standards are higher than Hoora police station. Following the fulfillment of this demand, they quit the hunger strike they started yesterday.

What will the government gain from these arrests? Your guess is as good as mine. Clearly, the defiance shown from the three and their supporters indicates that Bahrainonline will NOT be closed down. Like someone said to me, they can start another 10 Bahrainonline's within a day if need be. What price they are made to pay for this if convicted in a 'court of law' is another issue, today they had a choice, tomorrow after a verdict is announced they probably will not. One thing we know from previous notorious court cases (namely the Khawaja case) is that someone out there has already decided the outcome beforehand and are having fun writing the script.

This strategic moves takes a page from the American civil rights movement. "In their most effective moments, civil rights leaders forced a moral confrontation and did not shy away from jail if it meant being able to expose repression." (Or Does It Explode on Egyptian Ayman Noor)

I just couldn't resist this photo I saw on Bahrainonline.org. Such a cutieeeeeee :

The battle of wills continues, and its another night in a cold prison cell for the three.

My ideology

2005-03-11T18:27:00.000+03:00

I have been on a course all week that is supposed to change the way I think forever. At least that is what the course instructor said. There are two days left, and i'm certain that it already has.

He started off with one question and a brainstorming session, "What is wrong with the Muslims, the Muslim community and the Muslim Ummah?". Questions that thinkers and scholars have themselves been debating over the last 100 years. Why are Muslims seemingly comfortable with the digressing state of affairs in the islamic world and the status quo?

Many predictable answers were given, mentality, attitude, identity crisis, colonialism, Western hegemony, political systems that repress free-thought, economic factors etc. My answer was, the lack of a cohesive ideology for the ummah in the face of a postmodern supremist threat. Immediately I noted the gentle nod and smile on his face as he said "this is the course for you". He pointed out that "ideology"-associated with dogma- may not be the most appropriate word, preferring to use the phrase "idea system".

After much philosophical and psychological debate discussing the "I", how our emotional setting, value system and instincts form a mindset that affects our awareness, Platonism, Empiricism and loads of other stuff I haven't had a chance to swallow yet I had an idea of the thought-structure he was aiming to build in us. Yesterday we reached the juicy part; developing an idea system that is anchored in the divine text we call the Quran. What makes this different from every thing else i've heard over the years is that it doesn't use theology. It is a way of looking at religion from a different perspective all together, a much broader perspective. Quite shockingly, he claims this hasn't ever been done before. Apparantly, i'm one of the guinea pigs. I told him to play around with my mind all he likes as it needs some fine-tuning in many places.

The course has been a real eye-opener for me and has launched me onto a discourse that I have been searching for over the past two years. Now I feel I have a blueprint on which to base my thoughts and my efforts. Call it indoctrination or call it what you may, but it has lighted the path for me and provided me with a framework that can consolidate the knowledge I have gained here and there since I started this journey two years ago. I'm also really interested in taking this project further and documenting it.

I was toying with the idea of starting a parallel blog in which I would write everything down. But to be honest I wanted to keep it private (I can't quite figure out how to have a private blog yet). For once I want to write for myself and not for an audience and actually make blogging useful in my self-development. I'm sure no one is interested anyway.

Where do u think ur goin?

2005-03-10T20:17:00.000+03:00

Demonstrations in Bahrain are just no fun if some arrests arn't thrown in with a pinch of tear gas for added spice. The extent of the police presence in today's protest demanding the release of the three Bahrainonline website moderators however was unprecedented. The security forces literally formed a wall face-to-face with the protestors that could have led to provocation and confrontation. You can watch a video of the demonstration here. And fotos courtesy of Montadayat.org here.

Quite frankly, I won't be subtle about by my disgust at the way the authorities use mercenaries from Beluchistan and Yemen in the security forces to come face-to-face with the country's citizens. Its stirs such anger and hatred within me and no doubt in most of the youth standing opposite them. How dare they bring foreigners and then use them against they're own people. My mind just cannot comrehend this fact and the pictures talk for themselves.

The entire Exhibition Road was closed off and the protestors (around 300) who managed to get to the Police Station were threatened and three people were arrested and allegedly held hostage forcing the Committee that organised this protest to call-it off and send the protestors home. One of those arrested and later released was Abbas Omran, a member of the Solidarity Committee for Detainees of Consciounce. Panic, fear, confusion. Is this really something you would want reported on Aljazeera and the international media? Are these arrests really worth the damage it is doing to Bahrain's reputation? Has anyone figured out Bahrain's Police Force demonstration-control policy? Someone, anyone?

All in all, I think the message of the protest got through as it seems not only were the authorities anticipating it but they took extensive pre-emptive action to what would have been a perfectly civilised peaceful protest. I think the Committee took the correct decision in dispersing the crowds as the security forces didn't seem to be messing around, and they're record of using force to clampdown on protestors isnt too good.

Lets just hope the three are released this Sunday for everyone's sake.

I'm sure Chan'ad will provide some photos soon and I look forward to hearing his account.

Bystander, Activist or Leader?

2005-03-09T16:33:00.000+03:00

which one are you?

... then you wonder why the winds of change are westerly.

Alwasat reported today that the 3 detained website moderators are due to appear before the General Prosecutor this Sunday where they will be either officially charged, detained for longer (maybe another 45 days) or released.

Meanwhile, it seems their incarceration isnt a very pleasant experience. Ok no one expects a 5 star hospitality service, this isn't the UK where you can play snooker all day or do a distance-learning course and leave prison with a PhD at taxpayers expense. No this is Bahrain, where you're not even allowed pen and paper, and cockroaches are man's best friend. Seriously, you can have amazing fun with cockroaches, you feed it and feed it till it gets humungus and ready to enter the dreaded ring to face its opponent that you're cellmate has been breeding for the last week. Then watch the battle of the cockroaches ensue to see who can bite the other's head first. Try it, it's very entertaining, besides the loser gets to become that day's delectable pre-dinner snack. Just make sure you tie a string round the neck of the winner so it doesnt go wondering off at night.

Anyway, will Abdulemam and co. be detained further, arrested or released? Your guess is as good as mine. But one thing, if there is a good turnout at tomorrow night's protest, this will put direct pressure on the authorities to release them. My sources tell me that the most probable outcome is that they will be detained for another 45 days. This would be seriously outrageous.

I urge all of you who are in Bahrain to go to the protest that is going to be held outside Hoora Police Station tomorrow night at 8pm. Cover your face if you don't want your identity revealed, wear a fancy dress costume or whatever, just try and get as many friends as you can and head down there.

The colour orange has been chosen by the campaigners to reflect the near critical level of danger to freedoms that these arrests signify:

Are you going to wait till it gets Red before you decide to do something?

Hoora Police Station, 8pm, 10th March 2005

What would Jesus do?

2005-03-09T02:56:00.000+03:00

Our moral compass sometimes goes haywire and has difficulty finding north. One day I was chatting to a friend, and they suggested taking the What would Jesus do? approach. The idea goes like this; whenever your faced with a moral decision, whether it is to offer your seat to a pensioner or to park in a disabled-only bay, then always ask yourself, What would Jesus do?

The other day, after I bought something from a store, I realized that the lady had given me too much change just after i had left. I was standing there in the street thinking, should I go back or should I go by myself lunch? Terrible terrible dilemma as you can imagine. My conscious was in turmoil as it grappled with the difficult choice that had to be made.

So I asked myself, What would Jesus do? I figured Jesus would call up his mother Mary to seek advice. So I called my mother up. My mother said just give the money to charity but whatever you do don't take it back to the store cos it is American you damn fool of a girl you shouldn't be shopping there in the first place. Hmmm I thought to myself, I don't think Jesus is anti-american, not with all those evangelicals there.

I'm sure Jesus would look for a second opinion. So I called my cousin up. My cousin said that he read a fatwa by Fadlallah somewhere that said you should take the money back to the place of origin as the money ultimately still belongs to them and they have simply 'misplaced' it. Jesus would have agreed with Fadlallah on this one i'm sure. Jesus would have probably looked even deeper at the issue and considered the person who made the mistake of giving the extra change - the amateur cashier girl who would stand accused of pinching the money out of the till if the accounts didn't add up at the close of day. That's exactly what Jesus would do I thought to myself. He would definitely look at the human suffering outcome of this.

I walk back into the store and asked to see the manager. "Hi, I just bought something and I think I got given extra change, I just thought i'd return it just in case someone gets into trouble". The woman looked very perplexed, she didn't know what to do, "Oh, its the first time anyone has ever done that, let me go check". It was as if i'd just told her that her skirt was stuck in her panties or something. She goes away and comes back a few minutes later and says "well, the electronic tills seem to add up, I suggest you go and have lunch on us!".

Thanks Jesus. Next moral dilemma, should I open an islamic banking account? What would Jesus do?

Sistani for Nobel Peace Prize

2005-03-08T01:25:00.000+03:00

Apparantly a bunch of Iraqi Christians want to nominate Sistani for Nobel Peace Prize and have launched an online petition.

The majority of Iraqis i've spoken to feel that Sistani has played a crucial role in stabilising Iraq under difficult circumstances, uniting the country, and blessing the elections, giving a glimmer of hope to the millions who have suffered enough. So he gets my vote on the political front. Another way of looking at it, who else in the Middle-East deserves a Nobel peace prize?

تلك الوجوه عليها الدود تقتتلو

2005-03-07T20:49:00.000+03:00

Almotawakil (Abbasid sultan), in a state of drunkeness ordered his men to bring Imam alHadi, one of the grandchildren of the Prophet, to his palace. In trying to humiliate the Imam, he ordered him to 'sing'. The Imam recited the following famous verses:

أين الملوك وأبناء الملوك ومن *** قادو الجيوش ألا يا بأس ما فعلو

باتو على قلل الأجبال تحرسهم *** غلب الرجال فلم تنفعهم القللو

واستنزلو من بعد عز عن معاقلهم *** واسكنو حفرا يا بأس ما نزلو

ناداهم صارخ من بعد دفنهم *** اين الاسرة والتيجان و الحللو

اين الوجوه التي كانت منعمتاً *** من دونها تظرب الاستار والكللو

فأفصح القبر عنهم حين ساألهم *** تلك الوجوه عليها الدود تقتتلو

قد طال ما أكلو يوماً وما شربو *** فأصبحو بعد ذلك الاكل قد أكلو

وطال ما ادخرو الاموال واختزنو *** فخلفوها الى الوراث و انتقلو

Still rings fresh today, no?

Pimps in action

2005-03-06T19:40:00.000+03:00

Since i'm on a ranting roll this week what with the arrests and all, I couldn't resist one more... I have to get the frustration off my chest somehow...

Just as thousands of unemployed people holding bread take to the streets in protest, our venerable Minister of Labour Affairs, is part of a 12-pimp delegation to the UN in Geneva to defend the Bahraini government in ratifying elimination of racial discrimination conventions. That's right, along with all the other highest ranking officials perfectly fluent in english, he stood up there in front of the panel of 18 judges to state categorically that Bahrain has not witnessed any form of discrimination neither in the past or in the present time!! This is the same man who reportedly stated in private as a joke that sectarian discrimination stands at 200%. From the UN premliminary report:

The delegation pronounced that in Bahrain there was no such thing as racism; the people of Bahrain, numbering approximately 500,000, had four or five basic origins. Shiites of Iranian origin represented 8 per cent of the population and many of them held high professional positions in society. Shiites, Sunnis and Bidoons among others were treated equally in all manners.

Have these people no shame!!! He really couldnt have been more subtle in lying if he tried huh? The government sends one of its token shia ministers to go and deny anti-shia discrimination by the government. How sly. One words describes this man: muflis. I wouldn't believe anything he says, he's gone past the stage of redeeming his reputation as the biggest sycophant on the land.

Discrimination and sectarian policy is the cancer eating away at Bahraini society. Its a fact of everyday life. I would even go to the extent of calling it covert apartheid. When you apply for a job, you can expect to be asked the question "are you shia or sunni" if it is not too clear from your name. Merit, credentials, experience, no the most important criteria when applying through the front door in certain organizations or ministries is your sect.

Although the shia represent two-thirds of the population (from a BCHR report):
-they occupy 18% of the highest ranking public offices
-out of 47 ministerial and deputy ministerial position, the shia occupied 10 ie 21%. No shia in the interior, foreign, defence, security and justice ministries.
- out of 64 employees in the General Prosecutor's office, only 4 are shia ie 6%.
-in the back offices of the Shura council, out of 56 offices, 13 (ie 20%) are occupied by shia. Out of these 13, 6 out of these are drivers!! It doesn't get that much better for the elected council- out of 108 positions, 39 are occupied by shia. Noting that none occupy decision-making roles, the roles represented by shia are driver, cleaner, technicians, clerks.
-Shias not allowed to own land in Riffa.
-unemployment among the shia stands at 40%.

The numbers are even worse for women. These are just quick statistics, you can look at discrimination through many different dimensions, education, pay, unemployment, government projects and budget distribution, proportionate representation in government.

I truly believe that it is this policy of sectarian discrimination that fuels social tension between the sects. If I know that one social grouping is at an advantage purely because of the sect they ascribe to, then this will naturally fuel antagonism and social perceptions will come to adopt this sectarian looking glass, filtering down society to the level of children in the playground.

So the first step in ending sectarianism, is stopping the policy of STATE endorsed discrimination, then look at tackling social sectarianism through education and awareness only after the first step is implemented. Otherwise what's the point in chanting big rhetorical slogans of one people one country, when in actual fact you don't want those from the largest social grouping even serving in your armed forces or police force. This issue needs to be tackled from the TOP. Unfortunately following the performance in Geneva, the TOP is still totally denying the problem.

Like D. Mosawi stated in his editorial today, we're still waiting for the day where we will see Lance Corporal Jafar Qadami or Abdulhussain Satrawi (typical shia names), serve in armed forces.

Check out Chan'ad for more.

PS I received a message through a friend this morning, Abdulemam sends his regards and says thanks for the support. Here's a private joke. How do you annoy three muslim men in a prison cell? Throw a bunch of drunks off exhibition road in there :)

The Emperor's New Clothes

2005-03-05T07:12:00.000+03:00

Remember the fairytale story of the Emporer New Clothes? Where the Emporer was walking around naked as two rogues apparantly conned him into believing that he was wearing a garment made from special silk that cannot be seen by stupid and unfit people. Everyone complemented the Emperor on his 'beautiful' garment even though they couldn't see it in fear of being called a dunce. Then as the Emporer was walking in a procession a child shouted out "But he has nothing on!". The Emporer new it was true but had to keep up the pretence.

That story was always one of my favourites as a kid...imagining the Emporer walking round naked made me laugh... hahaha now it makes me laugh even more when I apply it to Bahrain. Who is the Emporer? and who is the child? Read article below by Dr. Abdulhadi Khalaf, former MP in the seventies, Professor of Sociology:

في الذكرى المئوية الثانية لهانز كريستيان أندرسن :
أهي محنة الأخ علي عبد الإمام أم هي ثياب القيصر الجديدة

يحتفل الدنماركيون , و آخرون من محبي الأدب و خاصة أدب الأطفال , هذا العام بالذكرى المئوية الثانية على ولادة هانز كريستيان أندرسن .
و لهانز كريستيان أندرسن مئات القصص و أعمال أدبية أخرى و من بين ما له قصة ( ثياب القيصر الجديدة ) و هي قصة أطفال مشـــهورة قرأناها بالعربية صغاراً . و لعلها موجودة في الأسواق في البحرين .....إن لم يمنعها الرقيب.
أقول الحق لكم إنني لم أعرف القيمة الحقيقية لقصة ثياب القيصر الجديدة إلا بعد الإعلان عن المشـــروع الإصلاحي في البحريْن و ما تبعه من تراجعات و ما رافقه من بهرجة و زفيف و تطبيل و و بعد ما خلّفة من حســـرة في قلوب الكثيرين , من أمثالي , ممن صدّقوا ســالفة المشـــروع الإصلاحي , وقتها , أو على الأقل وضعوا بعض الأمل فيها.
يعيد هانز كريستيان أندرسن في " ثياب القيصر الجديدة " حكاية تتكرر في كل أجواء النفاق و في كل حفلات التطبيل في كل الحقب التاريخية و في كل المناطق الجغرافية....... إذ تحكي القصة قصة ملك إســـتمتع بمديح المادحين وهم يكيلون المديح له يمناسبة إرتدائه حلة جديدة... و شــجعهم , باالعطايا, على إطناب مدح روعة ملابســـه الجديدة.....و لكثرة المديح و كثرة المادحين صدّق الملك ما يقال.
أعطى المديح المبالغ فيه للملك ثقة عالية بأناقته و إعتداداً بمظهره.... رغم إنه هو نفســـه يعرف الحقيقة ...و يعرف إن الأمر لا يعدو إن يكون تهيؤات.......إلا إنه بدأ يتصرف كمن يصدق ما يقال...........بل و بدأ يطالب جميع من يقابله بتكرار ذلك المديح.... هذا إلى قيّض الله أن يتســلل طفلٌ من بين الحشـــود المتجمهرة المبهورة بملابس القيصر الجديدة ....ولكن الطفل , ببراءة من لا مصلحة له , لا يرى ملابس جديدة على جســـد الملك....بل يراه عارياً...و حينها يصرخ الطفل إن الملك عارٍ و إن لا ملابس عليْه ....لا جديدة و لا قديمة...............

أقولُ , ما أحوجنا إلى براءة الأطفال و إلى التزود بها و ما أكبر من يتعلم من جرأة هؤلاء و فصاحتهم . رحم الله هانز كريستيان أندرسن و فكّ محنة الأخ علي عبد الإمام و محنة البلاد و العباد فيها

د. عبدالهادي خلف
لوند , 2 مارس 2005

Its meaning is transferred from the original story to cover anything that is promoted as an innovation or a reform but, on examination, proves to be nothing at all. Says it all about the Arab world, no?

'Hate websites', editorials, Emoodz

2005-03-04T13:19:00.000+03:00

MANAMA: The Bahrain government is planning to block Internet sites inciting hatred against prominent figures, ministers and leading officials, sources revealed last night. Batelco keeps blocking such sites from time to time for spreading rumours and hatred against the government. GDN

I actually think this could be a good first step - acknowledgement that 'hate' exists. Lets not kid ourselves here, government policy is one reason for this 'hate', the betrayal felt after the King backtracked on his promise for the return of the 1973 constitution in 2002 and the LEGACY of the State Security Law era that lasted for 25 years.You're not going to see any posters of the King hung anywhere near my forlorn village in the near future unfortunately.

Whichever way that comment maybe perceived, my unbalanced views and politically insensitive remarks would put this blog as an 'ideal candidate' for Batelco's 'Hate website' list if not for an arrest warrant. Im confident the latter option would not be used in my case - i'm far too well-dressed and a beard is simply not part of my attire! However assuming some bored Batelco employee does happen to stumble onto this site, then I just want to say that I won't be bothering with proxies enjoy the blog while you can!

On another front(1), anyone noticed the uncanny silence of the editorials in the local media? The press law seems to have these editors shivering in their pants already, after they were taken to court last time too. What was the outcome of the jamri case? Out of court settlement? Funny how some things get dusted under the carpet with a wink and a nod. Journalists challenging boundaries? They wouldn't be journalists if they did in this part of the world.

From Scribbles that quivered a country

On another front(2), i'd like to take an opportunity to introduce a new blogger to the scene. How wonderful of him to choose this time to blog, just as some others were thinking of stopping! Emoodz says:

Not once had I doubted that my country will try to control my mind, not once had I doubted that I need to watch out what I think nor write online or off. Not once had I doubted that today, anyone and everyone who doesn’t agree with the government is a criminal that violates god knows how many constitutions.

Laws that were put to look good, yet ensure gaps to the prosecutors and hence allowing close and somewhat tight control whenever the push comes to shove. It was all rather obvious since the events of the 14th of February. A date that everyone in this country somehow managed to overlook, a date where the people of the entire country were fooled.

He asks why in a time were crime is rife, resources are still being wasted on cases concerning freedom of speech. Well, my answer is that the Ministry of Interior, Bahrain's Big Brother is still in full-force, the same policies, the same twisted people, spies, torturers working away at documenting every step and every word uttered. He may hide in the shadows at times, but he makes himself only too visible at times like the present. This is the crucial ministry that should be abolished if the King's reforms are to be given an incling of credance. No, instead, officials in this god-forsaken ministry that has only been good at instilling fear in the people, have been PROMOTED, given bonuses, and PROTECTED under law 56!!

It is high-ranking official from the 'da5iliya' (interior ministry) that are questioning Abdulemam and co. right now.

Free Ali Blog

2005-03-03T15:14:00.000+03:00

Chan'ad has set up a centralised site all about the three arrests, which you can find if you click on the button below:

Desert Island Boy has also provided a letter template that can be used to correspond and highlight the arrests to anyone who may help, NGOs, human rights.

Please visit the site regularly for further information.