Chan'ad Bahraini

This blog has moved

2005-05-18T02:46:00.000+03:00

This blog has moved to a new host.

Please update your bookmark:

http://chanad.weblogs.us/,

and RSS feed:

http://chanad.weblogs.us/?feed=rss2.

There will be no new posts added here.

Congrats Kuwait

2005-05-17T01:23:00.000+03:00

Photo source: AFP/Yasser al-Zayyat via Yahoo! News

I'm a few hours late, but I wanted to join everyone else in congratulating our Kuwaiti friends on their parliament's approval of the bill to give women the right to vote (at last!: 1, 2). This is a sign to everyone in the region that perseverence (lots of it!) and reason can pay off in the end (sort of). Read some reactions from the Kuwaiti blogosphere by browsing through the KuwaitBlogs feed aggregator.

Why so glum boys?

Photo source: AP Photo/Gustavo Ferrari via Yahoo! News
-------

PS: Sorry for the lack of posts this week. I'm trying to move the blog to a new host, so I've been busy sorting that out. I'll publish details in a day or two hopefully.

Redressing torture

2005-05-11T23:17:00.000+03:00

Another former detainee said that while he was interrogated at al-Qala'a in 1989, he was subjected to torture two or three times a week for a period of one month:

The interrogators sometimes came for me together, sometimes separately. They would beat me with cables and sticks, and kick my head and back with their heavy military boots. Once I was tied to a chair and my ankle was pierced with a battery-operated drill. Friday nights were the worst - the guards would go out and get drunk and then come back and beat the prisoners.

After his release, he underwent surgery on his spinal cord as a result of his treatment and his body still bears other scars of torture, including cigarette burns and a four-inch knife wound on his hand.

--Amnesty International, Bahrain: Violation of Human Rights, 1991

Tomorrow, representatives of the Bahraini government will go before the UN Committee Against Torture (CAT) in Geneva to present its report about the implementation of policies in Bahrain to satisfy the Convention against Torture. Two separate shadow reports will be presented to the CAT by the Bahrain Human Rights Society (BHRS) and the (outlawed) Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) (in co-operation with the National Committee for Martyrs and Victims of Torture, NCMVT).

After reading the government's submission (pdf, 125KB) it becomes apparent why independent shadow reports are needed to provide a full picture of the situation. The government report is filled with long boring quotes of Bahraini laws, but very little information about if and how these are actually being implemented on the ground. The only interesting bit is the way they try to sell Royal Decree 56 as a good thing (page 8):

16 (a) (iii): In order to make this equality truly meaningful and to turn a new page on the situation that had obtained prior to the amnesty, so that it would not affect the future of the reform movement, the general amnesty erased all the criminal and civil effects arising from the commission of these and related offences and discontinued prosecutions brought in relation thereto prior to the entry into force of the Amnesty Decree. This was spelt out in Legislative Decree No. 56 of 2002, which interprets certain provisions of Legislative Decree No. 10 of 2001, by which the general amnesty for offences against national security was declared (see annexes 3 and 4). It is worth noting, in this connection, that Legislative Decree No. 56 of 2002 provides a legislative interpretation that is based on the Constitution and the law and reflects the actual state of affairs where security and stability have been provided in order to look towards a brighter future in which society will be organized in accordance with the National Action Charter and the implementation of the Kingdom’s programme of reform;

All the Bahraini human rights groups have been campaigning against Law 56, yet the government wants to pull a fast one and portray the law as being in the best interests of society. I dont think the CAT will buy it. This is very similar to when Labour Minister Al-Alawi claimed before the CERD that there is no such thing as discrimination in Bahrain. Indeed, it is a recurring theme for our government to think that it can implement reforms without admitting and reddressing the mistakes of the past. The assumption seems to be that the people will forget... but that is not the case. Personally, I don't think anything less than a Truth and Reconciliation Commission will allow everyone to close this dark chapter of the country's history.

I've had a chance to read a draft of the shadow report being presented to the Committee by the BCHR. Among the points raised are:

that criminals of torture (committed prior to 2001) enjoy immunity, due to Law 56
that the courts have declined all cases against alleged torturers lodged by victims
that there are no specific statutory remedies or rehabilitation for torture victims
that no known compensation cases for acts of torture have been successfully pursued in the courts to date.

According to one member of the NCMVT that I spoke to about two months ago, the government did actually privately propose to compensate all the victims for their torture-related medical costs, in return for not pursuing the matter in the courts. He told me that the offer was rejected because they were more concerned about the truth being released, and because they doubted the government's sincerity for certain reasons.

Continue reading this post

It is important to understand the role that torture played in the government's strategy during the dark era of the State Security Law (1975 - 2000). Not only was it used to get false confessions, but it was also used to spread fear and to prevent people from spreading information. Up until just a few years ago, people would not discuss politics in public areas without first looking over their shoulders to make sure that no one else is listening. At the time there was no internet, no blogs, no satellite tv. This was how the government managed to control the flow of information.

So how brutal did the torture have to be achieve its goal? In a 1997 report to the UNHCR (pdf 109KB), the Special Rapporteur described the situation in Bahrain's torture cells:

The methods of torture reported include: falaqa (beatings on the soles of the feet); severe beatings, sometimes with hosepipes; suspension of the limbs in contorted positions accompanied by blows to the body; enforced prolonged standing; sleep deprivation; preventing victims from relieving themselves; immersion in water to the point of near drowning; burnings with cigarettes; piercing the skin with a drill; sexual assault, including the insertion of objects into the penis or anus; threats of execution or of harm to family members; and placing detainees suffering from sickle cell anaemia (said to be prevalent in the country) in airconditioned rooms in the winter, which can lead to injury to internal organs.

A fuller picture is created when explained in the victims own words. In a 1997 report by Human Rights Watch:

Hussain, a nineteen year old from Shahraqan, told Human Rights Watch what happened after he after he was brought to Qal'a early one morning:

They took me upstairs to an office, I don't know whose. There they told me to stand on one leg and bray like a donkey. "What am I accused of?" I asked. "Get some manners," the officer said, and he hit me and left. Then someone came in wearing a dishdasha [traditional white shoulder-to-ankle garment worn by men in the Gulf]. I recognized him from photos I had seen: It was Adil Flaifil. He asked me if I was Hussain Shahraqani and I said yes. He had a piece of paper marked "confidential" on top, otherwise blank. He told me to sign it. I refused. They took me to a different room and trussed me up with a pole under my knees. There were four men, two in uniform. They kicked me and took turns hitting me with a hose. After half an hour of this they took me back to Adil Flaifil, who told me again to sign. I refused again. I went back and forth several times between the hanging and beating and the questioning. At one point he [Flaifil] asked for my hand. Two people held my hand, and he burned the back of my hand with his cigarette [displays light scars].

Hussain asserted that his tormentors on this occasion also used electricity to inflict pain. Adil Flaifil, he said, "attached some wires to a piece of metal he was holding against my hand. The shock knocked me to the floor."

"Then they took me into a corridor and put my cuffed hands over the top of a door," Hussain continued:

so I was hanging with my toes just touching the ground. I fell down when they finally let me off the door, and they beat me with a hose again for what seemed like a long time. They saidthey would charge me with bombings and planning attacks with bombs. Later they said I would only have to confess to incitement. I still refused. Finally they said I had to sign a statement that I would not do these things. That I did sign. They gave me one more beating, till my mouth bled, and then they let me go.

You can read many more similar interviews in this 1995 Amnesty International report, and an earlier AI report issued in 1991.

Sadly though, not everyone was fortunate enough to live to tell the story, as there have been several reported cases of detainees who died during the interrogation period. It's not for the faint-hearted but if you can handle it, there are some photos of the corpses displaying injuries allegedly caused by torture at this site (scroll down to the second set of pictures). This case was documented in 1995 AI report:

The second case is that of Sa'id 'Abd al-Rasul al-Iskafi, a 16-year-old secondary school student from al-Sanabes who died ten days (not two days, as initially reported) after his arrest. According to information received by Amnesty International, he had been summoned for interrogation by Mabahith Amn al-Dawla (State Security Intelligence) on 29 June 1995 in connection with his alleged participation in anti-government protests. He was reportedly suspected of having sprayed graffiti on walls near his home. Upon arrival at the headquarters of State Security Intelligence, Sa'id al-Iskafi was taken into custody. On 8 July, his family was told to collect his body from the Military Hospital. According to accounts received, the security forces prevented his family from burying his body in the local cemetery in al-Sanabes, and he was later buried at a cemetery in the nearby district of al-Na'im, where he was born.

It should be quite easy now to understand why the victims of torture and their relatives refuse to give up their campaign for justice. I expect that tomorrow in Geneva the goverment representatives will do their best to dodge the issue of Law 56. But one can hope...

Read my related posts: Repeal 56

WSJ on BahrainOnline

2005-05-11T18:46:00.000+03:00

Ali Abdulemam and BahrainOnline.org are the subject of an article on page A1 of today's Wall Street Journal.

Democracy Project in Bahrain Falters

MANAMA, Bahrain -- Ali Abdulemam, a young Islamic activist and founder of a popular Arabic-language Web site, made a bold decision three years ago. He started using his real name online.

He shed his pseudonym after a spurt of political change in this Gulf kingdom touted by President Bush as a model for the Arab world. The government emptied prisons of political prisoners, held elections and let hundreds return from exile abroad. "I believed you could speak and not go to jail," says the 27-year-old computer engineer, who combines his Web work with a day job at an American technology-consulting company.

In late February, amid boisterous debate about democracy following elections in Iraq, Mr. Abdulemam was thrown in prison, accused of fomenting hatred of the government and other charges.

Our Free Ali blog also gets a mention:

Before the government announced the arrests, news spread online. A crowd of protesters gathered outside a detention center where the three were held. In early March, al-Jazeera broadcast footage of Mr. Abdulemam in handcuffs. Fellow bloggers set up a FreeAli Web site. The Committee to Protect Journalists in New York and other groups protested. The U.S. ambassador to Bahrain privately queried the Information Minister about the arrests but didn't comment in public.

Read the full article (WSJ subscription required). Thanks to Praktike for the heads up.

Read my previous posts about the BahrainOnline arrests

Constitutional reform, again

2005-05-06T19:41:00.000+03:00

The second in the series of protests demanding constitutional reform was held today, in the empty ground next to Dana Mall (read about the first protest here). When the plan to hold the protest was announced a couple weeks back, it seemed as though the government would once again deem it illegal. However, a few days the Interior Ministry gave the go-ahead for the demonstration, so everything went smoothly today without any trouble.

Today's protest definitely felt smaller than the first one, but it was still very big. I'm no good at guessing numbers anyway, but it was especially difficult today because the venue was a perfectly flat open ground, with very few vantage points to make a decent estimate. If I were to hazard a guess I might say around 10 or 12 thousand, but don't quote me on it. It would be better to wait a couple hours for the news agencies to publish their reports. I've made another one of those panorama images to give you a sense of the scale, but I wasn't high enough to capture the full depth of the crowd. Click on the icon below to see it:

What was very significant about this protest though was that it was not a one-party show dominated entirely by Al-Wefaq, like the first one. As I suspected might happen, all of the four boycotting political societies made their presence known this time. At last. This was the first major protest in a long time that did not have a sectarian feel to it. So even though today's demonstration was smaller than the last one, for me it was more significant because it was so much more representative of the population. I do hope this will continue to be the case throughout the rest of the campaign. Below you can see a cluster of, I believe, NDAS supporters:

Incidentally, the International Crisis Group today released a report (hat tip to Mahmood) that contains an excellent overview of the political situation Bahrain, as well as urgent recommendations to all parties about what needs to be done to defuse the situation. Among the recommendations to the government is to reduce the legislative authority of the parliament's appointed chamber (the key demand of today's protest). I really hope that both the government and the opposition take the recommendations of this report seriously and show some courage.

Click here to see the rest of the photos

More photos:

Before the protest started a cop issued parking tickets to some of the demonstrators for parking their cars on the road island, so a small argument ensued. (Take a good look, because this is one of the rare chances you'll get to witness traffic cops in Bahrain actually doing something).

This protest had a very Woodstock-ish feel to it (not that I've ever been to Woodstock). As you can see in the photo below the protest took place in a big open ground, and people came walking in from all directions. Rather than an agry march, today many people came and sat down on the ground or a chair, and listened to the speeches and talked amongst themselves. The weather was great and the kids especially seemed to enjoy the opportunity to run around in the big open space or build castles in the sand.

Some women:

In the cartoon below, on the right side it say "The Nineties" and shows a person trapped in a bottle (The height of the civil uprising in Bahrain tooke place during the 1990s). In the left panel it says "The days of reform" and shows a person in a bottle with the 2002 Consitution blocking the opening.

NDAS president Ibrahim Shareef being interviewed by a reporter from Al Jazeera television:

Speakers at the podium:

The right to know

2005-05-04T23:57:00.000+03:00

"The right to know: Premier vows Press freedom" reads the frontpage headline of today's GDN. The first paragraph of the article reads:

Freedom of speech is sacrosanct and will not be touched, the Premier told leading Bahrain journalists yesterday. Press freedom is the country's first line of defence, he said, vowing to make citizens fully aware of "every movement". (Continued)

Now you would expect a proper news article about Press freedom in Bahrain to present the opinions of both the government and those who diagree with the government. But as is all too common in the local Press and media, only the government propaganda is presented in this article. Whether it's editorial self-censorship or direct orders from the government, the Press obviously feels pressure from government.

This is why I (and most other bloggers, I suspect) am so much against the government's website registration plan. The Internet is the last refuge for those of us who want to read about and discuss issues concerning Bahrain in a free unrestricted environment. If all Bahraini website owners were to register with the government, then they would face the same pressures as our local Press. And inevitably, the level of discussion online about political issues would be dumbed down to that of our newspapers. I don't want that to happen.

--------

On a related note, there is a short mention of this topic in the widely distributed Foreign Policy magazine.

--------

Update (05-Apr-05): The UAE-based Gulf News (not to be confused with Bahrain's GDN) published some excellent op-eds and reports about Press Freedom in the UAE and the Gulf to mark World Press Freedom Day. Be sure to read the Editor-in-Chief's candid op-ed: Self-censorship virus plagues media. It seems that our friends in the UAE are genuinely moving in the right direction. The UAE leadership also marked the day with speeches about the issue, not unlike how our Prime Minister spoke about the issue (as shown in the article at the top). The crucial difference is that UAE leaders recognize that problems exist, and seem to want to genuinely overcome them. In his address, the Dubai's Crown Prince said:

It is no longer possible to sell illusions, to justify failure with manufactured excuses or to re-label defeats as victories. Technology has increased people's access to information and has forced the Arab world with all its states, governments and societies to face the realities and challenges of the new age.

And among the things said by the UAE's Minister of Information was:

There is a need to change the way that our media, and the people working within it, work. We need an environment that encourages innovative thinking and dialogue, even if that means that governments are embarrassed. The media should be able to question governments, and to criticise their policies if there is something to be criticised.

These guys are talking about changing the situation, whereas the Bahraini leadership talks about the prevailing status quo as though it is absolutely perfect. Bahrain could learn a thing or two from its brethren.

Tasawwuf Bahraini

2005-05-04T23:03:00.000+03:00

I attended a small performance of devotional singing by Bahraini sufis this evening. It was a few days late, but the purpose of the event was to celebrate the Prophet's birthday. It was a very moving performance, which involved about ten men singing devotional poetry in heterophony, following one lead singer (no instrumentation). They had excellent control over their voices, producing an extremely rich and powerful overall sound.

I was quite surprised to read the announcement of this event in the newspaper a couple days ago, because prior to that I had no idea that there were any active sufi groups in Bahrain. I knew that they must have existed on the island in previous generations, but when I asked around most people didn't have any idea about what sufism is. But today I learned that there are actually several sufi orders represented on the island (including the Qadiriya, Naqshbandiya, Azeemia). I'm wondering now... does anyone know if any of the shia sufi orders are active in Bahrain?

Web registration commences

2005-05-03T12:51:00.000+03:00

Around 40 or 50 people showed up today in front of the Ministry of Information to protest its decision to press charges against the BahrainOnline trio. Although the three (Ali Abdulemam, Hussain Yousif and Mohammed Al-Mousawi) were released from prison in March, they still face charges for the material that was posted on their website, and are not allowed to leave the country.

Despite this however, the government is going ahead with its plan to obligate all Bahraini websites to register with the Ministry of Information, ridiculously claiming that "it is intended to protect people running websites". In this article in today's Bahrain Tribune, Jamal Dawood (head of Press and Publication at the MoI) claims that "many" website owners have already come forward to be registered. But this can't be too many since most the popular online forums have agreed that they will not register. And certainly all of the bloggers I have spoken to are ardently against the registration also (including myself).

A couple of posts ago I mentioned that Batelco (Bahrain's sole ISP) had blocked Proxify.com. Well it seems that today Batelco has taken steps so that users can't access blocked sites using many of the freely available proxy servers. Not to worry though, as there are many other ways to get around this. But this is significant. Earlier, Batelco's block on sites was just nominal and very easy to get around. But it seems that now the government is actively trying to make sure that blocked sites are actually blocked, to go along with its website registration mandate.

And I have also been informed by a friend that my blog is no longer accessible from computers at the University of Bahrain's Sakhir campus. (I'll take that as a compliment for now).

Well, happy World Press Freedom Day all.

Upcoming

2005-05-02T21:31:00.000+03:00

So I've added Bahrain as a metro on Upcoming.org, which is a nifty free online events calendar website. The cool thing is that the site publishes RSS feeds and iCal feeds, and it will send e-mail reminders, so that you don't have to check the site everyday to find out what's happening. I've started adding events, but it would be good if others would add stuff too. Let's see if it works. Click here to check it out.

On a related note, don't forget that Alliance Francaise has arranged a French Cinema Week this week, in which they are screening a French film everyday at Dana Cinema (for FREE, of course). There are only two movies left though. Tomorrow (Tuesday) is Moi César, 10 ans 1/2, 1m39, and on Wednesday they're screening the much celebrated Podium.

Al Khawaja revisited

2005-04-28T17:23:00.000+03:00

More from my backlog of unfinished posts. So way back in December 2004, a week or so after he was released from prison, I interviewed Abdulhadi Al Khawaja, the vice-president of the now outlawed (but still active) Bahrain Centre for Human Rights. Somehow I never got around to posting about the interview until now, so sorry for the delay. Even though the Al Khawaja Affair is old news now, many of the issues discussed in this interview are still very relevant today (so that's my lame excuse for this being so late).

A bit of background for those of you who are new. On Sept 24, 2004, Abdulhadi Al Khawaja delivered a speech as part of a symposium about poverty and economic rights in Bahrain, in which he criticized the Prime Minister. The next day he was arrested and the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) was shut down on orders from the government. During the two months that he was in prison as the trial went on, his supporters held protests on a regular basis. On the morning of Nov 21, the court sentenced Al Khawaja to one year in prison, but it was announced later in the day that he had been given a Royal Pardon from the King and was released. The BCHR remains outlawed by the government, but it has been very active nonetheless. You can read all of my posts about the Al Khawaja Affair here.

My interview with him took place on Dec 2, twelve days after his release from prison -- so bear in mind that some of the stuff discussed may be outdated. I got his phone number and gave him a call telling him about my blog, and he was was kind enough to invite me to his home and make the time to speak with me.

Click here to read/listen to the interview

The interview was recorded on video, but to save download times for you I'm only sharing the audio, reduced down to 16kbps quality. I've also edited out most of my own voice in the audio to save space (and because I can't stand listening to my own voice... and sorry for the sound of me saying "uh huh" throughout the interview... I didn't realize that the microphone was picking it up). I've written below my question (paraphrased, not the exact question), followed by a link to Abdulhadi's response. The sound files have been placed in a little Flash player, so what you need to do is click on the Flash icon below each question, which will open up a new browser window and load the player. (If you have just arrived from Venus and you don't have Flash already installed for your browser, then get it from here). The files are anywhere between 100KB and 300KB each, so it may take a while to load depending on your connection speed. Please email me or leave a comment if it's not working for some reason.

Also bear in mind that what is presented here is not the entire interview, just clips. And that not all of the clips are in their original order. On with the show:

Q: Why did you choose to publicly criticize the Prime Minister?

Q: What would be achieved if the Prime Minister was replaced?

On Old Guard vs Reformists:

Q: Didn't your statements of criticism sideline the progress made by the Crown Prince's reforms project (McKinsey) to some extent?

Q: What indications are there that make you so convinced that real economic reforms will not take place under the current government?

Q: In what way do you think your statements "weakened" the Prime Minister and the Old Guard?

On the urgent needs of the people, and the campaign to satisfy them:

Q: What kind of activities will this future campaign consist of?

Q: What will be the specific objectives of this campaign?

I asked him to respond to criticism that the effect of the planned demonstrations and strikes would hurt the economy rather than help it.

I then put forward the idea that public criticism of the Prime Minister or the government might make it harder for the Reformists within the regime to implement change. I reminded Abdulhadi that "saving face" and reputation is a big factor in regional politics, and suggested that public criticism might only provoke the Old Guard to seek means to strengthen its own position.

Since Abdulhadi didn't buy my argument that criticism might cause the Old Guard to strengthen itself, I asked him to explain specifically how the activities of the campaign would necessarily translate into political change.

I wasn't fully satisfied with his explanations of how the campaign would necessarily activate change, so I kept questioning him on the subject for a while. But then he admitted that he doesn't have all the answers regarding the specific dynamics of political change, and further explained that as a human rights activist it is not his responsibility to have them.

Abdulhadi's statements against the Prime Minister were very political in nature, and some people thought that this did not fall under the domain of human rights. So I asked him for his opinion on where the border (if any) between human rights and politics lies. I also asked him to respond to criticism that the BCHR's relationship with Al Wefaq is too close.

A bit more about the BCHR's relations with Al Wefaq and other groups.

That's it for now. I will try to write a follow up post with my own feedback and an analysis of what was discussed in light of recent events. But for right now, that's all.

RSF denounces web registration

2005-04-26T21:23:00.000+03:00

Regarding the government's plan to require all Bahraini webmasters to register with the information ministry, Reporters Without Borders has issued this statement:

Reporters Without Borders voiced alarm at Bahrain's decision announced on 24 April 2005 to oblige all websites dealing with the country to register with the ministry of Information. "This does not happen in any democratic country and is a threat to press freedom," the organisation said. (Continued)

It also contains the details pertaining to us bloggers:

[Jamal Dawood, head of press and publications at the information ministry] admitted that he did not know what a weblog was, but said that even personal websites would have to comply with the new procedure. He added that it would not be possible to register online and registration would have to be done directly at the information ministry. After each registration was validated, the person in charge would receive an ID number that would have to be posted on the site. [wtf???]

Do the government officials who are inventing these laws even know what the internet is?? It sounds as though a government employee from the "Vehicle Registration" department at the Directorate of Traffic got moved to the Information Ministry. Surely this is a joke of some sort. I can't wait to find out what else they have in store for us.

I'm just wondering... does this mean I have to register my Flickr account with the ministry also?

Do read the full RSF statement.

----------

Update (27-Apr-05): I've been reading over the RSF article and wanted to bring to your attention this quote from Mr Jamal Dawood:

"Registration will be automatic and no-one will be turned down whatever the content."

Does he really expect people to believe this when just two months ago three website admins were arrested due to the contents of their site? And after the GDN reported that the government will continue to block websites "inciting hatred against prominent figures, ministers and leading officials". This reminds me of when Labour Minister Al Alawi stated before a UN Committee in Geneva that racial discrimination does not exist whatsoever in Bahrain.

Oh and guess what? The government has now blocked Proxify.com also. They really seem to believe that it's possible to control the internet.

---------

Update (28-Apr-05): The story has been picked up by AP News: Bahrain site registration sparks protests (via Business Week). Also, our local paper, the GDN also has two articles about the story: This one featured as the frontpage headline story and this one inside contains a quote from our very own Mahmood!

Mawlid al Rasool

2005-04-25T23:56:00.000+03:00

Here are some photos I took this afternoon in the Manama suq, which has been all decorated for the celebrations tonight of the Prophet's birthday and that of Imam Ja'far al Sadiq. I was there later in the evening also for the actual celebrations, but my camera died on me so I don't have pictures of the beautiful lights. (And I ate one too many platefuls of biryani).

It's really quite cool how just last month the town was draped in black, and now it's bursting with colour. It's beautiful. You can't help but feel the joy.

Click here to see the rest of the photos (there are lots more).

Of course, what would a photoset be without kids:

As you can tell, I quite like all the brocade material draped everywhere. Here are a couple details if anyone cares:

Register or face legal action

2005-04-25T02:54:00.000+03:00

So this is what SillyBahrainiGirl warned us about. From the GDN:

Webmasters must register or face legal action

MANAMA: Webmasters face prosecution if they defy new rules announced by Bahraini authorities. All Bahraini websites set up here or abroad must register with the Information Ministry or face legal action, it was declared yesterday.

A six-month campaign is being launched next Monday to register all Bahraini websites, under orders from Information Minister and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Mohammed Abdul Ghaffar.

"The ministry will announce soon the details of how each website owner or supervisor can register," Information Under-Secretary Mahmood Al Mahmood told the GDN.

"If they fail to register then legal action will be taken against them based on the country's printing and publishing laws."

He said websites would face similar laws to newspapers, related to libel, public decency and ethics.

Just as a newspaper editor-in-chief is held responsible for what he publishes, so will the webmasters be, he said.

Ministry printing and publishing director Jamal Dawood said registration procedures would be in line with those for all types of publications, including newspapers, leaflets, audio and visual media.

So the government actually expects me to register this blog with them? Not a chance mate! It's odd... just a few days ago I wrote that the current environment of relatively free speech (in large part due to websites) was the only real change brought about by King Hamad's reforms... but now it seems the government is hellbent on undoing that also. Does the government seriously think it can control the flow of information in the current day and age? I think it's time for the Information Ministry to be shut down... no jokes this time please.

Bahrain bloggers, what do you make of this?

-----------

Update (25-Apr-05): Head over to Mahmood's Den to discuss what course of action we as bloggers want to take in response to this.

More labour rage

2005-04-24T18:29:00.000+03:00

Photo source: AP/Gustavo Ferrari (via Yahoo News)

From the BBC:

More than 700 Bangladeshi workers have stormed their country's embassy in Kuwait, causing damage inside. [...] Mr Islam [the ambassador] told the BBC Bengali service that the motive for the attack was linked to wages not being paid. (Continued)

More details with Reuters

This is very worrying, but not at all surprising. There have been several similar events all over the Gulf in recent months, of migrant workers expressing anger at their situation. Usually peaceful, but occasionally violent.

Usually this anger has been expressed towards their employers or at their host government. But this time it is against their own government. Although there is no way to condone today's violence, this should serve as a much-needed wake up call to embassies all around the Gulf. Up until now they have silently watched their citizens being abused, without demanding that the basic rule of law be applied to them. As long as the foreign remittances are flowing in there's no probs.

See also: the Expat Files

More of the same

2005-04-22T15:11:00.000+03:00

As the turn of the month approaches, opposition activists have reloaded and have announced some more protests to keep the pressure on the government.

On April 30 (the eve of Labour Day), the Committee for the Unemployed will hold the third in its series of demonstrations. This time the protest will take the form of a march that will commence at 7.30pm from Ras Ruman mosque and will pass by the Prime Minister's office. (Read about the first and second protests.)

On the following Friday (May 6), the second protest demanding constitutional reforms will be held. The venue this time will be next to Dana Mall at 4pm. Interestingly, the announcement says that the protest is being sponsored by all four of the boycotting opposition parties, rather than just Al Wefaq as was the case for the first protest. Is it possible that the others have finally woken up?

Well, let's see.

-----------

Update (24-Apr-05): Today's GDN has the following:

Rally ‘illegal’

MANAMA: Social Affairs Minister Dr Fatima Al Balooshi yesterday dismissed the constitutional conference general secretariat as “unlicensed and illegal”. She was commenting on news that a rally would be held on May 6 to press for constitutional reforms.

Things seem to keep repeating themselves in Bahrain. But Dr Balooshi's statement sounds more like a dismissal of legitimacy, rather than the ban that was imposed on the last protest. But there's still time left, so let's see how the government responds this time.

-----------

Update (25-Apr-05): More in today's GDN:

A planned rally to call for constitutional changes would be an illegal act orchestrated by an illegal organisation, authorities said yesterday. The government does not recognise the group organising the rally, which is backed by four political societies that boycotted the parliamentary elections, said a senior Social Affairs Ministry official. (Continued)

Word on the street II: Graffiti

2005-04-16T13:40:00.000+03:00

Continuing on from my recent post "Word on the Street", I thought I'd write a bit more about public expression, this time focusing on graffiti in Bahrain. From my observations, the graffiti can be grouped in to three general categories: (i) domestic politics, (ii) international politics, and (iii) religious.

Domestic politics

From my observations and memory, there wasn't any significant graffiti activity until the civil unrest starting in 1994 (older readers, please correct me if I'm wrong). This constituted the first of the three categories stated above: domestic politics. Typical phrases that were spray painted (usually in Arabic, but sometimes in English) were "We want a parliament", "we want the 1973 constitution" and "down with Al-Khalifa". Below is an example. It's hard to read because someone has already made an attempt to cover it up, but it says "We want freedom" in both Arabic and English:

It was also quite common to see spray-painted stencil portraits of (the then) opposition leader Shaikh al-Jamri, or of some of the people killed by the state security forces during the uprising. At the height of the unrest, graffiti was popping up everywhere daily. And if it was in a very public place, near a main highway for example, the government usually had it painted over immediately, leaving these huge white rectangles all over the place. New graffiti of this sort stopped emerging when the unrest ended, after Hamad became Amir (later renamed to "King") in 1999. Most of this graffiti has by now been painted over.

International politics

Graffiti reflecting international politics did not emerge until the second Palestinian intifada in 2000. Aside from Pro-Palestinian phrases such as "Jersualem is ours", the intifada unleashed a wave of anti-American and anti-Israeli feelings. The two photos show graffiti saying "Death to Israel":

The two photos below show graffiti written on public rubbish bins. The first one has "Israel" written on it, and the second one has "The White House" on it.

These feelings further intensified after Mohammed Juma, a Bahraini protestor, was killed during a protest outside the US Embassy that turned violent back in April 2002. Thereafter, Juma was depicted as "Bahrain's martyr for Palestine", and spray-paint stencil portraits of him popped up everywhere. The portraits are still around, especially at bus stops for some reason.

George Bush's war on terror also generated a significant amount of anger, but I never saw it translated in to support for Osama bin Laden... except for this one exception I found in Muharraq (the two photos show the same wall):

In the first photo it says "Osama bin Laden, the leader of Islam". In the second photo (which was right next to the first) it says "Conqueror of the Americans". This is the only such graffiti I've seen in Bahrain. Has anyone else seen anything similar elsewhere on the island?

Religious

Religious graffiti in Bahrain is usually in the form of "O Allah", or "O Hussain", or something similar:

I'm not really too sure what might drive someone to get a can of spray paint and write something like this on a wall. It seems to lack the urgency that might motivate one to write something about a precise political issue. But what is interesting is the use of religious phrases to convey a political issue. Phrases such as "Enough of humiliation" and "Death with honor is better than life in subservience" are usually associated with the events of Karbala and Ashura. But spray-painted on walls, these phrases take on a very political meaning, especially during the civil unrest of 90s.

So what?

I think it is very significant that there has been very little graffiti activity over the past two or three years. It says alot. One would expect people to resort to graffiti only when there is no other outlet for public expression, as was the case in Bahrain a few years ago. Today, the local Press has a bit more freedom than it did before. Political protests and conferences take place very frequently, whereas they were not tolerated whatsoever before. And the arrival of the Internet has made a huge difference with the emergence of online forums and blogs, allowing cheap, fast, and (almost) unregulated communication with people in Bahrain and around the world.

Yes, the government has in several recent cases attempted to intimidate people in to keeping quiet (the Al-Khawaja affair, the BahrainOnline arrests, the Sitra protest), so there is yet a ways to go. But the situation today is drastically different from just a few years ago when the regime had a complete stranglehold on the flow of information in Bahrain. Just a few years ago I would not have dared to set up a blog like this, out of concern for the safety of myself and loved ones. Just a few years ago, a peaceful protest demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister would have been met with tear gas and rubber bullets.

This relative freedom of speech is, in my opinion, the only change brought about by King Hamad's reforms that is real and significant. The parliament has so far been fruitless, the government is still run by a single family, and the courts are still not independent. But as long as this current environment of (relatively) free speech is maintained the rest of the reforms will inevitably come, sooner or later. So be worried if you see lots of new graffiti on the walls.

Mannequin

2005-04-12T01:34:00.000+03:00

With all this talk of boys getting aroused by lingerie-clad mannequins I was reminded of a movie that explores the logical possibilities of such a situation. If you were around in 1987 then you will surely recall a movie by the name of Mannequin. In this 80s cult classic a young man by the name of Jonathan Switcher actually falls in love with a beautiful shop display mannequin. I won't spoil the rest of the story for you, but I will tell you that the tagline for the movie was:

Just because Jonathan's fallen in love with a piece of wood, it doesn't make him a dummy.

Very appropriate. (This film is second only to maybe Ferris Bueller in the genre of retarded 80s movies).

Movies aside, I think that Muharraq councillor Majeed Karimi (Al Wefaq), who wants a ban on the mannequins, raises some important points. He says, according to the GDN:

These mannequins look like real women with exactly the same features.

Mr. Karimi is not the only person who has been pondering over this. Just a few weeks ago Tunisian blogger MMM (of Subzero Blue) raised some related though-provoking questions:

The other day while walking by some store windows, the question hit me:
"When the hell did they start putting nipples on mannequins?!"
Is it that the stores are really cold?
Are the mannequins excited by the fact that people are staring at them?
Are they implying that the clothes are made for chilly days only?
Or maybe they're saying that whatever the weather, nipples will show through these clothes? (Continued)

Okay seriously... seriously... I don't think that Mr Karimi's argument is a complete non-issue. Here in Bahrain where most females dress conservatively, it doesn't surprise me that mannequins in lingerie might "offend" some people. It's all relative. Just think back to the scandal created when Janet Jackson revealed her breast during the Super Bowl halftime show in the much more liberal United States. So maybe Karimi has a debatable point... I just don't think that the municipal council should be wasting its time or resources dicussing this now when there are far more pressing issues to be dealt with.

Now go watch the movie and remind yourself of how cool it was to wear white trousers.

News roundup

2005-04-10T01:16:00.000+03:00

Some random news and updates from the past week or so that I haven't had a chance to discuss.

Protest news:

The government has scrapped its plans to prosecute Al Wefaq for the huge illegal rally held in Sitra at the end of last month. Well done to Social Affairs Minister Dr Fatima Al Balooshi for having the sense to end this issue amicably, rather than further escalating it.
However, the charges against the BahrainOnline Trio still are still being pursued. So, on April 5, supporters held a protest in the Seef area demanding that the government drop its charges. Photos are here (scroll down a bit.)
On April 2, the Committee for the Unemployed held its second protest in the Seef Area. Photos are here, and the press release from the Committee is here (scroll down to the bottom for the English version). The next protest will take place on Labour Day (May 1). Read my account of the first protest here.

From the Parliament:

The Council of Representatives has approved the formation of an Islamic vice and virtue committee that will "offer advice in order to safeguard virtue in society and combat harmful behaviour". However, the bill needs to be approved by the government appointed Shura Council before it can be put into effect. Since the government has expressed its opposition to the idea, the bill will hopefully (fingers crossed, knock on wood) never see the light of day. (If I'm not mistaken, this isn't the first that our Parliament has taken up this issue.)
Al Menbar (Muslim Brotherhood) and Al Asala (Salafi), the very same parties that supported the above-mentioned bill for a vice committee, have blocked a bill that would decrease the power of the Shura Council. This is interesting because it shows that these guys are aware that they are nothing without the support of the government, so they have passed up the opportunity to increase their own legislative powers. I suspect that they are banking on the help of the government during the 2006 elections (in which the hugely popular Shia Islamist group Al Wefaq may eventually choose to participate).
I haven't had a chance to find out the details yet, but apparently the government has proposed a bill to Parliament for an anti-terror law. Opposition groups have condemned the proposed law as a violation of personal freedoms and freedom of expression.
While announcing to Parliament the preparation of a new nationality law, the Minister of State for Shura Council and Parliament Affairs denied any evidence of illegal naturalizations. Some MPs objected to this claim and provided their side of the story... which offended the Right Honourable MP Mohammed Khalid so much that he walked out in protest!

The expat files:

The Philippines is considering a ban on sending its citizens to work as maids in Bahrain and the Gulf, after a rise in complaints of abuse. This follows similar bans by the Indonesian and Bangladeshi government last month. This is unfortunate for those maids who end up with humane employers, but I don't blame the governments for their concern (especially after this case from across the causeway). On a better note though, it is being said that housemaids will be granted some rights under the Labour Law as part of changes being implemented by the Crown Prince's labour reforms project. I hope they're serious. Read more about migrant workers in Bahrain.

Word on the street

2005-04-07T17:43:00.000+03:00

A couple weeks back I wrote about the huge Opposition protest in Sitra, and how it was branded with the official slogan "Consitutional Reform First":

In that post I also mentioned that the pro-government groups, lead by the Salafist group Al Asala, published statements in support of the government in the local papers, and presented its counter-slogan "Bahrain First". Well while driving around today I noticed some roadside signs displaying this same counter-slogan:

I took the above photo in Budaiya near the Northern governorate office (at the same site where I found this sign and this one). However similar signs seem to have been placed all around the island... I saw them in several places along Budaiya Highway, and also in the Manama/Juffair area.

Notice that the signs of both the Opposition and the pro-Government groups feature the national flag prominently. It seems almost like the way in Lebanon how the pro-government protesters responded to the anti-government protests by also utilizing the Lebanese national flag and nationalist symbols, rather than any other communal or party symbols. So here in Bahrain too, the pro-government groups have decided respond to the Opposition's nationalism with more nationalism, but has gone a step further by using the counter-slogan "Bahrain First"; as though that makes any real difference. In any case, I'm relieved that the pro-govt folks have chosen to use the national flag to express their support for the regime rather than plaster mugs of the Royal Three all over the place... thank you Lebanon!

But this is not the only example of competition in the public space taking place currently. There is a (seemingly) religious one going on also. If you're currently in Bahrain then you have probably noticed the religious signs that popped up on lamp posts all over the island about six months ago (I think). They usually have blue type on white background and look like this:

The above sign says "Glorified is God, the Great". Other varieties of the same sign have different phrases written on them, such as: "God is great", "Remember God", "Don't forget God", "Ask forgiveness from God", etc etc... you get the picture.

Recently though (over the past month), a different sign, coloured in green, has arrived on the scene. The sign is often placed near, or adjacent to the white signs shown above. For example:

On top is a variety of the old white sign, and underneath has recently been attached the new green sign. And there is only one phrase written on all of the new signs: "O Allah, send Thy blessings upon Mohammed and the Household of Mohammed". Now, this phrase and the previous ones are commonly used by both Sunnis and Shias. However this one ("blessing upon Mohammed...") seems to have a special significance to the Shia, and is invoked by them far more frequently than Sunnis. So, I'm lead to believe that the white signs were probably put up by one of the Sunni organizations, and the green signs were a tit-for-tat response by one of the Shia groups.

It's all very interesting to study, but I'm not sure if I need street signs to tell me which road leads to God.

Mullahs in verse

2005-04-05T18:29:00.000+03:00

Some of you might recall an incident in Bahrain back in 1994 in which some youths reportedly threw stones at bare-legged women running in the annual charity marathon. Thankfully, nothing of the sort has ever happened here again. However, the story repeated itself on a much grander scale in the Pakistani city of Gujranwala a couple days ago. The BBC reports:

Pakistani police have clashed with demonstrators protesting against the participation of women in a 10km road race in eastern Pakistan.

[...]

The clashes erupted after supporters of the Islamic religious parties alliance (MMA) attacked the men and women contesting the race with batons and stones, police said.

The protesters blocked the race course and chased competitors away as they approached the sports stadium where they were expected to finish race.

A spokesman for the MMA told the Associated Press news agency that the alliance had warned organisers against holding the race "because it is against Islam".

"They want to undress the entire nation," Riaz Durrani said.

"It is indecent for women to run in the streets. They want the sisters and sisters-in-law of the nation to wear knickers and T-shirts." (Continued)

The pictures that were being shown on Pakistani television showed a huge mob of bearded and turbanned mullahs running around with great big sticks in their hands. It's interesting though that this image of mullahs has existed for hundreds of years, and criticism of them has existed since. In Waris Shah's poetic rendition of the epic Punjabi tale "Heer" (written in 1766), the main protagonist, Ranjha encounters a mullah in a mosque. The mullah doesn't like the way Ranja looks and tells him in caricature fashion (translated by Najam Hussain Syed):

A mosque is the house of God. Those not in line with the Sharia cannot be allowed to enter here. Dogs and dirty fakirs are to be bound and punished with lashes by us. We tear off the trousers if they fall lower than the ankles. And we singe the hair that grow around the lips. The enemies of God we shun like dogs from a distance.

And of course, Ranjha responded to the Mullah in kind:

News of death brings the odour of Halwa to your nostrils, you pray for the living to shorten their stay on this earth. The Sharia is the cover for the dishes of your desire. Your concern for sinning is boundless. To the homeless seeking shelter for a while your doors are always closed.

By no means was Waris Shah the only poet to characterize and criticize the mullahs in this manner. Another famous Punjabi poet of 1700s, Bulleh Shah, was quite prolific in his scathing comments about them. Here's something that many of today's sufi musicians quite like to include in their songs (translation from here):

[He] Read a lot and became a scholar
But [he] never read himself
[He] goes enters into the temple & mosque
But [he] never entered into his own heart

He fights with the devil every day for nothing
He never wrestled with his own ego
Bulleh Shah, he grabs for heavenly flying things
But doesn't grasp the one who's sitting at home

Religious scholars stay awake at night
But dogs stay awake at night, higher than you
They don't cease from barking at night
Then they go sleep in yards, higher than you

They [dogs] don't leave the beloved's doorstep
Even if they're beaten hundreds of times, higher than you
Bulleh Shah get up and make up with the beloved
Otherwise dogs will win the contest, better than you

And the translation of a famous couplet by Bulleh Shah:

The mullah and the torch-bearer
Hail from the same stock;
They give light to others,
And themselves are in the dark.

A more recent example can be found in the works of the Indian poet-philosopher Muhammad Iqbal, who wrote around the turn of the twentieth century. It is ironic that many mullahs today go around spouting verses of Iqbal to support their positions, yet his poetry is filled with open criticism of them. In a poem of his called "The Mullah and Paradise" he writes (translated by Naeem Siddiqui):

When in a vision I saw
A mullah ordered to paradise,
Unable to hold my tongue,
I said something in this wise:

‘Pardon me, O Lord,
For these bold words of mine,
But he will not be pleased
With the houris and the wine.

He loves to dispute and fight,
And furiously wrangle,
But paradise is no place
For this kind of jangle.

His task is to disunite
And leave people in the lurch,
But paradise has no temple,
No mosque and no church.’

There are countless other writings from within the South Asian Muslim poetic tradition that characterize and criticize the mullahs in this way. But I'm wondering, does anything similar exist in Muslim traditions from other parts of the world (particularly in Arabic writings)? It would be interesting to compare.

Stuff this week

2005-04-05T15:36:00.000+03:00

There are going to be some great movies showing this weekend during the Soorya International DVD festival if any of you are interested. All the films are FREE! and will be screened at the Bahrain Society of Engineers premises in Juffair. I've stolen the details from the GDN:

Wednesday

7pm: Jour de fête (Jacques Tati, 1949, French)
8.45pm: The Great Dictator (Charlie Chaplin, 1940, English)

Thursday

7pm: Kaya Taran (Sashi Kumar, 2004, Hindi) -- The director Sashi Kumar will be arriving in Bahrain tomorrow for the festival. This movie straddles the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 and the Gujarat riots of 2002, so it should be quite an interesting watch (if you're not bored of watching explorations into communal violence). Update: Kaya Taran has been cancelled, so the following movies will be shown instead
7pm: The River (Jean Renoir, 1951, English)
8.45pm: Bawandar (Jag Mundhra, 2000, Hindi)

Friday

10.30am: Red Beard (Kurosawa, 1965, Japanese) -- Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune... enough said.
4pm: Carmen Jones (Otto Preminger, 1954, English)
7pm: A film by Ritwick Ghatak (it didn't say which one). I haven't yet had a chance to see any of Ghatak's films, so I'm really looking forward to this.

Saturday

7.15pm: Just Like You Imagined (Zeyad Alhusaini, 2003, English) -- This movie sounds fascinating... an 11 minute short, sci-fi, in English, by a Kuwaiti director.
8.45pm: The White Balloon (Jafar Panahi, 1995, Persian) -- This is a brilliant brilliant film, written by Abbas Kiarostami. One of my favourite films of New Wave Iranian Cinema.

Also, the Bahrain Cinema Club will be showing Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran this Wednesday evening at 8pm as part of its weekly screenings at the BCC premises. This isn't the most amazing movie in the world, but worth watching just to see Omar Sharif's fine performance.

Also on Wednesday at 8.30pm, fellow blogger Dr Scott Waalkes will deliver a lecture titled "Possibilities and Problems with the Forward Strategy of Freedom" at the National Democratic Action Society premises in Umm al Hassam.

And of course don't forget that tonight is the Champions League matchup we've been waiting for: Juventus v Liverpool at Anfield... Forza Juve!

Black Saturday

2005-04-01T02:26:00.000+03:00

From the Voice of Bahrain website:

On Saturday 1 April 1995 at 3.00 am, the village of Bani Jamra (where Sheikh Al-Jamri [a leading opposition figure during the 1990s uprising in Bahrain] resides) was encircled by thousands of paramilitary forces. The neighbours of Sheikh Al-Jamri (around six to eight of them) were ordered to evacuate their houses within minutes or be sprayed with gunfire. The next neighbour (Mr Omran Hussain Omran) has had his two daughters injured, one of them in critical condition as a result of a bullet in the head. The husband of the latter, Mohammed Jaafer Yousif Atteya, 30 years old, was shot dead by a machine-gun. Later, the neighbours demonstrated, more were shot and up to fifty were injured. One of them already passed away, Mr. Mohammed Ali Abdul Razzaq, a 50 years old carpenter, who rushed to save his injured son, Asaad, but found himself the target of machine guns. The funeral of the two was prevented and only a handful of relatives were allowed in the cemetery for the last farewell.

This day was henceforth known as Black Saturday, and today marks the 10 year anniversary of this sad event.

Last night a group of around 300 Bani Jamra residents and activists from around Bahrain held a demonstration in the village to commemorate the event. The purpose of this was to mourn the dead (Mohammed Ali Abdul Razzaq and Mohammed Jaafer Yousif Atteya), to pass on the story to the next generation of Bani Jamra residents and Bahrainis, and to renew the call for the criminals to be brought to justice.

It has been ten years since the original Black Saturday, yet the government has refused to talk about (let alone admit the possibility of error) what happened during the early hours of that day. The government refuses to talk about any of the accusations of torture and murder that activists have laid against it. Instead, in 2002 the King issued Royal Decree 56 which grants amnesty to anyone accused of crimes affecting national security committed before 2001.

While I commend some of the attempts at political reform taken by the ruling regime since 2001, it has to realize that there is no way to avoid truth and reconciliation. It's all well to look to the future, but the mistakes of the past have to be admitted so that the people can be confident that they will not be committed again. Until then, the dark memories and anger against the regime will continue to fester, as was demonstrated last night when a section of the crowd broke into impromptu chants of "Death to Al-Khalifa". I hope that one day in the future, members of the regime might even participate in the Black Saturday commemorations themselves. But right now their silence on the issue maintains the deep divide that exists between the rulers and the people. I thought this photo illustrates the current situation well:

It was taken during a recent symposium about discrimination in Bahrain. The chair was placed on the platform next to all of the speakers, but remained empty. The sign says "government representative", and the image of the empty seat indicates how the government has refused to engage in any serious dialogue with opposition activists since the reforms of 2001.

Above: Lighting candles around the graves

See also: Repeal 56

Bahrain in the press

2005-03-31T14:35:00.000+03:00

Washington Post article on the use of text messages by activists in the Gulf:

"My bill is going sky high," said Abduljalil Singace, foreign affairs director of Bahrain's Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, the island emirate's largest opposition grouping, a Shiite Muslim movement that is noisily boycotting the country's three-year-old, limited parliament.

Singace was fired as an associate professor and department chair at Bahrain University in mid-March after he traveled twice to Washington to lobby against his country's royal government, a close U.S. ally. He said Bahrain's security services also told him to stop sending dissident text messages. The Bahrain government says Singace was discharged for neglecting his duties at the university.

"They warned me against text messaging on demonstrations," Singace said. Before the warning, he said, "I was not sure they were reading my text messages. Now I'm telling everyone."

Still, he remains proud of some of his compositions. When American management consultants issued a report recently about how Bahrain's government could accelerate reform of its free-trading economy, Singace whipped off a reply and paid a commercial service to distribute his message throughout the island.

"Economic reform without political reform is like a bird with only one wing," he wrote. "How can it fly?" (Continued)

And a very brief mention in the Christian Science Monitor about the demand for democracy in the Middle East:

In Bahrain last week, the largest protests in memory saw the country's politically disenfranchised Shiite majority saying enough to pro-American King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa's policies. (Continued)

I also stumbled across a full article about Bahrain from the World Socialist Web Site: American media silent over mass protest in Bahrain. It's quite sensationalized (typical of contemporary Leftist literature), but worth a read:

The hypocrisy of Washington’s self-proclaimed crusade for democracy in the Middle East found damning expression this week in the nearly total silence of the US government and the American media over a demonstration that brought tens of thousands of protesters into the streets of Bahrain last Friday demanding democratic reforms.

The contrast between the reaction to this popular upsurge against a dictatorial monarch in the Persian Gulf and the attention lavished on the so-called “Cedar Revolution” in Lebanon could not have been starker. (Continued)

Updates: Sitra rally and Factory rampage

2005-03-28T14:58:00.000+03:00

Some updates to stories I've posted about recently:

Today's GDN reports that the Cabinet condemned the illegal Consitutional Reform Rally that was held in Sitra on Friday. And once again the GDN decides to not include any statements from Al Wefaq. According to a post on BahrainOnline last night, the Cabinet has asked the Interior Ministry to take action against Al Wefaq, which may involve a closure of the group for 45 days. (I'm not sure what the government hopes to achieve by shutting down or suspending a group's license. Recall that the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights was shut down, yet last month representatives travelled all the way to Geneva to deliver a shadow report to the UN condemning the goverment!) Meanwhile, the Committee for the Unemployed will be holding the second in its series of demonstrations in the Seef district this Saturday (April 2) at 3.30pm, coinciding with Formula 1 weekend. It will be interesting to see how government responds to this. (The police did not interfere with the first protest, held last month).

And more details of the factory rampage on Saturday are emerging. The Gulf News reports:

The workers — mainly from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh — claimed two other workers had committed suicide in the past, another died of a heart attack and five others became insane as a result of harsh working conditions that require them to work for more than 12 hours daily. They blamed the manager of the factory for their ordeal.

The workers also alleged physical abuse by floor managers and said they were not getting proper food and medical care.

Harinder Lamba, general manager of the company, dismissed the claims of mistreatment and low-wages [Hah!] as untrue. (Continued)

The GDN provides further details, reporting that the workers have submitted petitions to the Indian and Bangladeshi embassies:

Over 400 workers are calling for an investigation into the suicide of an Indian tailor, which prompted a riot at the garment factory where he worked.

They submitted a petition to the Indian and Bangladesh Embassies, as well as the police, yesterday demanding action against the management of MRS Fashions, in East Riffa.

The workers claim Madhu Babu, 25, was driven into taking his own life because of the ill-treatment that was dished out to him.

A tailor who spoke on behalf of his colleagues said it is the third such incident at the company in two years.

He claimed that Mr Babu was the second employee to commit suicide, while a third man allegedly suffered a heart attack because he was overworked. "We want the company to treat us as human beings," said the spokesman, who asked to remain anonymous.

"We all witnessed what happened to Mr Babu and we no longer feel safe working there." (Continued)

Labour rage

2005-03-27T16:58:00.000+03:00

From today's GDN:

Workers go on rampage after suicide

MANAMA: Workers of a top garment factory went on a rampage last night following the death of a colleague. More than 500 Asians working for the MRS Fashions, which makes trousers for J C Penny, started damaging the factory's East Riffa premises after their colleague, who was kept in isolation for 15 days due to chicken pox, committed suicide. (Continued)

There aren't enough details to be able to comment on this specific case. But here is a general message to the government and the business community: Wake up! Migrant workers make up 35% of the resident population. If safeguards to protect the rights of these workers are not introduced soon, this could blow up into something far far worse. Homer wrote a post a while back postulating what the consequences might be in extreme circumstances. I wrote a post in reponse to his which you can read here.

Anyways, if all of these migrant workers were to organize themselves and hold a general strike or something, it would have a substantial impact on the economy. (I certainly hope that the violence that occurred yesterday is never repeated). This isn't an immediate threat, but steps to prevent it need to be taken now before it's too late. Most important I think is to make sure that workers are paid on time, and that defaulting employers are punished.

See also: Power to the people and The expat files.

Plugs

2005-03-27T15:20:00.001+03:00

Let me plug a few blogs I've come across in the past few weeks:

ODD A has been commenting on various Bahrain blogs for a while now, but has finally set up his own site: The Odd Blog
GDN reporter Eunice del Rosario's blog: Flipping the Coin
And GDN columnist Amira Al Hussaini has set up a blog to archive her columns: In My Opinion. The great thing about this is that it allows readers to reply to her column instantly, rather than sending a letter to be published in GDN letters page.

And on the international front:

Syria Exposed is a blog written by someone called Karfan (and a friend), "where all external myths about Syria and all internal taboos are broken". Very interesting and enjoyable stuff.
From Cairo, With Love is a recently started blog from Cairo (duh). Mohamed has posted this great photo illustrating the (somewhat exaggerated) difference between how Westerners and Egyptians express themselves:
And finally there's Aref-Adib, by Mehrdad, an Iranian living in London. It's an art/design blog with a bit of humour. Most of the posts are about finding images that are similar to each other. My favourite one is a comparison between former Iranian Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh and rock legend Frank Zappa:

Uncanny!

Constitutional reforms... First

2005-03-26T13:52:00.000+03:00

In a massive show of force yesterday, Al Wefaq held a huge rally in Sitra demanding constitutional reform, despite orders from the Interior Ministry to cancel it. Thankfully though the government didn't try to shut down the protest with force (as it did a couple weeks back). Instead, the police blocked the Sitra bridge at about 3pm I think (the protest was scheduled to start at 3.30pm), forcing latecomers to walk across. At the site of the protest itself there were no cops in sight anywhere... actually there was no one around except for the protesters and journalists because of the roadblock.

One of protest organizers that I spoke to said that 120,000 was the number they were telling the press, but from my past experience a more accurate number is half or three quarters of the numbers touted by the organizers. Actually the report from Reuters (via AlJazeera) says that the organizers were only claiming 80,000. And some of the journalists I spoke to at the protests were saying it was around 50,000. Pick what you want. In any case though, this was a HUGE one... certainly the largest political protest I have seen in Bahrain I think. Even if we use the conservative estimate of 50,000 it's still big considering that the total population of Bahraini nationals is only about 400,000, and that the police had blocked off the roads.

I've made a couple of panorama images with several photos, to help you get some sense of the scale. Click either of the thumbnails below to see them:

It was interesting to see how everyone in the region is looking to Lebanon for inspiration. For one thing, the protest organizers made sure to use only nationalist icons and symbols instead of sectarian or party ones. So they insisted that the only flag to be waved is the Bahraini one; a "red and white revolution", similar to the "cedar revolution". And one of the slogans that was chanted during the rally was "Bil rooh, bil damm, nafdeech ya Bahrain" ("With our souls and our blood, we shall sacrifice ourselves for you Bahrain"). The protest also had an official corporate style branding. In Lebanon the official slogan was "Independence '05", and in Bahrain it was "Constitutional Reform ... First"... not as snazzy, but nice try. The organizers distributed thousands of small flyers with the official slogan printed on them in both English and Arabic. (For some background, read Ahmad Humeid's great post Branding the Cedar Revolution).

It was also interesting to see that Salafist group Al Asala (of all people) had a full page announcement printed on page 2 of the GDN urging people not to attend the protest, parroting the governments concerns about the threat it poses to national security and economic interests. They came up with the counter-slogan "Bahrain First". As you can tell there is this wrangling going on between the opposition and government supporters about who gets to define what is in the "national interest of Bahrain".

And I'm afraid I have to once again talk about the poor quality of the GDN's coverage of the event. The front page of yesterday's GDN carried had a short article headlined "Rally refused to ensure citizens' safety". How nice of the GDN to use the government line without even bothering to put quotation marks around "to ensure citizens' safety". The article contained a statement from the government, but did not contain any statements from Al Wefaq. Similarly the front page of today's GDN has a huge headline: "Court Action". This article also has a statement from the government talking about Al Wefaq being taken to court for yesterday's protest. No need to talk about the tens of thousands who showed up to protest despite the ban (there were two photos on page 2 though), no need to talk about the police roadblock on the bridge, no need to discuss what they were protesting about, and there isn't even any need to report Al Wefaq's side of the story. Sounds like journalism to me. The question is whether this is editorial self-censorship, or if orders have come from the government.

I think the protest yesterday was a good sign because it shows that Al Wefaq is really desperate to participate in the political arena. Unfortunately, the Shia Islamist group seems to be the only opposition group that has the desire to make a difference. Yesterday's protest was a one party, one sect demonstration. Again I ask, where is everyone else?

And finally: does anyone know if there are any flag-making companies listed on any of the stock exhanges in the Middle East?

To watch Al Jazeera's coverage of the protest click here (wmv 2.5MB) , and I've also got lots more pictures, so click here to see them.

Here are some more photos from the protest:

Sitra protest update

2005-03-24T22:35:00.000+03:00

At the end of my previous post I mentioned that Al Wefaq will hold a protest rally in Sitra tomorrow (Friday), demanding constitutional reforms. So here's an update on the situation. Apparently, the Ministry of Interior today asked Al Wefaq to cancel the rally. When word of this got around, Wefaq supporters urged the party leadership to stick their plans and hold the protest tomorrow. The Al Wefaq leadership announced this evening that the rally will go ahead tomorrow as planned. And the latest bit of news is that the Minister of Islamic Affairs has called Al Wefaq head Ali Salman, Abdullah Al Ghuraifi and Shaikh Isa Qasim to talk about the dispute over the protest.

Well let's see what happens tomorrow. I really hope there's no trouble. And I really really hope that no one gets arrested... it's all getting a bit monotonous.

Where is everyone else?

2005-03-23T17:35:00.000+03:00

Not only is Al Wefaq the most popular political society on the island, but these days it is also the most active one. If you have been following recent activities you may have noted that Wefaq has provided support (logistic or moral) to the causes of the BahrainOnline detainees, State Security torture victims, the BCHR discrimination report, constitutional reform, and even for the protection of the Tubli Bay mangroves.

I commend Al Wefaq for supporting these important causes, and I also credit the Wefaq high order for recognizing the political value that this gives them. However I can't give my full support to the party because Al Wefaq is an Islamist group, and I disagree with them in principle. But it leads to the question... where is everyone else??!! Are there no other political players to compete with Al Wefaq? In particular, I'm thinking about the National Democratic Action Society (NDA), since it is the largest political society without a religion driven agenda. Their presence in supporting all the grassroots human rights and social causes is miniscule compared to that of Wefaq.

Yes, they usually issue a statement in support of something... and sometimes they even hold a seminar... but their physical presence is rarely seen on the street. Whenever there is a protest for something you can be sure to see Wefaq leaders Ali Salman or Dr Abduljalil Sengase (of recent controversy) on the scene. But the only time I have ever seen another group make their presence known at one of these events was during the Victims of Torture demonstration last June, in which a small troupe of NDA supporters wore yellow headbands and held a banner with the party name at the bottom. But since then, nothing.

I'd like to see more political societies take an interest in these events, sponsor/co-sponsor them or encourage their supporters to show up, and to make their presence known when they get there. Not only is it morally right to support some of these causes, but it is also in the interests of the party. And come 2006, this will provide more choice for a voter concerned about human rights and social issues... I know, I don't like the idea of groups supporting these causes for purely politically selfish motives... but unfortunately that's the nature of the game.

Anyways, Al Wefaq is spearheading the movement for revising the current Constitution, and is organizing a demonstration this Friday afternoon in Sitra. There will probably be a decent turnout... but will any of the other political societies show up?

(P.S. Any updates on the million dinar war chest of the BCCI lobbying group? And any news about the Al-Montada society of businessmen? 2006 is not that far away... get crackin'!)

Maid tied up for a month

2005-03-23T15:36:00.000+03:00

Sickening. More maid abuse from across the causeway (via Arab News):

JEDDAH, 23 March 2005 — A 25-year-old Indonesian woman who came to Saudi Arabia as a guest worker will have several of her fingers, toes and part of her right foot amputated because of gangrene after being tied up for a month in a bathroom by her Saudi sponsor, who also apparently beat her severely, injuring her eye and knocking several of her teeth out.

The reason given was that the woman, who worked as a maid, had not finished cleaning the house. (Continued)

Obviously nothing has changed since Human Rights Watch issued its report on migrant worker abuse in Saudi last year. Well at least some of these cases are being reported in the news.

Backlog: Ashura day in Diraz

2005-03-22T21:42:00.000+03:00

And here are my last set of photos from Ashura this year (at last). These were taken on the day of Ashura. I wasn't able to go to Manama for the processions in the morning so I took some photos of the events in Diraz later in the afternoon.

Even though Ashura is supposed to be a sombre affair, there seems to be an almost festive atmosphere around some of the events (especially for the kids), as you can tell from the photos. Poetry, music, painting, sculpture, drama, lots of free food, horse and camel rides for the kids,... and, dare I say it, a small amount of blood. And you're also bound to bump in to every single Shia friend or acquaintance you've ever met in your life.

Anyways, here are the photos.

Look at how many kids there are everwhere waiting for their turn for a ride on the horses:

It's just amazing how much effort and imagination is put into the Ashura events. Below you see the entrance to the Marsam al-Hussaini made with two larger-than-life lances:

Click here to see the rest of the pics (there are lots more)

Look at the kid on the right hand side of the photo below. Hands in his pockets, he was just standing there enjoying the beauty of the horses passing by.

Shaikh Isa Qasim delivering his speech:

Note the ladies on the left side of the picture with a balcony view of the proceesings:

School bomb threat?

2005-03-22T15:29:00.000+03:00

Apparently (1, 2) there's been a bomb threat on Al Bayan School in Isa Town. I hope this is just a case of some lazy sod calling in a bomb threat to avoid taking an exam (like back in the good old days)... but I'm sure that everyone is thinking of the car bomb attack that took place in neighbouring Doha a few days ago. Let's wait for the details.

---------

Update (23-Mar-05): Thankfully it turns out that the bomb threat called in was just a hoax. Read the GDN report, or have a look at some photos of the scene at the time.

Backlog: Photos of Ashura night

2005-03-21T12:49:00.000+03:00

I've got a whole bunch more photos from Ashura that I still haven't yet posted. I was hoping to write a bit of commentary about Ashura in Bahrain, but I just haven't got round to it. So before my backlog gets any longer I'll share the photos now. By the way, Bahrania has a great post about Ashura in Bahrain which covers some of the topics that I was hoping to discuss, so read it.

So here are the pics (as usual, sorry for the poor lighting, motion blur, and general crappiness). They were all taken in Manama on the night of Ashura.

A horse representing Imam Hussain's horse, Zuljenah:

Young men striking their backs with small knives attached to chains:

See the rest of the pics (there are lots more)

I assume this is meant to represent Hussain carrying his slain infant son Ali Asghar:

Below you can see a couple paintings of Ayatollahs Khomeini and Khamenei, which apparently really pissed off the ruling regime.

I love this. It's a photo of a drinking water dispenser outside of a matam. On the dispenser is painted what I assume represents the Euphrates river in Karbala, which the family of Imam Hussain were denied access to during the Battle.

One of the hundreds of food and drink stalls along the procession route:

The marching band:

A beautiful embroidered banner depicting the Tragedy of Karbala:

A group of Pakistanis representin' (sorry, you can't really see much):

Bloggers on the beat

2005-03-20T16:25:00.000+03:00

Natasha is providing some excellent coverage, including pictures, of the blast that took place in Doha last night. Check it out.

Power to the people

2005-03-18T00:58:00.000+03:00

Earlier this month the GDN reported:

More than 100 garment factory workers staged a demonstration yesterday, claiming they had not been paid.

Some of Garment International's Sri Lankan employees' homes were destroyed in the tsunami disaster and they say their families are desperate for cash.

The workers, mostly women, massed outside the factory in Sitra, demanding to be paid.

[...]

[Sri Lankan Embassy Consul General P B Higgoda] said the company had promised to pay them in due course, but the firm said at the time that it had already paid them. Mr Higgoda said yesterday that the company had not paid its workers for six months. (Continued)

And just yesterday, the Gulf News reported:

Street protest over pay deadlock

More than 100 unpaid workers left their housing accommodation yesterday and marched towards Abu Dhabi city before being surrounded by police. The employees of Roads and General Contracting Projects (Rapco) vowed to continue their protest even as armed officers cordoned them off on a busy roadside in Musaffah.

“We are saying we can’t go to the accommodation site and we are on strike. They can put us in jail or deport us, but we will not go back to the site,” Mohammad Yunus Khan told Gulf News.

More than 1,300 Rapco workers are owed between 6 months’ to 16 months’ worth of their salaries. (Continued)

Although I doubt these workers (who appear to be migrants from South Asia) will get the justice they deserve, I'm glad that they are taking a stand and are doing whatever little they can to make their voice heard in an environment that would like to keep them silent and invisible. For they speak not only on behalf of themselves, but also for the countless other poor migrant workers in the Gulf who get dealt the same injustice every day. I hope this a sign of growing awareness among expat workers of the inviolable rights afforded to them as human beings.

Read this for a bit of background about the tight spot that migrant workers in the Gulf find themselves in.

RIP Zouhair

2005-03-17T01:38:00.000+03:00

I know this is a few days late but I still wanted to register my condolences for TUNeZINE webmaster and Tunisian cyber-dissident Zouhair Yahyaoui. Read about him here. He was a determined defender of free speech, and TUNeZINE often posted news about violations in Bahrain.

Rest in peace Zouhair

Conclusions on discrimination

2005-03-15T01:19:00.000+03:00

I just received the concluding observations of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) on Bahrain's submission to its session in Geneva last week (read my previous posts on the topic: 1, 2, 3). The CERD's comments provide quite a comprehensive list of steps that need to be taken to tackle the very serious issue of racial discrimination in Bahrain. I can't find an online link to the CERD document right now, so I'll paste a few of the points below. (I'll update with a link as soon as I find it).

First is the reply to Labour Minister Al-Alawi's silly claim that discrimination is non-existent in Bahrain:

The Committee expresses its concern over the representations made by the State party that there is no racial discrimination in Bahrain.

The Committee, considering that no country is free from racial discrimination, reminds the States party that it is required under the Convention to take legislative, judicial, administrative and other measures to give effect to its provisions, even in the apparent absence of racial discrimination.

Read the rest of this post

And on a related note:

The Committee regrets that no statistics were provided on cases where the relevant provisions of domestic legislation concerning racial discrimination were applied.

The Committee recommends that the State party consider whether the lack of formal complaints may be the result of the victims' lack of awareness of their rights, lack of confidence in the police and judicial authorities, or the authorities' lack of attention, sensitivity, or commitment to cases of racial discrimination. The Committee requests that the State party include in its next periodic report statistical information on complaints lodged, prosecutions initiated and the outcome of cases involving racial or ethnic discrimination, as well as specific examples of such cases.

Regarding discrimination against the Shia:

The Committee notes with concern the reported disparate treatment and discrimination faced by members of some groups, including in particular the Shi’a that may be distinguishable by virtue of their tribal or national origin, descent, culture and language; the Committee is concerned especially about apparent disparate opportunities that are afforded to such groups.

I'm also very pleased that the CERD has taken note of the situation of migrant workers, particularly maids:

The Committee is concerned about allegations of substantial prejudice against women migrant domestic workers, in particular those coming from Asia, especially as regards their working conditions, and about the fact that these women do not benefit from the protection of the labour code.

In light of its general recommendation XXX and of its General Recommendation XXV on gender related dimensions of racial discrimination, the Committee requests the State party to take effective measures to prevent and redress the serious problems commonly faced by female domestic workers, including debt bondage, passport retention, illegal confinement, rape and physical assault, and to report on measures taken for the protection of their rights.

Regarding naturalization through marriage:

The Committee, noting the information provided regarding the acquisition of nationality, is concerned that a Bahraini woman is unable to transmit her nationality to her child when she is married to a foreign national, and that a foreign man is unable to acquire Bahraini nationality in the same manner as a foreign woman.

The Committee requests the State party to consider the possibility of modifying these provisions in order to conform to article 5 (d) (iii) of the Convention. In this connection, it draws the attention of the State party to general recommendations XXV and XXX which requests State parties to ensure that particular groups of non-citizens are not discriminated against with regard to access to citizenship or naturalization.

Now let's hope that the government will stop denying everything and will try to address these issues with sincerity.

Look Mum, no handcuffs!

2005-03-14T23:25:00.000+03:00

The BahrainOnline trio, free at last. From left to right: Syed Mohammed Al-Mousawi, Hussain Yousif, Ali Abdulemam. (Photos stolen from here)

Free!

2005-03-14T20:01:00.000+03:00

Apparently, the BahrainOnline Trio have been released without any bail (but the case against has not been dropped). In the coming days we can try to figure out the reasons why... was it because of the upcoming F-1 race? Did elements within the regime finally realize the flaws in their actions? Or is this just part of a pre-planned script?

Well let's worry about that later. Right now let's breath a sigh of relief for the Trio, and let's hope this is a sign that good sense will prevail in the future also. Cheers to all of the fellow bloggers around the world who helped spread the word about the case.

Trio refuses bail

2005-03-13T19:43:00.000+03:00

"BahrainOnline is the people's Press"

The Public Prosecutor has offered the BahrainOnline detainees (Ali, Hussain and Mohammed) to be released on bail for BD1,000 (US$2,650) while the case against them continues. The Trio have however refused the offer because their freedom would still be at the mercy of the Public Prosecution, who could re-arrest them later at its will. Instead the Trio have demanded their release without any conditions, and have opted to remain in prison until then.

Therefore, the program of activities will continue as mentioned earlier. On Tuesday night there will be a seminar to discuss the arrests. On Wednesday night (I believe) there will be another protest in front of Hoora police station. And demonstrations will be held during Formula-1 weekend, and (I forgot to mention this before) during the Asian IT Ministers Summit, which will take place on the 21st and 22nd of March at the Exhibition Centre.

Below is a photo of the trio fom inside the Public Prosecution building this morning:

You can see the rest of the set on this thread.

And a few more pics from today's protest outside the Public Prosecution building:

This girl was too cute:

Protest from your living room

2005-03-13T01:42:00.000+03:00

Desert Island Boy shows us by example how to participate in the Free Ali campaign if you can't be physicially present at the protests. Read his post: The Revolution will be Broadcast from My Living Room.

Is there anyone else out there?

Court delays and rape

2005-03-13T00:17:00.000+03:00

Despite my many complaints about the GDN, I do commend it for giving giving a good amount of attention to the abuse of migrant workers on the island. A worrying article in last Wedensday's paper tells us:

Alleged rapists are escaping prosecution because Bahrain's legal system is too slow, say human rights workers. The newly-named Migrant Workers Protection Society (MWPS) has reported more than 20 cases of alleged rape and physical abuse of foreign housemaids to the police over the past two-and-a-half years, but says none has resulted in a conviction.

Of those, six are still pending in the courts having dragged on for up to a year-and-a-half.

But more than double that number of women have dropped cases because they got fed up and decided to go home, according to the MWPS.

In one case still underway, the defendant admitted in court last June beating Indian housemaid Anita Devi Verma, but has still not been sentenced. (Continued)

This is ridiculous. There have been several articles in the papers with huge boldprint headlines over the past year stating that the leadership has taken steps to speed up the courts. But it doesn't seem like anything has changed yet. These poor women get raped by their employers, and then further raped by the system.

Yet these ridiculous court delays are not restricted to just migrants. It also applies to Bahraini citizens, like Ahmed who has been sitting in prison for over 10 months now without trial or bail. ("No discrimination here!", I hear the authorities tell us).

When will things change?

Click here to read the entire GDN article

The following article was published in the GDN on 9-Mar-05:

Legal system 'is too slow'

By ROBERT SMITH

ALLEGED rapists are escaping prosecution be-cause Bahrain's legal system is too slow, say human rights workers. The newly-named Migrant Workers Protection Society (MWPS) has reported more than 20 cases of alleged rape and physical abuse of foreign housemaids to the police over the past two-and-a-half years, but says none has resulted in a conviction.

Of those, six are still pending in the courts having dragged on for up to a year-and-a-half.

But more than double that number of women have dropped cases because they got fed up and decided to go home, according to the MWPS.

In one case still underway, the defendant admitted in court last June beating Indian housemaid Anita Devi Verma, but has still not been sentenced.

The complaint was first filed in October 2003, 18 months ago.

The MWPS is now appealing for a lawyer to come forward and represent foreign workers in the Bahrain courts.

"We have had over 12 serious cases of alleged sexual and physical abuse where women have dropped the case and gone home," said MWPS acting vice-chairman Alfredo D'Souza. "In most cases, around three quarters, they did not even get a settlement from the sponsor or alleged offender and we had to provide them with plane tickets.

"There are a few other cases that we did not take to court, but were able to reach a compromise."

The MWPS, which was previously known as the Migrant Workers Group (MWG), now wants Bahrain's courts to fast-track cases of alleged rape and physical abuse brought by foreign housemaids.

It is also calling for domestic workers to finally be brought under the Labour Law.

"We will campaign for that," said Mr D'Souza.

"Under the current system they are considered as part of the family, which means they are subject to abuse by unscrupulous employers be-cause there is no deterrent."

However, the slow legal process is said to be one of the main reasons why women drop cases against alleged attackers.

In one instance, a Bangladeshi housemaid allegedly raped last November was asked to go for a DNA test in December.

The Public Prosecution told members of the MWPS last week that it was still waiting for the results.

In another, an Indonesian housemaid allegedly raped last July has never once been called to appear before the court - despite lodging a complaint with police at the time.

When she first made the complaint, Mr D'Souza said her alleged attacker offered to send her home, pay her salary in full and throw in an extra BD100 if she left the country.

Now he is demanding BD200 in exchange for handing over her passport because the case has gone on so long.

"While that is going on what do we do with these girls?" asked MWPS action committee head Marietta Dias.

Ms Dias said victims sometimes had to spend anywhere up to six hours in a police station when they first report an attack.

They are then directed to the Public Prosecution, which sends them for medical tests.

However, she said it may be three or four days before they are finally given a check-up by police doctors.

Volunteers say they cannot get information about cases without the sponsor's details, but have to provide their own translators so that women can make a statement.

They also face problems housing women who come forward with allegations of rape and abuse.

The MWPS is now renting a three-bedroom flat, which it has converted into a shelter for abused foreign women.

However, cases are often prolonged even further when alleged attackers make a counter-claim and accuse the maid of stealing something.

Any lawyer interested in representing foreign workers should contact Ms Dias on 39452470. In addition, anyone who wants to make a donation to the MWPS or get involved in its activities can reach her on the same number.

The movement rolls on

2005-03-12T13:12:00.000+03:00

The Public Prosecutor is due to announce tomorrow (Sunday) whether the detained BahrainOnline trio (Ali, Hussain, Mohammed) will be released, charged or detained for another 45 days for "further investigation". However, it seems like no one is expecting them to be released, and so a plan of action for the coming days has already been announced:

The Trio have announced that they will go on a hunger strike commencing from today. (!!!)
A demonstration will be held tomorrow (Sunday, Mar 13) in front of the Public Prosecution building at 4pm.
A seminar will be held on Tuesday (Mar 15) to discuss the violation of rights that the the BahrainOnline detentions present.
The continuation of protests in front of the Hoora police station, where the Trio are being held, and protests during the Formula-1 Grand Prix week, for which details are yet to be announced.

I don't think there will be any trouble at the protest tomorrow or at the seminar, but judging from past events I suspect that the riot police may be called in during the protests on Exhibition Ave and Formula 1. I just hope that none of the protesters do anything silly to provide an excuse for the police to use force. And I hope that the government will have enough sense to not escalate matters during F-1 weekend when all the international media will be right there.

Might there still be a wee chance that the Trio will be released tomorrow?

Intimidation nation

2005-03-10T21:47:00.000+03:00

(Yes, I know I stole the title from Desert Island Boy, but it was so appropriate, I had to use it)

If you're in a hurry and you want to go straight to the pics then click here.

Before the protest even began, 4 people were arrested. For what? No one knows. [Update: They were all released without charge on the same day] Half of Exhibition Avenue was blocked off by the police so that passers-by would not be able to see what's going on. The presiding officer demanded that the protest be called off but the organizers refused. So the goon patrol, all dressed up with helmets, shields and batons were dispatched to intimidate the crowd. There must have been 100 goons (with more waiting further back), and about 200 protesters at the time. The goons marched towards the protesters until they were face to face, with barely a metre between the two rows. The demonstrators were a bit intimidated at first, but then the organizers told everyone to sitdown quietly on the pavement, and they repeated over and over (and over, and over) again the importance of remaining peaceful. Because tensions were high, and on a couple of occasions a youth would lunge towards the goons only to be pulled back just in time by the fellow protesters. After a while, the organizers got together and decided to call off the protest. The end. It wasn't even 8:30pm when the protest was called off, and more demonstrators were arriving at the scene only to find out that they were too late.

I think the organizers played it very smart to call off the protest to avoid any conflict. One needs only to recall a couple of occasions during the Al-Khawaja affair when things got unnecessarily out of hand (1, 2). I'm quite relieved that there was no tear gas or rubber bullets this time. Asides from the obvious benefit of maintaining the peace, the move would also mean that the protesters would walk away with the moral upper-hand. It was announced that that protests will be held at the same place each week until the BahrainOnline trio are been released. The Public Prosecutor will announce this Sunday whether the three are to be charged, released, or detained for another 45 days for further "investigations". Hopefully they will be released, but none of the people I spoke with at the protest were expecting that decision.

But really, I wish I knew what the government is trying to achieve by intimidating the peaceful protest with hundreds of armed riot police. Bear in mind that there were several reporters on site, including one from Al-Jazeera TV with his cameraman. And the Formula 1 Grand Prix is just a few weeks away. Will the government do the same thing next week? What if the protesters decide not to move? And the Committee for Martyrs and Victims of Torture has already announced that they will be protesting in front of the F-1 site. How does the government plan in dealing with that? Arrest Al-Shayeb once again?

How long will this culture of intimidation continue? If the people are to be convinced that the democratic reforms are real and significant then public dissent must be tolerated, on the streets or on the Internet. Meanwhile, the prime minister announced just yesterday 'that democracy thrives on different viewpoints' and that 'clashes of opinion should never be an obstacle to progress' (as paraphrased by the GDN).

Right, I have a ton of pictures from the protest, so click here to see them all.

Here are the rest of the pictures from the protest:

Before the protest even began the chief cop (plain clothes, the one in the dishdasha) was demanding (quite fiercely) that the protest be called off:

But the protesters ignored him and started lining up:

As you can see, the normally PACKED Exhibition Avenue is empty because of the police blockade:

Here we see those ruthless and violent protesters that pose such a security threat that it requires riot police with helmets and batons to contain them.

Even the ladies:

So the cops are having none of it. Release the Goon Patrol!

The goons intimidate them, but the protesters sit down in their positions:

Despite their gooniness, when they stand together in a line, their uniforms and helmets and shields produce patterns that can be aesthetically interesting:

The organizers finally call off the protest and the standoff ends peacfully. Both parties step back:

A reporter from Al-Jazeera TV interviews a protester in the aftermath:

And of course, some kids:

Tonight

2005-03-10T14:45:00.000+03:00

Don't forget: tonight, 8pm, in front of Hoora Police station, on Exhibition Ave (map). Bring something coloured orange that you can wave around. And as Bahrania suggested, if you're concerned about your identity being revealed then wear a baseball cap and sunglasses... or if you feel creative then maybe dress up like this guy:

Also, Asharq Al-Awsat columnist Mona Eltahawy mentioned the BahrainOnline arrests, while speaking about blogging in the Arab world, at some conference that was broadcast on C-Span. Click this link to watch the video (real player), and skip to the 50th minute. She has some interesting observations (even though they may be obvious to those of us in the blogging business). (Via: From Cairo, With Love)

Forza Juve

2005-03-10T05:03:00.000+03:00

Juventus 2-0 Real Madrid

Will this be the lucky year?

Women are Kuwaiti too

2005-03-08T23:53:00.000+03:00

Photo source: Kuwait Unplugged

Well done to the 500 or so Kuwaiti women (and men) who showed up at their Parliament yesterday to demand their right to vote. Read the BBC's report or get the insider's view (with lots of pictures) from Kuwaiti bloggers Zaydoun and Ruby Khaja. Their photos are in several different posts, so find their entries dated March 7, 2005.

A happy International Women's Day to all the ladies. (Thanks to SBG for the heads up)

Free Ali: Protest on Thursday

2005-03-08T04:39:00.000+03:00

A demonstration will be held this Thursday evening (March 10) in support of the three detained BahrainOnline.org moderators Ali Abdulemam, Hussain Yousif and Mohammed Al-Mousawi. It will take place at 8pm in front of the Hoora police station (on Exhibition Avenue) where the three are being held.

Bahraini short

2005-03-08T04:01:00.000+03:00

I found a short film about poverty in Diraz on a thread of one of the local forums. It's made by someone named Abu'ali Al Motghawi To watch it download this file (9MB, Real Player file). The camerawork and editing is amateur, the music is annoying. It's only four minutes long of which the first two are a bit boring, but watch it through until the end. I have to say I found it quite moving.

I hope to see many more local films in the future.

Political aspects of Ashura

2005-03-07T14:32:00.000+03:00

I was planning on writing about the political aspects of Ashura in a separate post, but since the subject has been raised in the newspapers today, I'll do it now. The frontpage headline story of today's GDN reads:

LAWBREAKERS WARNED
MANAMA: Bahrain vowed yesterday to crack down on lawbreakers who threaten national unity.It will not tolerate sectarian acts, declared Interior Minister Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa. He briefed the Cabinet and also held an urgent meeting with National Assembly members over violations committed during Ashoora. [...] He said some people abused Ashoora to spread hate messages through chanting slogans and hanging posters, which called for division between community members. (Continued)

My initial response to this statement is that if the government is serious about cracking down on sectarianism, then it should start by ending its own sectarianist policies which fuels sectarianism throughout society.

But I'm not too sure what exactly brought on this statement by the government. I was in Manama during the Hussaini processions for five of the ten nights leading up to Ashura, but I did not encounter any of the "hate messages" that called for "division between community members". That doesn't mean that it did not contain any political messages though. The Committee for Martyrs and Victims of Torture and the Committee for the Unemployed both had separate stalls along the main procession route where they displayed videos and distributed information about their respective causes. The BCHR report about discrimination was apparently discussed in many of the matam lectures. I saw several posters pasted on the walls along the procession routes demanding the repeal of Royal Decree 56. And on Diraz roundabout were displayed portraits of some of the village's youths who were killed by the state "security" forces during the 1990s uprising:

Those portraits gave a contemporary tinge to the black flags hung nearby that had "Ya Shaheed" ("O martyrs") printed on them.

But I think it is important to point out that there has always been something very political about Ashura. The Tragedy of Karbala is itself a story of the righteous taking a stand against the oppressors, and the commemoration of Ashura is a form of protest against what happened. In an essay titled "Red Shi'ism vs Black Shi'ism", the Iranian sociologist (and progressive Islamist) Dr Ali Shariati writes in unambiguous terms:

Remember Ashura, to humiliate the ruling group who call themselves the inheritors of the traditions of the Prophet, for the remembrance of it will prove that they are the inheritors of the killers and murderers of the Prophet's family. It will show you a path of action, and provide an answer to the recurring question "What should be done?". It will help you to decide on the best agenda for the struggle against the rule of tyranny. It will avoid allegiance to cruelty. It will provide a pattern for the unbroken continuity of history. It will declare an unending struggle between the inheritors of Adam and the inheritors of the devil.

In Bahrain this has certainly been the case historically, with the Ashura processions being a sign of solidarity of the Shia against the ruling clan. Moreover, not only do the Hussaini processions contain an element of politics, but so to do political demonstrations in Bahrain borrow elements from the Hussaini processions. Sometimes azza music is played on the loudspeakers, and chants of "ma3kum ma3kum ya 3ulema" ("we are with you, o learned ones") are very common. Or even take for example this sign that was used in one of the demonstrations during the Al-Khawaja affair:

Maybe I'm reading too deep into this, but to me that sign bears a resemblance to the hand-shaped finial standards that are carried around in the Ashura processions:

Photo source: here

While certainly many of the demonstrators in Bahrain are religiously motivated, I think it is also the case that the form of the Ashura processions serve as a template for other types of demonstrations. For many people in Bahrain, the Ashura processions are the form of protest that they are most familiar with, which is why we see its traits elsewhere.

Bahrain is by no means the only place in the world where Ashura has taken on political connotations. One of the most interesting cases is in Trinidad which hosts a small Indian Shia community. It is reported that Ashura, known locally as "Hosay", has been commemorated in Trinidad since 1846. According to an article titled Muharram Rituals and the Carnivalesque (ISIM Review, July 1999, pg 38) by Gustav Thaiss

The Muharram rituals quickly became the main symbol of Indian nationalism in the face of British colonialism and of a sense of identity vis--vis Indian minority status in the Black Caribbean. Despite their differences, however, the Creoles, Indians and others joined together in the Hosay processions to protest various injustices, including the reduction of wages on the plantations and the concomitant increase in workload. It has even been said that the Hosay gave symbolic form to a growing working-class consciousness throughout the Caribbean. Such activities began to cause anxiety because of the allegedly increasing tendency to riotous behaviour. Throughout the 19th century, great alarm was expressed by British authorities and other colonists over the threat to public order of the Muharram rituals (as well as Carnival celebrations) culminating in the Hosay massacre of 1884 (referred to by the British as the 'Coolie Disturbances in Trinidad').

(Read the entire article, it is fascinating. For more about Hosay read this and this.) I'm sure you can draw some interesting parallels with Bahrain.

Alright, this post was going to have a conclusion but I'm lost. Maybe some of you readers (especially the Shia ones) could provide some better insight.

Rights record hailed!

2005-03-06T11:57:00.000+03:00

Regarding the session of the UN Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination that I mentioned before (1, 2), the GDN reports today:

Rights record hailed
The UN Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (UNCERD) hailed Bahrain's remarkable human rights success yesterday since the reform project of His Majesty King was launched - particularly the support of equality and elimination of racial discrimination. UNCERD lauded all data, information and statistics in respect of the international conventions and mechanisms of applying them. This came in a Press release on the participation of the Bahraini delegation headed by Labour Minister Dr Majeed Al Alawi to discuss the kingdom's sixth and seventh periodical reports in Geneva.

Although Bahrain did receive praise from the UNCERD, the GDN (i.e. Ministry of Information) forgets to report this from the mentioned Press release:

Despite the progress made by the Government of Bahrain, the country Rapporteur said it had much work to do to fully satisfy the implementation of the Convention, including reporting on cases of racial discrimination and providing concrete and detailed examples of any such cases. Mr. Boyd underscored the need for the State party to provide disaggregated data in its next periodic report. This, he said, would help clarify the nature of discrimination acts.

The biggest problem regarding racial discrimination in Bahrain is the continued refusal of the government to admit that just maybe it exists at some level. Instead we are told that it's all just a myth. The UNCERD Press release reports:

In closing, the head of the delegation of Bahrain [Labour Minister Dr Majeed Al Alawi] reaffirmed that all people were equal in human dignity and there was no discrimination on grounds of sex, origin, religion or belief. The Kingdom had taken several steps to disseminate and promote the principles of the Convention, as well as human rights principles in general. In short, since its independence in 1971, Bahrain has been pronouncing its rejection of racial discrimination in all of its forms.

It's embarassing that our government representatives can go around making such disingenious statements while the Ministries of Defence and Interior continue to discriminate openly as a matter of policy.

And I like this statement (slightly off topic, I know):

Concerning a question on the disbandment of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, the delegation said that the Bahraini authorities had called for the disbandment of this national organization following its threat to public order, and more specifically its threat to the Prime Minister.

Anyways, read the entire Press release and have a laugh.

And on a related note, read this post by Bahraini Rants.

Let them eat baklava

2005-03-05T01:58:00.000+03:00

It seems these days that there is no shortage of things to protest about. Take your pick: torture, discrimination, free speech, and as was the case today, unemployment. To be honest, I don't know enough about the campaign to be able to comment on it in detail. But I will say that it was a perfect day to have a protest... warm, but with a cool breeze, overcast but not dark. I would guestimate that there were at least 1,000 people there, if not more -- this was an issue that people are very concerned about.

They made use of a classic socialist symbol: bread. And there were many other people brandishing shovels and picks.

This was the first in a series of protests about unemployment. I think the next one will be in April. Anyways, some photos:

And there was even one Guevarist in the crowd:

More on the 'Free Ali' campaign

2005-03-03T17:55:00.000+03:00

Two new items for the 'Free Ali' campaign from the Bahrain blogging community:

A "Free Ali" blog has been created that is devoted solely for this cause. It's still in the works but it will soon have links to all the blog posts and media reports about the situation. The idea is that it will be the first place that people can visit to find out about Ali, rather than having to link to several different blogs. Please check it out and tell others.
DIB has drafted a letter that we encourage you to send to public officials around the world who have relations with the Bahraini government. It describes the situation of the detained BahrainOnline Trio, and also highlights the problems with the 2002 Press Law under which they are being charged. Please check out DIB's post and consider sending it to your representatives. (If you don't like attachments, then you can read the letter in your browser by clicking here.)

This letter below was drafted by Desert Island Boy. Please read DIB's post for further information.

To whom it may concern,

I would like to bring to your attention the matter of one Ali Abdulemam a citizen of the Kingdom of Bahrain. He is one of the moderators of an Internet forum Bahrainonline.org that is highly critical of the government.

When the Kingdom of Bahrain introduced constitutional reforms in 2002, it guaranteed the freedom of conscience and of expression. Bahrainis still believe that measure to have been taken in good faith and cherish the freedom to express their views whatever they may be.

On Sunday, February 27th, Ali Abdulemam was detained and held for question by Bahrain's Public Security forces. Along with two other moderators, Mohammed Al Mosawi and Hussein Yousif, they are being held at the Hoora Police Station for questioning with little to no access to family.

Please find the specific charges attached on the next page.
This case has brought the issue of free speech to the forefront. Many have not been aware of the extent that the 2002 Press Law goes in curtailing free speech.
Bahrainis believe that its citizens should be allowed to publish on paper or on the web any form of constructive criticism without fear of incarceration or authoritarian intimidation. This is especially true for a country that has been lauded by Western Governments for it's progressive reforms.
We ask that as a public official, you would express your displeasure to the Bahraini Government with Sections 70 through 72 of Bahrain's Press Law that could be used to eliminate any criticism of Bahrain's allies, legislature, judiciary, public officials or representatives of foreign nations. Sections 73 and 74 assign full responsibility on any editor or website moderator for any comments that could possibly violate the previously mentioned articles. The net effect is that it forces citizens to become the censors that the government no longer wishes to be seen as. And finally section 75, which specifically targets the use of electronic media to express ones conscience. These articles are draconian and do not belong in a society that claims progress in participatory politics.

We ask that you would advise the Government of Bahrain to not criminalize legitimate debate and dissent. The matters addressed could very well be handled in civil proceedings as they are in other free nations.

Specific to Abdulemam, Mosawi and Yousif, we ask that you advise the Bahraini Government to recognize the poor publicity the incident has elicited and that it reconsider the prosecution of these cases. We ask that you advise them that a fair and evenhanded judiciary could enhance its profile in international relations, should they opt to go to trial. We ask that they display their ability to handle criticism no matter how aggressive it may be, rather than what might be perceived as repression and intolerance.

We thank you for looking into the matter and for helping speed the advance of progress and democracy in the Middle East.

//Page 2:

*For lack of a technical translation, I have used secondary paraphrased sources*

Ali Abdulemam has been charged with the following crimes.
1. Section: 165 (Incitement of Hatred towards the Regime)
Charge: From the Law of Penalties
Punishment: 3 years in jail.

2. Section: 214 (Defaming the Royal Entity)
Charge: From the Law of Penalties
Punishment: 3 years in jail.
3. Charge: Spreading News with intent to Destabilize National Security

4. Section violated: 75 (Using a Telecomm Network to Offend Public Policy)
Charge: From the Telecommunication Law
Punishment: 6 months in jail.

5. Section violated: 68 (Criticism of the King and/or inciting the commission of felonies and/or the overthrow of the regime)
Charge: from Press Law (Law #47, issued 2000)
Punishment: 6 months in jail.
Mohamed Mosawi and Hussein Yousif are in detention undergoing interrogation at the moment. Reportedly they are being pressured to close down their site and wipe out its databases.

Wider plot?

2005-03-02T23:58:00.000+03:00

There seems to be alot going on the island right now. Apparently, Abdulraouf Al-Shayeb, the official spokesperson for "The National Committee for Martyrs & Victims of Torture" was sentenced in absentia to 2 months jail or a fine of BD300 on the 27th of Feb. His crime is entering the home of an Indonesian maid without permission. He is currently abroad campaigning for human rights in London and Geneva. Bear in mind that there is only month to go before the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Bahrain. A few days before last year's Grand Prix he was arrested for the crime that he has now been sentenced with. Everyone speculated that the real reason was because the Torture Committee was planning to hold demonstrations near the F1 track. This year round, once again, Al-Shayeb has planned demonstrations during F1 weekend. He'll be returning to Bahrain soon (I'm not sure when exactly).

Elsewhere it's being reported that at 10.30pm this evening, three individuals distributing announcements about this Friday's planned protest about unemployment have been taken to Police Headquarters in Isa Town. I don't any details about this yet but everyone's taking about it. [Update: These three were released after a few hours]

What is going on?

More about the charges

2005-03-02T11:50:00.000+03:00

Homer has done some research into the charges that the BahrainOnline gang are facing. Go and read his post.

I was just thinking... the government's beloved Formula 1 Race will be taking place in just a month's time. What were they thinking when they decided to make these arrests? Were they hoping that they'd be able to wrap up the case before the race? With all the international media that will be in town, the Grand Prix will be the perfect place to hold demonstrations. I imagine that Shaikh Fawaz and others aren't too pleased with this crisis being created so close to the time of the race.

Free Ali: Protest #2

2005-03-01T17:47:00.000+03:00

As stated this morning, the second demonstration in support of the three detained BahrainOnline.org moderators was held this afternoon outside the Public Prosecution building. Again, because it was announced so late (this morning), and it was a weekday, the numbers were the same as yesterday's demonstration: about 50 people. But they did have plenty of signs today.

Neither Ali's brother nor Ali's wife have been given permission to see him so far today. At the time of the protest Ali, Hussain and Mohammed were being interrogated inside the Prosecution building.

At a meeting last night it was decided that a committee to support the three detainees would be set up, and a meeting is planned for tonight to select its leaders. They're planning on continuing this series of demonstrations outside the Public Prosecutor's office, and possibly also hold a demonstration in the Seef area in the evening.

As you can tell from the signs being held in the photos, people are very pissed off at the Public Prosecutor, and rightly so in my opinion. And this isn't the first time that anyone has demonstrated against him: just last month three civil groups protested outside the building demanding his resignation over several stupid government prosecutions, including that of Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja. The detention of the BahrainOnline gang has only invigorated the calls for his removal. If at the end of this crisis some heads don't roll high up in the government, I will be very disappointed to say the least.

Click here a few more photos

"Free Ali" sidebar button

2005-03-01T14:49:00.000+03:00

If you don't want to use the "Free Ali" banner at the top of this page, then alternatively here is a button you can place in your sidebar:

To use it on your site, copy and paste the HTML code below:

<a href="http://committeetoprotectbloggers.blogspot.com/"> <img src="http://img77.exs.cx/img77/8930/freealibtn325pf.png" alt="Free Ali" border="0" height="67" width="180" /></a>

Demonstration today

2005-03-01T11:31:00.000+03:00

There will be another demonstration in support of the detained BahrainOnline moderators today (Tuesday) at 3:30pm outside the Public Prosecutor's office in the Diplomatic Area.

To see photos from yesterday's protest, click here.

Free Ali, and Hussain, and Mohammed

2005-03-01T01:12:00.000+03:00

Bahrania has already posted the details about this, but just to make sure that everone visiting here is up to speed: as of this posting there are now a total of three moderators of BahrainOnline.org who are being held in Hoora prison. They are Ali Abdulemam (who also has his own blog), Hussain Yousif, and Mohammed Al Mousawi. Free them all.

Also, this story has been getting some much needed international attention. To name a few:

Reuters: Bahrain arrests man over critical Web site
Reporters without Borders: Online forum moderator arrested
Committee to Protect Bloggers (CPB): Bahraini Blogger Detained

Curt Hopkins, the Director of the CPB will also be speaking about the situation on BBC Radio 5 tonight. Many thanks to our fellow bloggers around the world, and especially Curt, for getting the story out.

-------

Update: Curt Hopkins, of the CPB will be speaking about Ali's case on BBC Radio Five at about 2:45am GMT (5:45am Bahrain time). Listen to it live online.

Also, Jeff Jarvis of BuzzMachine.com reported the story on MSNBC earlier tonight.

-------

Update: To listen to Curt speaking about Ali's case on BBC Radio 5, click here and then skip to the audio feed to ~~4:45:00~~ 1:45:00 (plus or minus a few minutes)

Free Ali

2005-02-28T18:12:00.000+03:00

Here are some of my photos from the demonstration in support of jailed blogger Ali Abdulemam that took place this afternoon in front of the Public Prosecutor's office:

As you can see, the turnout was small (50 people max) and there weren't many signs (but everyone had tape sealing their mouths shut). But obviously that's because it was only announced last night, and today is a weekday. I'm sure we can expect far bigger numbers at any future demonstration.

I got to speak to Ali's brother and he said that he's being held at Hoora prison right now. He said that he visited Ali in the morning/afternoon and that he's still in good spirits and smiling (just as he was last night when he was being taken to Hoora prison). And contrary to the reports published in the local papers this morning, he stated categorically that Ali has NOT accepted the charges. There's going to be a meeting tonight to decide the plan of action for the future.

And the latest news from Bahrania: 19 year-old Mohammed Almosawi, a second moderator of BahrainOnline.org, has been summoned to the Public Prosecutor's office for questioning tomorrow morning.

Even though most of us Bahraini bloggers don't have very anti-government material on our sites, this case does affect us all. (i) Even though I don't hate the government outright, I would like to reserve my right to criticize it when and if I feel the need to. (ii) Most of our blogs allow anonymous people to leave whatever comments they want on our sites. I don't want to be held accountable for each and every comment left on my blog because I might not have the time check each one. (iii) I have not yet seen any Bahraini laws regarding electronic media. Ali has been charged with violating the Press Law, but wasn't it scrapped or under revision or something? What is the Press Law?

So unless the government can prove that Ali made a statement inciting violence against others, I will fully support the demand for his immediate release.

Here we go again?

2005-02-28T01:27:00.001+03:00

This is totally unconfirmed, but a message has been posted on Montadayat.org claiming that Ali Abdulemam is going to be detained for a further 15 days. Apparently, he is being accused of violating the Press Law, spreading lies and provoking hatred towards the government. The forum message is also announcing a protest tomorrow (Monday 28th) in front of the Public Prosecutor's office at 3pm.

Will this be the birth of another goverment created superstar?

-------

Update (11:30am): Just wanted to confirm the statement above that Ali is being held in custody for upto 15 days. He is reportedly facing 5 specific charges:

Defaming the royalty
Inciting hatred towards the regime
Publishing news to destabilize security ("تزعزع الأمن")
Violating the Press Laws
Violating the Communication Laws

Does anyone know where I can get a copy of the Press and Communication Laws?

And it seems that Ali is well on his way to superstardom. Check out these banners that are going around:

And click here to see some photos of Ali being taken somewhere in a police jeep last night.

Bahraini blogger detained

2005-02-27T21:18:00.000+03:00

If you haven't read about it on Bahrania's blog yet, fellow Bahraini blogger Ali Abdulemam has reportedly been detained by Bahrain authorities. Although he doesn't blog too much but he does run BahrainOnline.org which is one of the most popular online forums in Bahrain. Batelco has been blocking the site for quite a while, but you can get there via this proxified link (thanks for the tip Strav). Anyways, go and read Bahrania's post which contains a translation of the statement issued by BahrainOnline.org

If any you readers have any more info about the situation then please leave a comment or email me.

Warning!

2005-02-26T16:25:00.000+03:00

Click on the photo to enlarge it. I found the notice on a wall in a residential area of the Manama suq. It worries me for two reasons: (i) that the residents are threatening vigilantism (which they've acted on in the past several times), and (ii) that the Indian and Pakistani mafias (which have their Bahraini patrons) continue to operate their prostitution and bootleg alcohol businesses on the island.

Olivier Roy

2005-02-26T04:13:00.000+03:00

The spring issue of the ISIM Review is out, featuring another great article by Prof. Olivier Roy. I never cease to be impressed by Roy's captivating and concise writing style... it's such a relief from the boring writing style of most other academics. Even when I disagree with (or don't care about) what he's saying, I love reading his stuff because it is so well written.

Anyways, this latest article talks about Muslims in Europe. Here is an excerpt:

The quest for authenticity [among some European Muslims] is no longer a quest to maintain a pristine identity, but to go back to and beyond this pristine identity through a non-historical, abstract, and imagined model of Islam. It is not an issue of nostalgia for a given country, for one’s youth or for family roots. In this sense, “westernization” means something other than becoming Western, hence the ambivalent attitude towards it. But such behaviours do not necessarily lead to violence, although they provide a fertile ground. There are two elements that could explain the violence. The first issue is that such radicals are not linked to any real community. Their community is not rooted in a given society or culture, and hence has to be reconstructed and experienced as an act of faith. They refer to a virtual ummah (community of believers) whose existence relies on their behaviour and deeds. The obsession about blasphemy and apostasy goes along with the vanishing of the social authority of Islam. The “dreamed” community becomes a “nightmared” one. The issue of boundary” comes to the fore. By slaughtering a “blasphemer” Mohammed B. [Theo Van Gogh's alleged killer] literally inscribed the boundary on his victim’s throat. Do not trespass.

If we examine patterns of other terrorists we can observe a different and more political approach: their targets are the same as the traditional targets of the Western ultra-left of the seventies (US imperialism), and not Christianity as such. Even if they achieved a level of mass murder unknown to their predecessors, they still followed the path opened by Baader Meinhof, the Red Brigades, and Carlos. The proponents of the “clash of civilizations” should look at the footages of the hostage takings in Iraq: the “trial” of a blind-folded hostage under the banner of a radical organization, the “confession” of the hostage, followed by his execution, are literally borrowed from the staging technique of the Italian Red Brigades when they captured and killed the former Prime minister Aldo Moro in 1978.

You can read the rest of the article by downloading this pdf file (86KB), or you can browse other articles from thise issue by clicking here. Oh, and if you're interested in the topic, don't forget to order a copy of Roy's recently published "Globalized Islam: The Search For A New Ummah" (which is a follow up to his 1994 book "The Failure of Political Islam").

By the way, did any of you get to attend the Gilles Kepel lecture that took place here a couple weeks ago?

The Boghole

2005-02-25T21:12:00.000+03:00

For those of you readers who aren't from the Middle East or Asia, here is a chance to learn about one of the most private aspects of our lives in this part of the world. At the end of one of Muscati's recent posts he has included a photo of a toilet cubicle of a newly remodeled building that he visited in Muscat. But there is no commode in sight... just a hole in the ground: "the Boghole", as coined by Bahrania:

To learn a bit more about this contraption read the comments section of Muscati's post. It's such a fascinating topic, I encourage others with experience to leave a comment there also with their insight. (According to DIB, its real name is a "Turkish toilet").

The discrimination report

2005-02-25T00:16:00.000+03:00

A few weeks ago I had a post about the shadow report being sent to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination by the Bahrain Center for Human Rights. At the time I only had a GDN article to rely on, but I did eventually manage to get a copy of the full report (I asked nicely). I've been asked not to publish the report in its entirety as they want it to be officially unveiled at the Committee session in Geneva next month. But I thought I'd give you my reaction to it.

Although the introduction gives an overview of many types of discriminatory practices in Bahrain (including discrimination against women and expats), the bulk of the report is concerned with the specific issue of discrimination against the Shia by the government and the royal family. Among the points discussed in the report are:

the discrimination against the Shia in high-ranking public offices (in which there is an over-representation of Al Khalifa members), and in certain ministries altogether
the extrajudicial naturalization of foreign tribal Sunnis
the denial of permits for Shia places of worship
that Shia beliefs are not included in government school Islam classes
that Shias are denied housing permits for Riffa
that the the UN Convention on the Elimination Racial Discriminationant (that Bahrain has ratified) can not be invoked in the courts
that the government has not started any public information campaigns about ending racial discrimination, as required by the Convention

As I said in my earlier post, I strongly agree that these government practices must be brought to an end now, and there is a need to speak in an honest and open manner about it. Unlike most other forms of discrimination here, the government's discrimination against the Shia is institutionalized. For generations, it has been government policy to deny jobs to Shias in the ministries of defence and interior, but somehow it's no biggy.

I am disappointed however that the report does not discuss at length the discrimination against migrant workers here. This is obviously a very serious problem for large section of the resident population. It is extremely worrying that there have been calls from the public to get rid of all migrant workers from Manama, or threats to burn down a labour camp in Sitra. The report should have taken note of this distressing recent trend among the public, and the need for measures to counter it.

Regarding the presentation of the report, I have two suggestions on how it could be improved. First, I think it needs more footnotes than there are in the current version. There are many assertions made in the report that you or I, living in Bahrain, know about first hand, but that a UN representative in Geneva would need detailed evidence about.

Also most of the research carried out by the BCHR for this report was of a statistical nature: i.e. 'The Ministry of Interior contains X% Sunni employees and X% Shia employees.' In my opinion, the arguments could have been greatly strengthened by provding some case studies of specifical individuals, places, and events that are testament to racial discrimination here. It could have included some quotes by some Bahrainis about their lives, or they could have written about the ridiculous disparity between certain Shia and Sunni areas (maybe even including some photos). In general, I felt the report does not contain enough names, places and dates.

But I should let you know that I received the report over two weeks ago, so they have probably made changes to it since. In any case, I commend the BCHR for raising these important, but rarely discussed issues. And I hope the government takes the report seriously when it is presented.

Checking self-interests

2005-02-24T19:01:00.000+03:00

So fellow blogger (and visiting professor) Scott Waalkes gave a lecture on Tuesday night titled "The Political Economy of US Trade Policy: Lessons for Bahrain". The GDN covered the lecture in their business pages, but as Scott laments in his "semi-official journal" (there's no permalink to the post, so find the one dated Feb 23, 2005), the GDN didn't fully convey what his lecture was about. He tells about his discussion with the GDN reporter:

"Can you put this in simple language for the common man?" the reporter asked.

"Bahrain should build institutions to keep self-interests in check," I said.

"Can you explain what that means for Bahrain? What kind of institutions?" said the reporter.

"OK, two main things. First, representative government, where many different interests could be represented."

"Oh, I don't think we can say that in the newspaper."

Of course, the GDN report didn't mention anything about representative government, but it did retain the very ambiguous statement: "Bahrain... should develop institutions that can limit the damage of self-interests". The report also claims that Scott said "Businesses should therefore shift from being inefficient to efficient"; a completely meaningless statement that was probably put in to make up for all the stuff that they weren't allowed to print. You can read the full GDN article here.

I know that we bloggers are always complaining about the GDN and the local press in general. And I know that some of you readers know much more than I do about editorial self-censorship in the local press. I understand that not only do they have the government breathing down their necks, but also the general public, as has been made apparent by the recent Samira Rajab controversy.

But something's got to give. The Press is exactly one of those "institutions to keep self-interests in check". And until it doesn't allow itself to check self-interests with more honesty, we aren't going to get anywhere.

Happy Birthday Mahmood!

2005-02-24T16:58:00.000+03:00

So apparently, it's Mahmood's birthday today. It seems that M.tv is currently down, while Mahmood is at some bloody Nordic skiing competition in Germany... so I thought I'd wish him a Happy Birthday from here... Happy Birthday Mahmood!

Now get back here and reset your server! ... I'm sure that some of the M.tv regulars are suffering from withdrawal symptoms already.

Version 2.0

2005-02-23T14:16:00.000+03:00

As you can tell, Chan'ad Bahraini has undergone a change of skin. There may still be a few problems, so please let me know if something is broken by either leaving a comment here, or e-mail me on chanad@gmail.com. Cheers.

Free Mojtaba and Arash

2005-02-22T02:32:00.000+03:00

We interrupt regular programming to bring you this...

The good folks at the 'Committee to Protect Bloggers' (that I talked about last month) have scheduled today as Free Mojtaba and Arash Day. Arash Sigarchi and Mojtaba Saminejad are two Iranian bloggers who are currently in prison because of their blogs. The CPB encourages bloggers around the world to do the following:

Dedicate your blog for the entire day to Mojtaba and Arash. Write only about their situation, and the danger to bloggers in general, or leave your blog blank with just the demand, “Free Mojtaba and Arash!” on it. This is the major action. If you do nothing else, do this. Let there be a pause in the daily business of the blogosphere in the name of freedom.
Download one of our banners (or here) or buttons and post it on your page.
Sponsor get-togethers, in cyberspace or in real space.
Write letters and emails to representatives of the Iranian government. (and here) and to representatives of your own. Request that Arash be freed and Mojtaba’s charages be dismissed. [Mojtaba was arrested again after this was posted]
Call local and national press. Let them know what is happening.
If you’re feeling particular ambitious, take your message outside. Make a sign, be seen, deliver letters in person to representatives of the Iranian government or to your own.

If you are in Bahrain, the contact info for the Iranian Embassy here is:

Tel: 00 973 722101
Fax: 00 973 722400
Address: Ent.1034-Villa No.1&2, Road 3221, Area 332, Mahooz, Manama
E-mail: iranemb@batelco.com.bh

So register your complaints there. If you do not live in Bahrain then find the contact info of the Iranian Embassy in your country from this site. It would be better if you would write your own letter, but if you don't have the time, then here is one that you can copy and paste into an e-mail, and send to the concerned persons (I adapted it from the CPB's letter):

Dear Sir or Madam,

The state of Iran currently has two men, Arash Sigarchi and Mojtaba Saminejad, in prison. I respectfully request that you release both men. Their imprisonment is contrary to Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I hasten to remind you, Iran was one of the 58 United Nations Member States who voted to ratify this document. I also request that you make public the information regarding the charges being brought against Mr. Sigarchi and Mr. Saminejad, and by whom they will be defended in court.

Sincerely, _____________

In addition to your local Iranian Embassy, I suggest that you also CC the e-mail to:

President, His Excellency Hojjatoleslam Sayed Mohammad Khatami
Head of Judiciary, His Excellency Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahrudi, via the Public Relations Department and the Relations Director of the Iranian Ministry of Justice
Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr. Mohammad Javad Zarif

... Regular transmission will continue tomorrow

Azza in Bahrain: then and now

2005-02-20T23:54:00.000+03:00

That was then:

and this is now (well, yesterday actually):

I found the old photo at the top at the shaheedbh.com forum, along with two more old photos of ashura processions in Bahrain:

The photos don't have a date or location... can any of you make a guess as to when or where they might have been taken?

Also, do check out some similar old azza photos at Global Soul's blog here and here.

Karbala in image

2005-02-19T12:06:00.000+03:00

This year has been the most visible and "in-your-face" Muharram in Bahrain that I can remember. It seems that all the villages and all the matams are competing with each other by putting up the most black flags or banners, or displaying the most elaborate artwork. Although it can look sloppy when the flags or banners are carelessly put up everywhere, it seems that Ashura inspires a great deal of creativity in Bahrain. In that respect, I think the top prize has to be given to Diraz village for outdoing the rest by building this beautiful model:

A replica of the dome and minarets of Imam Hussain's mausoleum has been used as a backdrop for the scene from the Tragedy of Karbala when Zuljenah, the Imam's horse, returned to the camp of the Household, pierced by arrows and stained with blood.

Diraz also provided this beautiful painted banner:

There are tons more excellent models and artworks in the main procession area in Manama, but I didn't get a chance to take photos of them (except for the painting at the top of this post)... I'll try finding some links to pictures online.

Anyways, some other random photos of Ashura decorations around Bahrain. Continuing with Diraz:

The entrance to Bani Jamra:

A matam in Karranah village:

And another matam in Karranah:

A replica of Imam Hussain's tomb in Karzakan village (or maybe Dumistan village... I forget):

Karbala in verse

2005-02-16T14:19:00.000+03:00

Were it not for our terrorist co-religionists, I'm sure that by now Hollywood would have picked up on the story of Karbala and made a movie about it. "The Passion of Hussain" it might have been called. In my opinion, a screen rendering of the tragedy of Karbala has the potential to be far more emotional and moving (and bloody) than Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ". And it contains similar elements of an infinitely righteous protagonist who sacrifices his life for the sake of Humanity.

Even though there may not have yet been any movies made about it, the story of Karbala has for centuries inspired a great deal of poetry and literature throughout the Muslim world. The tradition that I am most familiar with is that of Urdu poetry, and to a lesser extent, poetry in other South Asian languages: Punjabi, Sindhi, Persian. If you're interested, you should read these two short papers on the subject: "Karbala and the Imam Husayn in Persian and Indo-Muslim literature" by the late Prof Annemarie Schimmel, and "Recasting Karbala in the Genre of Urdu Marsiya" by Syed Akbar Hyder. You should definitely read Schimmel's translation and explanation of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai's "Sur Kedaro" in her paper.

Here, I'm just going to share with you some random verses about Karbala that I am familiar with. But let me start off by sharing a pair of Urdu couplets that I saw on banners hanging right here in Bahrain, near the entrance to Bani Jamra last June (pictured above). I was a quite surprised because I've never seen any Urdu signs in Bahrain before. But anyhow, this was the first couplet:

By God, they are doing virtuous deeds
Those who give consideration to the grief of Hussain

And the second one:

The murder of Hussain is actually the death of Yazid
Islam becomes alive after each Karbala

Hmm... interesting, but by no means the most moving poetry I've read.

One of the most frequently heard poems about Hussain in South Asian Muslim culture is that of the 12th century Indian mystic Moinuddin Chishti. He wrote in Persian:

شاه هست حسین بادشاه هست حسین
دین ﻫست حسین دین پناه هست حسین
سر داد نه داد دست در دست یزید
حقا که بناے لا إلاه است حسین

Translated into English:

Hussain is the Master, Hussain is the King,
Hussain is Faith, Hussain is Refuge for the Faith,
He gave his head but not his hand in Yazid's hand,
Verily Hussain is the foundation of La'Ilah.

To be honest I'm not sure why that poem is so often quoted. Once again, it's nice but it certainly is not as moving as some others.

For something more emotive, definitely read something by Mir Babar Ali Anis, a 19th century Indian poet who perfected the Urdu marsiya (elegy, usually about Hussain) form. Here is an excerpt from Anis's epic marsiya "The Battle of Karbala":

Intoning martial verses, Ali's scion
Advanced with Gabriel's hand upon his shoulder.
Onward he advanced a male lion,
With sleeves rolled up; each step he took grew holder
The bride of battle was in splendour wreathed;
Husain's intrepid sword was now unsheathed.

The flaming sword was wrenched out of its cover,
As moonbeams fly, as perfume leaves the rose,
As a comely maiden taken from her lover,
As breath departs the breast, as red blood flows.
When thunder roared and all the air did swell,
Laila swooned and from her litter fell.

The famous Indian Muslim poet-philosopher Mohammed Iqbal also devoted a section in his Persian language Rumuz-e-Bekhudi ("The Mysteries of Selflessness") to the Tragedy. In this, Iqbal attempts to go beyond the usual story-telling and, in typical Iqbal manner, tries figure out what significance it has for Muslims in the current-day context. Read it here: Concerning Muslim freedom, and the secret of the Tragedy of Karbala.

For me though, I've found some of the most heart-stirring verses about Karbala in Qawwali music, a form of Sufi devotional music developed South Asia. In one of the verses of a qawwali marsiya performed by the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Imam Hussain's physical beheading is translated into the Sufi concept of Self-annihilation by "chopping off your Ego". Here is my measly attempt at translating the verse from Urdu (obviously, it sounds much better in its original language):

if you are in search of the (Divine) Sight, lower your head during prayer
distance your Self from your heart, erase your Self during prayer
then will the Spirit of God become visible to you during prayer
but first, like Hussain, become beHeaded during prayer
and say "Ya Hussain, Ya Hussain"

Some other interesting words can be found in the Sabri Brothers' qawwali song "Saqia aur pila" ("Cupbearer, bring me more"), which also uses a similar likening of Hussain's physical beheading with spiritual beheading. The song is based on the common Sufi motif of wine and the drunkard; in which wine symbolizes Divine Light. It's a dialogue between the cupbearer and the drunkard, and part way through the cupbearer asks which wine to serve. Again, my very poor translation from Urdu:

A voice arose [that of the cupbearer]: "Which wine shall you drink in your court?
The wine that Mansoor¹ drank when he crucified himself? Will you drink that?"
He [the drunkard] replied "No"

"The one that Tabriz² drank when he flayed himself? Will you drink that?'
He replied "Not this either"

"The one that Sarmad³ drank when he beheaded himself? Will you drink that?"
He replied "Not this either"

"The one that Jesus drank when he awoke the dead? Will you drink that?"
He replied "Not this either"

"The one that Moses drank when he displayed his greatness atop Mount Sinai? Will you drink that?"
He replied "Not this either"

"The one that Job drank when he plundered the riches of patience? Will you drink that?"
He replied "Not this either"
"Then which one?"

He replies: "The wine that was consumed at Karbala!"

At this point the song moves away from the dialogue, and begins to narrate the Tragedy:

the wine that was consumed at Karbala
the wine that was given to Ibn-e-Haidar [i.e. Hussain]

the wine that Zahra's beloved [i.e. Hussain ] drank
after which he gave up his life for the sake of the Master

wounds on his sides, the blood was flowing
the shadow of the Creator on his head

for three days Hussain was without water
despite being the Prophet's grandson

why ask for water from the enemies
when a Luminous Wine was kept right there?

after drinking one cup of "La ilaha"⁴
in the passion of Love he beheaded himself!

Notes:

¹ "Mansoor" here refers to the 9th century Persian mystic Hussain ibn Mansoor al-Hallaj. He is famous for being crucified because of his unorthodox beliefs.

² "Tabriz" here refers to Shams Tabriz, the spiritual guide of the mystic poet Jalaluddin Rumi. According to popular legend, he was flayed alive because of his unorthodox beliefs.

³ "Sarmad" refers to Mohammed Said Sarmad, an Indo-Armenian mystic poet who was beheaded for his unorthodox beliefs by the Moghul emperor Aurangzeb.

⁴ "La ilaha" is used as an abbreviation for the phrase "There is no deity except God".

Kangaroo courts

2005-02-16T01:16:00.000+03:00

What the hell is going on in Bahrain? From the GDN:

A Bahraini policeman has been convicted of having sex with his under-age sister-in-law. He denied the charge, but was convicted and sentenced to six months in jail, to be suspended if he pays a BD200 fine. The 17-year-old Iraqi girl alleged that he raped her twice after she invited him into her home while she was alone, the Lower Criminal Court heard. (Continued)

Compare the above punishments with those of another case reported in today's GDN:

A 20-year-old Bahraini man has been sentenced to six months in jail, suspended for three years, for possessing and using cannabis. He was also fined BD500, after being convicted at the Lower Criminal Court. (Continued)

I'm outraged, but sadly I'm not particularly surprised, for there have been plenty of similar ridiculous court rulings in the past few years. All the more reason to support the call to overhaul the judiciary. Hope and pray that you never have to face any of our judges.

And don't forget: Ahmed and others are still sitting in prison without trial.

Hussaini processions commence

2005-02-13T17:36:00.000+03:00

Contrary to my post three days ago, the Hussaini processions didn't actually begin until last night. I tried taking some photos yesterday but they're not very good. My camera's flash is terrible so I don't bother with it, which is why there's always motion blur. And I don't have much zoom, which is quite necessary if I don't want to be all up in everyone's face. (And needless to say, I'm not as good a photographer as I'd like to be). I'm sure you'll be able to find many other better photos online if you scour the main montadayats. Al-imam.net has got a nice little archive of photos and video clips of the past two nights as well as from previous events.

And by the way, I've created a separate page where I will keep adding links to my posts about Ashura. You can get there by clicking here, or by using the link in the "Musalsalat" section of my sidebar on the right.

I'll try writing about the processions later, but for the meanwhile here are my photos:

Click here to see the rest of this post

Muharram 1426 (2005)

2005-02-13T11:15:00.000+03:00

I will collect all the links to my posts related to Muharram 1426/2005 in this post. You can get here either using this permalink, or by the link in the "Musalsalat" section of my sidebar on the right.

Here are the posts:

22-Mar-05: Backlog: Ashura day in Diraz
And here are my last set of photos from Ashura this year (at last). These were taken on the day of Ashura. I wasn't able to go to Manama for the processions in the morning so I took some photos of the events in Diraz later in the afternoon.

21-Mar-05: Backlog: Photos of Ashura night
I've got a whole bunch more photos from Ashura that I still haven't yet posted. I was hoping to write a bit of commentary about Ashura in Bahrain, but I just haven't got round to it. So before my backlog gets any longer I'll share the photos now.

07-Mar-05: Political aspects of Ashura
But I think it is important to point out that there has always been something very political about Ashura. The Tragedy of Karbala is itself a story of the righteous taking a stand against the oppressors, and the commemoration of Ashura is a form of protest against what happened. In an essay titled "Red Shi'ism vs Black Shi'ism", the Iranian sociologist (and progressive Islamist) Dr Ali Shariati writes in unambiguous terms

20-Feb-05: Azza in Bahrain: then and now
I found the old photo at the top at the shaheedbh.com forum, along with two more old photos of ashura processions in Bahrain... The photos don't have a date or location... can any of you make a guess as to when or where they might have been taken?

19-Feb-05: Karbala in image
This year has been the most visible and "in-your-face" Muharram in Bahrain that I can remember. It seems that all the villages and all the matams are competing with each other by putting up the most black flags or banners, or displaying the most elaborate artwork.

16-Feb-05: Karbala in verse
Were it not for our terrorist co-religionists, I'm sure that by now Hollywood would have picked up on the story of Karbala and made a movie about it. "The Passion of Hussain" it might have been called. In my opinion, a screen rendering of the tragedy of Karbala has the potential to be far more emotional and moving (and bloody) than Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ".

13-Feb-05: Hussaini processions commence
Contrary to my post three days ago, the Hussaini processions didn't actually begin until last night. I tried taking some photos yesterday but they're not very good. My camera's flash is terrible so I don't bother with it, which is why there's always motion blur. And I don't have much zoom, which is quite necessary if I don't want to be all up in everyone's face.

12-Feb-05: Karbala workshop
I think I was about 5 or 6 years old when I first heard the story of Karbala. My dad's car needed something fixed so he took me with him to one of the garages on Budaiya Highway near Al-Qadam (there's a whole row of them). While the car was being fixed me and my dad stepped outside, and after a while he pointed to the signboard of a neighbouring garage (pictured above) and asked me if I knew what "Karbala" means.

10-Feb-05: Still waiting
All set and waiting for the first of the Muharram processions tonight.

7-Feb-05: Awaiting Muharram
The black banners and flags have been put up... and the spiderman t-shirts are being outnumbered by "Ya Hussain" t-shirts in the shop window displays.

Karbala workshop

2005-02-12T11:34:00.000+03:00

I think I was about 5 or 6 years old when I first heard the story of Karbala. My dad's car needed something fixed so he took me with him to one of the garages on Budaiya Highway near Al-Qadam (there's a whole row of them). While the car was being fixed me and my dad stepped outside, and after a while he pointed to the signboard of a neighbouring garage (pictured above) and asked me if I knew what "Karbala" means. I said I didn't, so he proceeded to tell me.

He gave me the abridged version: The Prophet's grandson went to face the army of the evil Yazid in the battlefield of Karbala, on the bank of the Euphrates. There Imam Hussain and his companions were denied water, and then mercilessly massacred. I remember him telling me something about Abbas and Sakeena (Sukaina) but I can't remember what exactly. My father delivered the story to me in a few minutes and that was it. That was all I was told about Karbala by anyone for maybe 10 years. In all of my useless Islam classes, or books about Islam that my parents gave me, I don't think I ever heard the word Karbala being mentioned. There was praise for Imam Hussain and "Bibi" Fatima, but nothing about what happened at Karbala.

During my childhood though I do recall my father frequently getting into discussions about Karbala with his friends and elder family members. It seems that their generation knew much more about it than my generation. While I was at college I also noticed that Urdu literature and music before the 80s was filled with references to Karbala, written and enjoyed by Shias and Sunnis alike. And about a year ago while discussing the recent Shia-Sunni violence in Pakistan with my father, he told me that when he was growing up in Pakistan it was quite normal for Sunnis to attend the Muharram majalis and processions organized by Shias.

The change it seems came about during the Wahhabi/Salafi onslaught on Sunni Islam and, in the case of Pakistan especially, the proxy wars played out by Saudi Arabia and post-revolution Iran in the 80s. I don't know enough about how the Shia side responded, but certainly among Sunnis there was a growing tendency to try to distance themselves from their newly found foes. Under the guise of a quest for the "true" Islam, many Sunnis begam to sternly disapprove of anything that resembled a Shia ritual, regardless of any inherent value it may or may not have. And so it seems that today much of the Sunni world has all but forgotten the Tragedy that took place in Karbala.

So my aim during this period is for me, as a Sunni (that's what I'm told I am), to be able to reclaim Karbala. Just in the same way that the stories of Jesus leave an important message for all humanity, so too do those of Hussain and Karbala (and there are many similarities in the interpretations of the suffering of Jesus and Hussain). For there still exist in all corners of the world today people who are oppressed at the hands of modern day Yazids. In the words of the late great Urdu poet Josh Malihabadi:

O Josh, call out to the Prince of Karbala [Hussain],
cast a glance at this twentieth century,
look at this tumult, chaos, and the earthquake.
At this moment there are numerous Yazids, and yesterday there was only one.
From village to village might has assumed the role of truth,
Once again, Human feet are in chains.

And that provides one way of understanding the famous words of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq:

Every day is Ashura and every place is Karbala

Broken

2005-02-12T02:07:00.000+03:00

Thanks to some very late improvements to Blogger's commenting system, the "recent comments" section in my sidebar is currently out of order. It won't list any of the new comments. So you'll have to make an effort and scroll down to the bottom of each post to check if there's anything new. Hopefully BloggerHacks will have a fix for the problem soon.

But you can still leave comments to any post without any trouble, so don't stop writing.

------

Update (6:35pm): The 'recents comments' section has been fixed so everything should be back to normal now.

Still waiting

2005-02-10T13:56:00.000+03:00

All set and waiting for the first of the Muharram processions tonight.

Bahrain 0 - 0 Iran

2005-02-09T23:12:00.000+03:00

Photo source: AFP/Adam Jan

A bit disappointing, and quite boring also. I was expecting this match to have the same energy and excitement that all the previous Bahrain-Iran meetings have had... but neither side was able to impress this time. Although Iran played a technically better game, Bahrain seemed to have the edge and kept the pressure on the Persians throughout, with several near misses. Iran really didn't live up to its name, despite all of its Bundesliga-experienced players; and Ali Karimi failed to display why he was given the 2004 Asian Footballer of the Year award. The match was quite scrappy, and honestly, it was mostly from our side. Particularly Marzoogi... he did a great job defending, but he had some really irresponsible tackles also... So I can understand the complaints that the Iranians had against some of the decisions made by the referee this evening.

I don't think either side felt robbed of the two extra points they could have had if they won, but I think we're on the defensive having failed to grab a win with home side advantage... because it's not going to be easy for the Red & Whites to get a win in Teheran.

But anyways, it was fun to be at the stadium which was PACKED, and everyone was really really excited.

And here's a picture of the snacks & drinks stall during half time:

The rush at the bogs was even worse. The theory of queues is something that Bahrain football fans have yet to be convinced of.

Well, best of luck to the team on the rest of the campaign.

Awaiting Muharram

2005-02-07T19:29:00.000+03:00

The black banners and flags have been put up:

and the spiderman t-shirts are being outnumbered by "Ya Hussain" t-shirts in the shop window displays:

Of course, this means that the month of Muharram has almost arrived. If time permits, during the 10 days that lead up to Ashura I'm planning on doing a short series of posts (maybe 3 or so) about this period which is so deeply emotional, spiritual, and personal for many in Bahrain and around the world. I intend to provide some coverage of the Ashura events that will be taking in place in Bahrain, as well as to provide some narratives of the Tragedy of Karbala, especially those that aren't specifically Shia in origin (I'll explain why in a later post).

But until my first real post on the topic, why not read Leila's blog series on Muharram from last year. And if you have no clue what Ashura is, then try starting here and then google around.

And if you're in Bahrain, the Islamic Awareness Society will be giving lectures in English about Ashura, every night starting this Thursday (Feb 10) until Ashura (Feb 20). The lectures will start at 9pm in a tent that has been set up right opposite the American Mission Hospital.

Says Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai:

The earth trembles, shakes; the skies are in uproar;
This is not a war, this is the manifestation of Love.

Fix the judiciary (part 2)

2005-02-06T23:32:00.000+03:00

As SBG noted in a comment here and a post on her own blog, the Women's Petition Committee (in co-ordination with the BCHR) held a protest in front of the Ministry of Justice demanding the resignation of the Public Prosecutor Shaikh Abdul Rahman Bin Jaber Al Khalifa as well as some Sharia court judges. Read about it at Gulf News and Khaleej Times. Interesting that the GDN article does not mention the Public Prosecutor's name. I was planning on showing up myself so I could speak to those involved and find out what they have to say,.. but I... erm... forgot to set my alarm so I didn't wake up in time.

The WPC accused the court judges of discriminating against women, especially in family law cases (which are handled by the Sharia courts). Personally, I support the demand for sacking many of the judges. Some of the court decisions in the past few years have been absolutely ridiculous... a rapist getting just a year in prison, compared with six months for someone who stole a goat; BD300 for torture; rape victims getting arrested before the rapists; a critic of the government got a year, and the human rights group he represented was shut down. And let's not forget Ahmed and the tens (hundreds?) of others who have been sitting in prison for months on end without trial. So obviously I think Shaikh Abdul Rahman should have tendered his resignation long ago. My only hesitation in calling for his removal is the fear that his successor won't be any better.

But as I've said before, our judiciary is the institution that is most in need of a serious overhaul if we want to get anywhere. Most important is to ensure its independence from the government. Sooner or later heads will have to roll, and I'd prefer it to be sooner.

Bo kata

2005-02-06T04:07:00.000+03:00

Photo source: Daily Times

As Rio celebrated its Carnival festival with samba yesterday, in Lahore they were celebrating their own festival: Basant, the festival of kites. For two days each year everyone in the city puts on their best yellow coloured clothes and climbs on top of their houses to fly kites while blasting bhangra out of their boomboxes. The sky gets covered with a patchwork of multi-coloured kites buzzing around. When you think of kite-flying, you might visualize a young girl with pigtails wearing a dress, standing in the park, flying a quaint little kite that has a tail and ribbons attached. Yes? Well that's not the way it's done in Lahore. Over there kite-flying is a highly competitive sport that injures several and kills a few people during Basant each year.

Sepoy over at Chapati Mystery has a great series of posts explaining Basant to the uninitiated. Read it: Basant I, Basant II, Basant III.

Slingshot Hiphop

2005-02-04T20:34:00.000+03:00

I thought I'd provide an update to my post about Palestinian hip-hop that I wrote way back in May. It seems that the movement is really catching on, and has also been gathering a fair amount of international attention. Anat Halachmi's documentary "Channels of Rage" (2003) has been making its way around the international film festival circuit. The movie follows Jewish-Israeli rapper Subliminal and Palestinian-Israeli rapper Tamer Nafar (from the group DAM), and how their relationship developed after the start of the 2000 Intifida.

It seems that many news outlets found it interesting to see the Israel-Palestine conflict being rapped over hip-hop beats. The New York Times wrote about it in July, the BBC covered it in November, and you can find a bunch more stories with a quick google search. The Jewish Quarterly also did a very interesting story about Tamer Nafar which is worth reading.

There's now a video of the song "Born Here" by DAM; you can watch the video and read the lyrics here. The song talks about how Arab towns in Israel proper are neglected, and specifically about how the railway tracks run right through them. They sing:

a destroyed house and in the garden 8 railway tracks
and in the day at least 200 trains pass
and behind the ruins, a separation wall
that should be between the house and the railroad tracks
but it is built between Snir and Nir Tzvi
and the municipality says that everything there is illegal
so, just one second, one second
what with all the legal neighborhoods that has
health care centers – surrounded with sewerage
kindergarten – surrounded with sewerage
for that there is no excuse it’s just that the city didn’t care for the Arabs

And Jackie Salloum, the person that did the video to Meen Erhabe, will be coming out with a new documentary film called "Sling Shot Hiphop" about Palestinian hip-hop in Israel and the Occupied Territories. You can watch the trailer from the website here.

And download this song called "maaraket baghdad" (mp3 5.12MB) and have a listen. If I'm not mistaken that martial sounding fanfare has been sampled from Fairuz's "zahrat al-madaen", no? As you can tell, not only are the rhymes improving, but the production quality of the music on some of the tracks is top notch. If you're interested in hearing some more Palestinian rap then go to the download page at Arabrap.net.

And while we're at it, let's not forget our own home-grown hiphop movement in Bahrain. I wrote about DJ Outlaw and Infinity before, promising to do a follow-up post, but I never got around to it (I will!). Anyways, DJ Outlaw has a new revamped website so check it out.

Repeal 56: Part 4 (and 3)

2005-02-03T23:22:00.000+03:00

The fourth installment in the series of protests by the National Committee for Martyrs and Victims of Torture was held today outside the Ministry of Interior. If you're wondering what happened to the third protest, it actually took place last Friday, but I wasn't on the island to cover it. You can see some photos at montadayat.org.

As you can tell there isn't really anything new in these protests compared with previous ones in the series, and the numbers attending aren't huge by any means (250 tops). So one can't really fault the international media for not giving attention to each protest... and we would be foolish to think that the local press might give the protests due coverage. Even for me, there isn't much I could say that I haven't said already, and I'm only blogging this protest because I think the cause is very important.

I think that these demonstrations serve a purpose as a means for the participants to peacefully vent their emotions, but I think the Committee could be doing more to achieve their stated goals. I wrote about this last time so I won't go through it again. And I'll also recommend that you read this post about the strategy for change proposed by Prof Asef Bayat.

Anyways above is a "Spy vs Spy" photo from today, similar to this one that I took at a previous protest. I find it quite disconcerting that the police/CID was videotaping us at the demonstration, but judging from the black balaclava that the policeman is wearing over his face it's obvious that he isn't too comfortable with it either!

On the elimination of racial discrimination

2005-02-02T17:31:00.000+03:00

Here's something interesting that was in the GDN a few days ago. Apparently, the now-dissolved Bahrain Centre for Human Rights will be sending a shadow report (to accompany the government's official submission) to be considered during the session of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, in Geneva next month.

Below are some of the points made in the shadow report, as reported in the GDN on Jan 26:

"In reality, the authorities have not taken effective legislative, judicial, administrative or other measures to give full effect to provisions of the convention [on the elimination of racial discrimination]," says the shadow report.

"No legislation has been adopted to meet the requirements of articles two, three and four of the convention.

"The national legislation does not contain explicit provisions prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of race or ethnic and national origin.

"The convention is not yet invoked before the courts.

"There are no special mechanisms to monitor the application of guarantees of non-discrimination laid down in the law."

Those behind the shadow report say no progress has been made in establishing a National Human Rights Committee to monitor the fulfilment of Bahrain's obligations under the convention.

They also criticised the process of obtaining Bahraini citizenship because of distinctions between Arab and non-Arab applicants; the fact that a Bahraini woman cannot pass on her nationality to her child if she marries a foreigner; and alleged discrepancies in awarding passports to foreigners depending on their gender.

"In connection with the implementation of article seven of the convention, there have been no serious efforts to intensify human rights education and training of law enforcement officers, teachers, social workers and public servants," continues the shadow report.

It also criticises the treatment of foreign workers, whose lives may differ considerably depending on where they come from.

This is especially true for domestic workers, such as housemaids, who are not even covered by the Labour Law, it says.

"The law guarantees equal status to all workers," says the shadow report.

"In practice, migrant workers coming from developed countries enjoy higher wages and better privileges than [Bahraini] citizens of the same job and qualifications.

"On the other hand, migrants coming from developing and poor countries receive lower privileges.

"Moreover, there are around 45,000 so-called free-visa workers who are considered outlaws and live at the mercy of their sponsors, who sell them black-market work visas and charge them a monthly ransom to stay in the country."

I commend the BCHR on this report. Judging from these excerpts, the shadow report seems to be quite a comprehensive account of the various forms of racial discrimination that exist in Bahrain, and more worryingly, that the government has not yet taken enough serious steps to change the situation. I'm going to try to get my hands on a copy of the full report... if any of you have it, please drop me an email. I hope the government (and our as-of-yet useless parliament) begins to think seriously on all of the points listed in the report, rather than deny them as being untrue or exaggerations.

On that note, whatever happened to the draft law demanding an end to sectarian discrimination in the ministries of defence and interior? On June 9, 2004 it was reported that the parliament approved of the draft law, only to be withdrawn in October. I was hoping that it had just been deferred for rewording, but I haven't heard any news of it since. Does anyone know if the law ever made it back in any shape or form?

And here's a perfect example of the deeply ingrained racial discrimination that exists here. Some Bahraini workers held a demonstration at the Ministry of Labour last week complaining about being underpaid. One of the workers, Saeed Al Eskafi was quoted in the GDN as saying:

"The company only gives BD100 as basic salary and BD100 for accommodation, as if we were expatriates."

It is these types of irresponsible and unchecked statements that I feel are the most dangerous. Obviously, the government alone can not solve all of Bahrain's racial problems. Families and community leaders also have to recognize the problem and step up.

Meetup again

2005-02-02T17:15:00.000+03:00

It's time for the monthly meetup again tomorrow night. If you live in Bahrain (or nearby) then RSVP here and come join us for an evening of discussion. See you tomorrow! (Drop me an email if you need directions to the venue)

Sitra pipes

2005-02-02T03:54:00.000+03:00

Surviving the inverted doughnut

2005-02-01T22:18:00.000+03:00

The Chan'ad has finally made his way back to the shores of Bahrain. The difficulty that I had while trying to leave the island was matched during my attempt to return. My planned return flight was cancelled a few hours before the scheduled departure time. The next flight was delayed by two hours because of which I missed my connection to Bahrain. So, I was stuck in the hideous inverted doughnut that is the Abu Dhabi Airport for a day. Anyhows, I am back and safe and will get back to business very soon (I'm also recovering from some kind of viral infection that I picked up, so give me another day or two).

Commimttee to Protect Bloggers

2005-01-20T19:21:00.000+03:00

I came across the Committee to Protect Bloggers website today (via Subzero Blue). It says:

The Committee has four primary spheres of activity.

CPB will serve as a clearinghouse for information on incarcerated members of our community, as well as those whose lives have been taken from them because of their enthusiasm for the free exchange of information that blogging allows.

CPB will serve as a pressure group to force unrecalcitrant governments to free imprisoned bloggers, and make restitution for tortured and murdered ones.

CPB will bring to bear the formidable communicative power of the blogosphere to keep pressure on governments to stop

CPB will act as direct agents in negotiations to free imprisoned bloggers.

(Continued)

Well that sounds like a good idea to me. As I've mentioned before, us bloggers in Bahrain have so far not had any restrictions placed upon us yet. But given the often ambiguous nature of our justice system, it would be wise to be prepared.

Eid Mubarak

2005-01-19T19:24:00.000+03:00

After the winter rainshowers, areas of the island which are usually barren enjoy a brief period of lush vegetation and colour, particularly in the valleys and depressions where the water collects. It is quite pleasing to seeing these vibrant colours being temporarily hosted in places that are so hostile to them during the rest of the year. (No prizes for guessing where the photo was taken).

Anyways, I'm going to be out of town for the long weekend, so an early Eid Mubarak to you all!

Repeal 56: Part 2

2005-01-16T17:07:00.000+03:00

On Thursday, the National Committee for Martyrs and Victims of Torture held the second in their series of protests against government employed torturers. (Read about the first protest here). Their specific demands were:

The annulment of Royal Decree 56 which in effect grants amnesty to all of the accused torturers.
Compensation for the victims of torture and the families of the murdered.
That those accused of torture be put on trial, and their files be made public.

Their specific hitlist included the following people:

Adel Flaifel
Shaikh Abdulaziz Atiyatallah Al-Khalifa (currently head of the national security agency)
Khalid Al-Wazzan
Khalid Al-Moawada
Adnan Al-Dhaen
Mahmood Al-Akoori
Abdulrahman bin Saqr

And although his name wasn't written on any of the placards, "Down down Henderson!" was chanted several times throughout the protest, obviously referring to the notorious Ian Henderson.

The turnout wasn't huge -- 250 people max I would say -- but it was significant. But the really interesting thing was that the protest was held right outside the Ministry of Interior Fort in Manama, home of the CID and all the accused torturers listed above. As far as I know, this was the first time that a protest has been held there. At first the protesters gathered on the opposite side of the roundabout outside the fort. But after about half an hour a group of protesters walked across the road and continued their demonstration on the pavement just outside the fort entrance.

Kudos to the cops for letting the protesters demonstrate so close to the entrance, and for limiting their own presence. The fact that people are allowed to publicly protest about the lack of democracy is, ironically, a sign that we actually do have some vestiges of democracy in Bahrain. Of course, we can't ignore the fact that Bahrain's torturers have been given complete amnesty. However, I think that allowing people to air their grievances freely is one step in the right direction towards the justice that the regime will inevitably have to face in the future. Many many more of such steps still need to be taken.

But one sneaky thing that the cops did was to block off the roads leading to the demonstration after about 45 minutes, thus limiting its exposure. I think the cops could have used the excuse that the protest was slowing down traffic at the roundabout to justify their action. (Yes, the protest did slow down traffic). So I think the activists need to reassess their methods of activism.

Holding demonstrations is a very useful tool, but that on its own does not achieve a great deal. The only people that see the protests are the people who actually drive by, and most of them don't have enough time to understand what's really going on. They probably just read a few signs and drive on (since the drivers behind them are honking to get them to speed up). And when the cops block the roads, as they did on Thursday, then the exposure is further limited. Asides from this, the only other coverage that such a protest will get is a paragraph in the local papers if they're lucky (and if they're really lucky, then maybe a short report from the international agencies). I'm sure that most people in the country weren't even aware that there was a protest on Thursday... or if they did know about it, then they probably forgot about the issue the next day.

So I think there is a need to complement the demonstrations with other methods of protest that can be sustained for longer than a couple of hours. Maybe something like a ribbon campaign, or small stickers for cars. Maybe they could try to purchase some newspaper space for an ad (okay, that's a tough one). Or anything that will attract attention and spark curiosity, that doesn't require too much effort, and does not hinder the desired audience from going about their business. A bit of imagination could go a long way.

Anyways, watch a video of Thursday's protest by clicking here (wmv 6.34MB)... you'll have to mentally filter out the Braveheart background music. And the next protest in this series is set for the 28th of Jan at 3.30pm, again outside the Ministry of Interior Fort.

And some photos of activist kids as usual:

Just say no to public bumlicking

2005-01-12T13:42:00.000+03:00

Not so long ago I wrote about a billboard displaying the faces of the Royal Three (King, Prime Minister and Crown Prince). In response, Bugs asked:

I have a question don’t you guys get disgusted every time you see these clowns every where you go ?

I shall withold my opinion on whether they are "clowns", however I do get tired of seeing their mugs and hearing their names everywhere. I would guess that many of us who have lived here for a while have become numbed to it all and don't really think twice about it now. But when you stop to notice, you realize that its everywhere, everywhere.

Let's see. We've already talked about the billboards that line the streets every year for a few weeks before and after National Day. I also mentioned in passing how the portraits of the Three hang in all government buildings and many private buildings all year round. But there's more. The local media is filled with their pictures and stories about them -- far more than actually constitutes news. The front page of most of the local papers will have at least one story (usually more) about them. It might read something like this:

Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa hailed the success of the country's economic policies and paid tribute to His Majesty King Hamad bin Salman Al Khalifa for introducing the successful reforms package. The Prime Minister highlighted the undisputed facts that Bahrain is the most economically and technologically advanced country in the universe and has a human rights record second to none. This was confirmed by the high ranking achieved by the country on some list compiled by an independent international organization that wouldn't be able to find Bahrain on a map,... blah blah

If you flip to the sports pages in the back you get more of the same. Typically, something like this:

The endurance horce race organized by the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (BREEF) was once again won by Federation president, Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa... rhubarb rhubarb...

The broadcast media is the same but worse since it is entirely under the control of the government. So this is what a typical news bulletin on the radio starts off with:

His Excellency Shaikh Wudeva bin Whoever Al Khalifa, undersecretary of the Directorate of Notmuch, sent a cable of good wishes to His Excellency Shaikh Joe bin Bloggs Al Khalifa congratulating him on learning how to tie his shoelaces. Shaikh Joe sent a cable of good wishes back to Shaikh Wudeva thanking him for the cable of good wishes, etc etc.

But recall that Shaikhs Wudeva and Joe probably have their offices right next to each other yet they still insist on sending a "cable of good wishes". To be honest I'm not even sure what they mean by this so-called "cable". Couldn't they just use e-mail now instead? Hmm... maybe it would sound a bit wierd.. "an e-mail of good wishes".

TV is quite similar to radio, but they actually show video of the Shaikh with his accompanying entourage as they visit different places and are greeted by everyone.

But wait! That's not all. Each of our 20 dinar banknotes features a portrait of the King. It used to be a picture of the Bab al-Bahrain, but they replaced it with our monarch after it was found that conterfeit copies of that note were in circulation.

And how about this. Go and get your phone directory and open up the blue section just before the white pages. You will find that there are eight whole pages that list the names and phone numbers of the members of the royal family. No not just the members who have a public office, but anyone who is part of the royal family. The section is aptly titled "Royal Family Names".

And how about some more billboards? If you've been driving through the Seef area this past week then you've surely seen all the billboards thanking the PM for supporting the Chamber of Commerce and the construction of its new headquarters. I counted 18 (yes, eighteen) of such billboards situated around the new site. Most of them have been attributed to the Chamber of Commerce, but it seems that some of the individual members wanted to make sure that they get recognized also, so they got separate ones done in their own name

So what the hell is going on? Obviously, the royal family can't take all of the blame for this, because it doesn't have direct control over all of the instances I've listed above. I would guess that those billboards that are sponsored by businesses are probably a means of getting cheap advertising. And then there is also the bum-lick factor which both businesses and government institutions would want to make use of to further their organizations or personal careers. Even if some of them don't feel they need to suck up, they probably feel pressured to join in so that they aren't the odd ones out. And on the side of the family itself, it seems as though they quite happily approve of, or encourage, such public displays of support. As the country inevitably moves towards democracy, the only way that the royal family can secure its position in the future is if it has public support to stay on. But I very much doubt that those billboards and the like do anything to increase their popularity.

So we have this environment set up that is highly conducive to public displays of bum-licking. Okay, Bahrain is by no means an exception as many of our neighbours, and other developing countries around the world suffer from this same problem (much worse in some places). And I can't really expect things in Bahrain to have changed overnight as soon as the reforms were introduced. So why am I wasting my (and your) time with this issue? Well unless people begin to express disapproval of public bum-licking the situation will never change. So this is my part.

Afternoon siesta

2005-01-05T01:59:00.000+03:00

A cat in a wheelbarrow...

... enjoying the siesta in the company of a friend.

The gift of wound

2005-01-04T17:52:00.000+03:00

After last week's tsunamis, there's been a lot of discussion about the role of "God" in tragedies, amongst those of us who waste our time with Higher Existence. Some people explain the tragedy as punishment for the transgressors. For others it is a trial to differentiate the true believers from the rest. For some, the pain and suffering in the world is proof that a Just God does not exist. And yet others see it as a sign that the Apocalypse is on its way.

What's my view? Ghalib the Lover explains (with a wry smile peeking through his weeping face):

جراحت تحفہ الماس ارمغاں داغِ جگر ہدیہ
مبارک باد اسد غم خوارِ جانِ دردمند آیا

The gift of wound, the souvenir of a diamond, the offering of a scarred heart.
Congratulations, Asad! Your sympathetic, compassionate beloved has arrived.

Make of it what you will.

Shifting to Haloscan

2005-01-03T02:22:00.000+03:00

So I'm considering making Haloscan the comments engine for my blog. Here are the good things about Haloscan (vs Blogspot comments):

You don't have to sign in or register to leave a comment.
I can provide a "latest comments" section in my sidebar to help the discussions going.
I can provide you with an RSS feed of all the comments.

The bad things about Haloscan comments are:

It doesn't look as slick as the blogspot comment engine.
The comments page will have some advertising.
There's a small chance that spammers will flood the comments section.

So what I will do is set up Haloscan for the next two or three posts, starting with this one. If people have any opinions about which they prefer then they can drop a comment in this post. If it works okay, than I will use Haloscan for all future posts. And if not, I'll revert back to blogspot comments. Note that there will be a "Latest comments" section in the sidebar on the right within an hour of my posting this. So let's see.

------

Update (5-Jan-05): I've decided to ditch haloscan and use a nifty hack from BloggerHacks (cheers Abdu). I think it should solve all my problems. Again, let's see how it goes. And don't worry, I have all your Haloscan comments stored... I will add them manually tonight.

56: The magic number

2005-01-01T22:21:00.000+03:00

Photo source: Montadayat.org

Here's something that I had no clue was going on. From the Khaleej Times:

MANAMA — The controversy over the legal status of the Decree No. 56 issued by His Majesty the King, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, earlier last year (2004), ended here with the Chamber of Deputies marking it as "constitutional." The "all-legal" decision on the King granting a general amnesty to certain individuals was approved by the majority of the Chamber members. (Continued)

Well done to our joker MPs on another job well done. I hope they are patting themselves on the back for doing such a good job of representing the will of the Bahraini people. Oopsy... they somehow missed the thousands of people who were on the streets just two weeks ago protesting specifically against Decree 56.

Actually, I had no idea that Law 56 was being discussed in Parliament. But with our elected rubber stamps in office, its not like we should have been expecting a meaningful outcome.

Photo source: Montadayat.org

Also yesterday, a protest was held outside the former office of Adel Flaifel, the notorious former security officer accused of torturing political activists. They were there to demand the rescinding of Law 56 so that Flaifel and his cohorts can be tried for torture and murder. (See more photos here). Similar protests are planned for the coming weeks (the next one will be on Jan 13, I think).

Photo source: Montadayat.org

In my eyes, the King's backing of Law 56 is the biggest obstacle obstructing the path towards truth and reconciliation between the different sections of Bahraini society. (Asides from it obviously being morally wrong) Politically, the King's support for such a humiliating law is a huge blot on all of his apparent efforts to portray himself as the "Good Cop", and it will certainly hurt him in the future if he doesn't do anything soon. Over time, it's possible for society to forget economic hardships, it's possible to forget sectarian discrimination, it's possible to forget restrictions on speech... but it's not possible to forget torture and murder -- these wounds will continue festering until they are treated.

Urban contradictions

2005-01-01T19:09:00.000+03:00

I came across a series of photos posted on the Karbabad.net forum which perfectly illusrates the absurd contrast between the Seef district and Karbabad village that I mentioned in a post about poverty a while ago.

Seef, has perfect wide roads, with wide pavements, lined with trees and street lamps. All the building are clean and shiny, as they were only built within the last five or six years.

Karbabad however is a neglected village. The houses are crumbling and without paint. The roads are barely wide enough for one car to squeeze through, and most them are just dirt-tracks (without tarmac). After it rains, the pools of stagnant water remain on the roads for weeks.

What is so striking is that these two places lie right next to each other. It take only five minutes for one to walk from one scene in to the other; to walk from one world in to the other. It obviously raises questions about why Karbabad (and other villages) has been so specifically neglected. There are so many new roads being built in Seef... would it hurt to make some proper roads in Karbabad? (To see the rest of the photos click here).

And on a related note, recall my post about the plans to build a highway through Diraz and Barbar villages. I find it ridiculous that they want to build a highway passing through Diraz, when much of Diraz village doesn't have proper roads. Its ridiculous that they want to build a new city off the coast of Diraz, when Diraz village is so dilapidated. Why are we so obsessed with trying to solve problems with these huge elaborate construction projects (which so often involve reclaiming land)? Is it not possible to spend a bit on regenerating the rundown villages, rather than building these embarassingly shiny cities right next them? Probably not.

Funny reading

2005-01-01T14:54:00.000+03:00

While reading through this morning's GDN I came a cross a couple stories that made me laugh very hard.

The first article was supposed to praise the government for tackling media and software piracy in Bahrain. The headline reads: "Four charged with 'piracy'". The sub-heading says: "Manama computer shops raided in joint sting operation". I found this so funny because just yesterday afternoon I was in Muharraq and I saw a couple Bangladeshi chaps with a big collection of pirated CDs for sale laid out on the pavement of the main road that goes towards the Suq. It wasn't some secret mafia transaction taking place behind closed doors requiring a hi-tech "sting operation". They were standing right out in the open on the main thoroughfare in everyone's view. The best thing though was that they were carrying out their business right opposite the Muharraq Police Station, and no one seemed to be bothered. These street vendors are quite common in Bahrain. I wonder what they need "joint sting operations" for.

And here's the other funny article from the GDN:

Bahrain steps up security

MANAMA: Security was stepped up near the Al Fateh Islamic Centre during Friday prayers and near the US embassy yesterday. Undercover Bahraini and US security forces were present during the prayers, witnesses said. Leading Bahraini scholars and clerics earlier condemned a call by Saudi dissidents living in the West for mass rallies in Bahrain through a TV channel, Reform, which they run. (Continued)

There's definitely something very wrong going on if "witnesses" know that there are undercover security forces present. With regards to the the undercover US forces, I wonder if they were given away by their "High and Tight" haircuts... hmmm.

Anyhows, if you want to read more about this call for mass rallies in Bahrain by Saad al-Faqih's movement, then read this report from Arab News. But I'm still very unclear about what was being advocated and the reasons for it.

The article below was printed in the GDN on 1-Jan-05:

Four charged with 'piracy'

By MOHAMMED ASLAM

THREE Bahraini businessmen and an Indian salesman have been accused of dealing in pirated computer software.

One of the Bahrainis, who manages a computer shop, is also accused of possessing pornographic material on CDs.

All four were charged following raids on two computer shops in Manama in July this year, the Lower Criminal Court heard.

Three of the defendants appeared in court and denied all the charges against them, but a fourth failed to appear.

The case was adjourned until March 15, when witnesses will testify.

All the four defendants are accused of dealing in pirated software belonging to the Microsoft Corporation.

They were arrested after raids by Information Ministry inspectors, following undercover work by the Arabian Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAPA), based in Dubai, the court heard.

An AAPA representative posed as a customer and visited one of the shops, where he found pirated software on two computers.

Field inspectors from the Information Ministry's Publications and Press Directorate were sent to two shops, following the complaint by AAPA, the court heard.

"In the first shop in Manama we found pirated software goods and also some pornographic CDs," said the head of the inspectors.

"We also seized two computers with pirated computer programs.

"In the second computer shop, we seized two computers with pirated computer programs"

Two Bahraini businessmen, aged 36 and 47, said they owned the shops, but their managers were responsible for running them.

"I had warned all the employees in the shop not to trade in any pirated software goods," said one.

The other said he had no knowledge of what went on in the shop.

"I own many commercial registrations and have many business outlets in Bahrain and abroad," he said.

"I normally visit this shop once a month and I have no knowledge about what was seized by the Information Ministry inspectors from the shop."

2005

2005-01-01T04:20:00.000+03:00

Have a good one.