30th Dec, 2013 –
Citizens for Bahrain looks back over 2013
January
Citizens for Bahrain responds to the British Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee: The Foreign Affairs Committee published CfB’s written evidence as part of their investigation into British foreign policy towards Bahrain. CfB argued that “Britain can help to make Bahrain a better place for all its citizens by continuing to be the pragmatic friend of all Bahrainis and guaranteeing British solidarity in enabling Bahrain to move forward as a haven of enlightened reform. We Bahrainis know best our own shortcomings and profit little for outsiders pointing out our failures – however, we do benefit when our friends help us with constructive solutions.”
CfB comment: A gift to the extremists who reject dialogue: “Once again Human Rights Watch has painted an unrealistically depressing picture of the situation in Bahrain by focusing almost exclusively on one issue and ignoring the many reforms which have been introduced to fulfill Bahrain‘s human rights commitments.”
February
Dialogue: The National Dialogue was finally re-launched. Just two hours before the first session, Al-Wefaq representatives agreed to participate. The Dialogue included a cross-section of influential figures, including representatives from all major political groupings, with the Government represented by a number of Ministers.
February 14 protests: Despite engaging in the Dialogue, on the anniversary of the 2011 unrest, Al-Wefaq endorsed fresh rounds of protests and rioting across the Kingdom.
CfB comment: Preventing Al-Wefaq from destroying Bahrain’s Dialogue: “We are in urgent need of enlightenment from Al-Wefaq: Were they trying to sabotage the National Dialogue before it had even got started by unleashing chaos across Bahrain last week? Or have they become so enfeebled within the protest movement that they simply lost control of their supposed followers who were blocking roads, injuring dozens of policemen and terrorizing the public?”
Joining forces to fight sectarianism – Excerpts from a CfB newspaper interview
A group of Bahrainis have joined forces to counteract false media reports. They have formed Citizens for Bahrain and are on a mission to provide a moderate voice opposing the country’s radical groups.
Group spokesman Mohammed Al Sayed said: “Citizens for Bahrain came into being exactly a year ago out of frustration at the terrible way Bahrain was being portrayed. The international media was obsessed with the ‘Arab Spring’ narrative of ‘people against the regime’ and were failing to recognize that most Bahrainis were not out throwing Molotov cocktails and did not want to bring down the monarchy.”
March
Bomb plots: Early 2013 saw a number of bombing incidents; notably cars containing explosive devices left outside locations like a Mosque, a shopping mall and even a children’s play-park. Such incidents became fewer in number after a series of arrests of individuals identified as being part of the Feburary 14 Youth Coalition, which had claimed responsibility for some of these bomb attacks.
Crown Prince appointment: The appointment of Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad as First Deputy Prime Minister was a significant confidence-building move as the Dialogue got underway, considering the Crown Prince’s reputation as a forward-thinking reformer. His role included a mandate for expediting executive level reforms. CfB welcomed the appointment as “a wise choice and a welcome development for Bahrain…”
April
Formula One: Arguably, the Grand Prix is the biggest event on Bahrain’s annual calendar. It is a great boost to the national economy, it puts Bahrain on the international map and provides jobs and opportunities for thousands of Bahrainis. Beyond this, we love our motor sport and are proud to be hosting this great event.
CfB comment: Now let’s hear the opposition properly supporting Bahrain’s Grand Prix: “We were pleasantly surprised to hear head of Al-Wefaq Islamic Society, Shaikh Ali Salman, tell the media: “We do not want to hold up the race, but we are trying to benefit from the increased media presence” … Let’s hope to hear Sh. Ali Salman and Al-Wefaq saying this a little more often…”
CfB comment: Prince Charles criticized for building homes in Bahrain: “Is the opposition joking this time? A charity belonging to Prince Charles has signed a deal to build 4,000 homes for the poorest communities in Bahrain – and Al Wefaq attacks him for it!… An obvious legitimate grievance of poorer communities is the lack of cheap housing. A major area of investment for the government has been housing projects to address this need. Yet Al Wefaq doesn’t seem concerned by the interests of its own constituency; choosing to make the bizarre statement that building homes for poor Bahrainis gives a “green light” to human rights abuses.”
May
Ayatollah Qassim rallies: CfB highlighted the protests following the raid on Isa Qassim’s house – a perfect illustration of how the opposition is rooted in sectarian and fundamentalist principles; and how Al-Wefaq exploits a tiny issue to whip up tensions and unrest. CfB also dealt with Shaikh Ali Salman’s threats to boycott the 2014 elections and the dangerous implications for Bahrain. ”If they want to get to Ayatollah Qassim they must trample over hundreds of thousands of corpses” – Al-Wefaq
CfB comment: “The biggest human gathering ever” to protect the Ayatollah: “On 19 May Hezbollah and Syrian regime forces attacked the Syrian town of Qusayr on the Lebanese border; killing dozens and wounding hundreds of civilians. But strangely, Hezbollah’s TV channel Al-Manar didn’t want to discuss Syria. They and their sister Iranian channels were wholly focused on Bahrain…”
Press Freedom controversy: The British Embassy published articles by CfB and Anwar Abdulrahman on its website on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day. These articles created a huge controversy and were covered by most large media outlets; with in depth discussion of CfB’s comments by the Daily Telegraph, Human Rights Watch, the BBC, Amnesty and others; as well as generating much social media debate.
CfB comment: Does freedom of expression require ground-rules? “…Citizens for Bahrain supports freedom of expression and freedom of the press. However, we are not freedom of expression absolutists: Hate speech, incitement to violence, ruining reputations, sectarian insults and attacks on people’s religious beliefs are not part of any freedom of expression that we know of…”
CfB comment: GCC declares Hezbollah a “terrorist group”: “Branding Hezbollah a terrorist organization is a decision that should have been made long ago. The Gulf Cooperation Council made the right choice in coming to this decision and others should follow suit…”
June
Middle East crises & developments: Over the summer, major regional issues like Egypt’s second revolution that led to the removal of President Morsi and violence in Syria overshadowed events in Bahrain. The Iranian elections were a major subject of interest for Bahraini and GCC citizens, with the results largely catching people by surprise.
CfB comment: Egypt and the failure of Arab revolutions: “…Events in Egypt give the lie to Bahrain’s protest movement who claim that revolution is the only solution. All of us support reform and we support making Bahrain’s political system fairer and more representative. But does Egypt constitute a successful political model that we should want to follow? No thank you!”
CfB comment: Explosion at the bomb workshop: “…Abdullah had suffered severe burns when a bomb he was making exploded. Police removed several homemade bombs, detonators and a significant amount of bomb-making equipment from the workshop… People on all sides should be working towards peace and dissuading radicalized young people from being tempted down the path of militancy and terrorism.”
July
CfB’s “Open letter to Iran’s President elect, Hassan Rohani”: “…When Iran works against the Muslim nation and spreads hatred between fellow Muslims – this has brought us to the terrible and distressing situation we are in today. We pray for your wise leadership in working with the Arab world to bring peace, strength and unity to the Muslim nation once again…”
CfB comment: Intimidation of Bahraini Shia – the subject no one dares talk about: Bahrain’s unrest is often portrayed as being between militant Shia protesters and a Sunni-dominated leadership. However, we are increasingly hearing about attacks by extremists against Shia businesses, Shia public figures and Shia citizens…
Conference attendance: Members of CfB attended the Tallberg Summit in Sweden, where they used their public platform to give the true story of what was happening in Bahrain. CfB attended other conferences throughout the year, taking advantage of the opportunity to reach wider audiences.
CfB comment: Strengthening religious freedoms in Bahrain: The US Commission on International Religious Freedom has just issued a very informative report following a fact-finding visit to the Kingdom. The USCIRF’s report spoke favourably about implementation of measures to address religious freedom shortcomings, while noting that more needed to be done.
August
August 14 “rebellion”: Inspired by the events in Egypt and the crackdown against the Muslim Brotherhood, elements of the Bahraini opposition spent weeks preparing the ground for a similar “rebellion” event in Manama. However, despite a relatively low-key police presence, very few protesters turned out; possibly because of the failure of Al-Wefaq Islamic Society – the main opposition grouping – to support the event.
CfB comment: The strange disappearance of Bahrain’s protesters: “It has now been many months since Bahrain witnessed the mass protests that we used to see on a weekly basis. Parts of the opposition spent a long time building up to a major event, but then hardly anyone turned out…”
Attendance of Northern Ireland reconciliation project: CfB members travelled to Ireland to participate in a series of events about reconciliation.
CfB comment: Bahrain’s moderates must make themselves heard: “…Bahrain’s moderates must stand up and be counted. Only by preserving the constitutionally-enshrined balances of power and ensuring a strong moderate voice can all components of Bahraini society fully enjoy their political, social and religious rights.”
CfB received alot of positive reactions to its activity in promoting the voices of moderates and arguing against the dominance of extremist voices in the public domain.
September
Khalil Marzouq’s detention: Senior Al-Wefaq official Khalil Marzouq was detained for 30 days, after waving the flag of the terrorist 14 February Coalition at an opposition rally. The opposition announced a series of rallies in protest against these measures. Al-Wefaq announced their “temporary” withdrawal from the National Dialogue following Marzouq’s detention; although they never went back to the discussion table.
CfB comment: Suspending Dialogue participation is bad for Bahrain: “…There is only one satisfactory way of emerging from the ongoing unrest in Bahrain and that is through the National Dialogue. It is our only means of shaping a shared political vision that benefits all Bahrainis. From that standpoint, Bahrain enters dangerous territory when various significant groups start boycotting the process.”
Sentencing of 14 February Coalition members: A Bahraini court handed down jail sentences on 29 September to around 50 individuals, some of whom are based abroad, who it accused of involvement in terrorist activities as part of the “14 February Coalition”. Some of these London-based figures, like Saeed al-Shehabi, have long been associated with other groups like the Bahrain Freedom Movement – formerly the Bahrain Islamic Revolutionary Front which staged a coup attempt in the 1980s – adding weight to the view that the “14 February Coalition” is a convenient label, rather than a coherent entity.
Bahrain; the eighth freest economy in the world: Once again Bahrain appears at the top of global lists on economic freedoms and economic diversification. On this occasion Bahrain was ranked by the Fraser Institute as the eighth freest economy in the world, a full nine places ahead of the United States and head and shoulders ahead of most European nations.
October
CfB comment: If the National Dialogue fails – it’s our fault: “…What hasn’t occurred to most people is that the Dialogue will fail if we allow it to fail. This pessimistic mood towards the Dialogue is a major factor in ensuring that it achieves nothing. If the Dialogue participants attend the Dialogue believing that they fail and believing that everyone expects them to fail – then they will fail…”
Who is exploiting and abusing children in Bahrain? CfB response to Human Rights Watch: “…Once again, Human Rights Watch are guilty of only telling one side of the story when it comes to the abuse of children’s rights in Bahrain… Bahrain has a substantial reconciliation task on its hands in ensuring that those brainwashed twelve year-olds who today are out throwing rocks at police, can find their way back into society, and don’t become the foot-soldiers of future social unrest.”
CfB comment: Exploiting a teenager’s death – more Iranian lies: “…The Press TV report featured gruesome images of 17-year old Ali’s disfigured and bloodied body. However, Ali Khalil wasn’t shot as claimed by the report. A homemade bomb exploded in his arms… We can only guess how many of those protesting about Ali Khalil’s death did so because they watched Iranian media sources…”
“…Not a day goes by without Iranian outlets like Press TV, Tehran Times and Al-Alam TV issuing false stories about Bahrain. Bahrain is usually one of the top three international news stories on these outlets; even when so much else is going on in Egypt, Syria, the US and elsewhere… A single word by Iran’s leadership and these propaganda channels would stop printing lies about Bahrain and the Arab world tomorrow.”
November
BICI implementation: 23 November was the two-year anniversary of the publication of the recommendations of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry. The BICI Follow-Up Unit issued a detailed report demonstrating that most of the substance of the BICI report had been implemented.
CfB published its own investigation, which reached the following conclusion: “Groups like ‘Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain’ have tried to present most of the BICI Recommendations as unimplemented, because there is still work to be done. Although in some areas the authorities certainly could have moved more quickly, many of the changes required are cultural changes which take years to become properly entrenched; such as the radical changes in which the security forces go about their work or the reconciliation process necessary to heal the wounds in Bahraini society.”
Iran-US rapprochement: Gulf states were nervous at US-Iran talks – some of which were conducted in secret. There were concerns that these talks ignored Iran’s damaging activity in the region, including its support for the Syrian regime and its interference in Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, Bahrain and elsewhere.
CfB comment: Al-Wefaq’s “Revolution Museum”: “What have Al-Wefaq Islamic Society’s clerical leadership been doing since withdrawing from the National Dialogue? We now discover that they’ve been putting their artistic talents to creative use by turning their headquarters into a “Revolution Museum”… Exhibits in this museum range from the bizarre to the tasteless. Visitors are treated to the display of a child being run over by a car and mocked-up bodies of ‘martyrs’; as well as experiencing “the painful experience of the oppressed prisoners”, with an actor on hand to “interrogate” visitors… Al-Wefaq are painfully and divisively trying to dig up the past and remind us yet again of the traumatic events of 2011 from their highly partisan perspective.”
December
Dialogue continues without opposition: The deadline for the opposition to return to the National Dialogue finally expired. Dialogue participants stated their readiness to welcome back opposition delegates if the situation changed.
CfB comment: Kuwait GCC summit: “…We look to the leaders of the region to seize the opportunity of the Kuwait GCC summit with both hands in order to put their nations definitively on the path of a shared goal of partnership and solidarity.”
CfB comment: Hezbollah “apology”: “Many Bahrainis reacted with surprise to news that Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV had ‘apologized’ to Bahrain for its biased and dishonest coverage of Bahraini affairs over the last three years. Of course it turned out that Hezbollah hadn’t apologized – Hezbollah never apologizes for anything. However, Hezbollah’s denial was interesting because, rather than denying everything, they clarified that their delegation to the Arab States Broadcasting Union had made the apology ‘without referring to the party leadership’… If Iran genuinely wants better relations with its neighbours then we welcome this. But we don’t want to hear flowery speeches and ambiguous apologies. We need to see a change in the way Hezbollah and Iran act in the region and an end to sectarian incitement and support for terrorism.”