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Tear gas fired by riot police during clashes with anti-government demonstrators fills the streets Saturday in Bilad al-Qadeem, Bahrain.By Hasan Jamali, APABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – A little over a year ago, hundreds of thousands of people in Bahrain were coming together nightly to demand democratic reforms from the monarchs who have ruled this tiny country for decades.
Hasan Jamali, APDemonstrators run in front of a wall painted with anti-government graffiti during clashes with riot police firing tear gas Saturday in Bilad al-Qadeem, Bahrain.
Hasan Jamali, APDemonstrators run in front of a wall painted with anti-government graffiti during clashes with riot police firing tear gas Saturday in Bilad al-Qadeem, Bahrain.
The Pearl Revolution, as it was called, sought to emulate the Arab Spring uprisings that were sprouting throughout the region and would lead to the toppling of dictators in Egypt, Libya and Yemen.Today, the traffic circle in the capital of Manama known as Pearl Square, where many pro-democracy rallies were held, is guarded by police and ringed with barbed wire. The protesters are gone, crushed by police and troops sent by fellow monarchs in Saudi Arabia. Critics of the regime are now being jailed unjustly, says Amnesty International."The situation is worsening; we are turning into a military state," says activist Yehia Hadid, who lives in exile in Lebanon.While other Arab nations are engaging in elections and self-rule after the removal of dictators, Bahrain remains solidly in the control of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and his family. After negotiations with protesters broke down, Khalifa called in the troops from the Gulf Cooperation Council, a union of Gulf states dominated by Saudi Arabia, and its troops forced demonstrators from the streets.The Bahrain Center for Human Rights says the crackdown left 73 people dead. Human Rights Watch reported serious abuses by security forces, saying five people who were detained died under torture.The situation is not likely to improve, says Michael Rubin, a former Middle East adviser for the Pentagon who recently returned from Bahrain where he met with members of the political opposition and briefed U.S. military leaders.Rubin says what began as an attempt to create more political freedoms and rights for Shiite Muslims who have been victims of discrimination has turned into another front in the drive for regional supremacy between the Sunni Muslims of Saudi Arabia and the Shiite Muslims of Iran.Bahraini rulers "truly believe" that Iran, a majority Shiite nation, is behind the unrest, Rubin says. Iran has made claims to sovereignty over Bahrain and insulted its Sunni Muslim rulers. But Rubin sees no direct evidence that Bahrain's Shiites, who make up about two-thirds of the population, are doing the bidding of Iran."The situation in Bahrain has gone too far to revert to normal," Rubin says.Known in ancient times as "The Land of Life," this nation of five main islands and numerous others is known for the beauty of its pearls, oil and in the Arab world, a more tolerant view of modern life.The relatively lax laws on the island allow for a bustling night life and the sale of alcohol, banned in Saudi Arabia. Every weekend, hordes of people from Saudi Arabia drive over the King Fahd Causeway to Bahrain.Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, which ensures no country attempts to disrupt the flow of oil tankers through the Persian Gulf. Rubin says that's the reason the Obama administration hasn't "pulled the rug out" from under the Bahraini government.There is little dispute in Bahrain that its Shiites have been treated unfairly by the Khalifa clan, a Sunni dynasty that assumed control of Bahrain in the early 19th century. Shiites hold only 18 of the country's 40 parliamentary seats and are blocked from the best jobs. "Shiites can't access sensitive positions, especially in the defense and interior ministries," Shiite activist Lameess Dhaif says.Bahrain is not unlike many Gulf sheikdoms rich in oil and gas where the monarchs provide free housing, education, health care and, when possible, a government job, in return for subservience to a Sunni tribal autocracy. But Shiites say Khalifa has violated that deal by granting nationality and other benefits of citizenship to Sunni foreigners."This means more privileges to people who are not original inhabitants. The king's strategy is stripping us of our basic rights and access to the country's wealth," Dhaif says.The opposition has split into two camps: One wants more political freedoms under a constitutional monarchy; the other demands the king to step down and the creation of a democratic state."The first movement is predominant for now. Our goal is to put a stop to discrimination, corruption and providing nationality to foreigners," Hadid explains.Shiites who have been questioning the social order have been accused of serving the interests of Iran. Many activists say they do not want to turn their cause into a sectarian battle."While over 35 mosques have been destroyed by security forces, there has not been any retaliation," Hadid said. "I think the Bahraini population on both sides of the divide is aware of the dangers of sectarianism. We are wary of being pawns in Iran's regional game."But there are signs of Iranian influence. Religious bookstores are adorned with portraits of Iranian-linked Shiite leaders, such as Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the U.S.-designated terror group Hezbollah, and Imad Mughiniyeh, the mastermind of the 1983 Marine barracks bombing in Beirut. Pictures of Ali Khameini, Iran's supreme leader, can also be seen. In an unprecedented development, a bombing targeted policemen on duty in the El Ker village.Shiites listen to sermons aired on Hezbollah's TV channel, Al Manar, and listen to Iranian radio stations, meaning "they're basically listening to Iranian propaganda 24/7," Rubin says. But he sees no evidence of Iranian help overthrowing the regime.The fire behind the Pearl Revolution has not been extinguished. Demonstrations are taking place on a daily basis in the villages around the capital, Hadid says, though they take place at night to avoid the scrutiny of the police. March witnessed one of the largest demonstrations on Bahrain island to date attended by tens of thousands of people. Riot police used batons and shields to break up the crowds.But there is widespread disappointment on the streets of Bahrain at the passivity of the United States and the West in condemning abuses of the Bahraini monarchy, Hadid says. Rubin says the country's Shiites are becoming increasingly disillusioned and furious at the king.But despite being the majority, "they do not represent a threat to the monarchy because the monarchy can bank on a Saudi Arabian rescue."Contributing: Oren Dorell in McLean, Va.
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