Bahrain protests
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Dagless
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Saudi knows if people see Bahrain free then they're next. There's already been demonstrations in Saudi.
CosmicPathos
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My Sunni friends in Saudi have told me that they will not participate in such protests as they have no qualms against the monarchy. They get to earn money as they wish according tO sharia and they get to practice Islam. The Shias despite being Saudi nationals are trying to create fitna for Sunnis. These Shiite Saudi nationals get all govt benefits that a Saudi Sunni gets. If anyone has the right to start protests then is the people from sub continent treated as crap by Saudis. But they won't initiate sub protestsas they need to survive for their families and don't want to risk their lives.
Zuzubu
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I think sunnis who are generally more religious, if you look at their belief. Eventhough I ain't part of any sect, I like Sunni and Salafi the most. Shi'a is pretty bad for a state. Like Iraq, and Iran isnt enough
Salaam
Just an update
While Bahrain demolishes mosques, U.S. stays silent
MANAMA, Bahrain —
In the ancient Bahraini village of Aali, where some graves date to 2000 B.C., the Amir Mohammed Braighi mosque had stood for more than 400 years — one of the handsomest Shiite Muslim mosques in this small island nation in the Persian Gulf.
Today, only bulldozer tracks remain.
In Nwaidrat, where anti-government protests began Feb. 14, the Mo’men mosque had long been a center for the town’s Shiite population — photos show it as a handsome, square building neatly painted in ochre, with white and green trim, and a short portico in dark gray forming the main entrance.
Today, only the portico remains.
“When I was a child, I used to go and pray with my grandfather,” said a 52-year-old local resident, who asked to be called only “Abu Hadi. “The area used to be totally green, with tiers of sweet water wells.” “Why did they destroy this mosque?” Abu Hadi wailed. “Muslims have prayed there for decades.” In Shiite villages across this island kingdom of 1.2 million, the Sunni Muslim government has bulldozed dozens of mosques as part of a crackdown on Shiite dissidents, an assault on human rights that is breathtaking in its expansiveness.
Authorities have held secret trials where protesters have been sentenced to death, arrested prominent mainstream opposition politicians, jailed nurses and doctors who treated injured protesters, seized the health care system that had been run primarily by Shiites, fired 1,000 Shiite professionals and canceled their pensions, detained students and teachers who took part in the protests, beat and arrested journalists, and forced the closure of the only opposition newspaper.
Nothing, however, has struck harder at the fabric of this nation, where Shiites outnumber Sunnis nearly 4 to 1, than the destruction of Shiite worship centers. The Obama administration has said nothing in public about the destruction.
Bahrain — and its patron, Saudi Arabia — are longtime U.S. allies, and Bahrain hosts the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet. Members of the Shiite opposition assembled a list of 27 mosques and other religious structures demolished or damaged in the crackdown. A tour by McClatchy of several townships suggests the number of buildings destroyed is far greater. The demolitions are carried out daily, Shiite leaders say, with work crews often arriving in the dead of night, accompanied by police and military escorts. In many cases, the workers have hauled away the rubble, leaving no trace, before townspeople awake.
Bahrain’s minister of justice and Islamic affairs, Sheikh Khalid bin Ali bin Abdulla al Khalifa, defended the demolitions in an interview, claiming that any mosque demolished had been built illegally, recently, and without permission. “These are not mosques. These are illegal buildings,” he said. That claim, however, is easily challenged. In Aali, for example, the government rerouted a planned highway some years back so as to preserve the Amir Mohammed Braighi mosque, residents say.
McClatchy visited three other sites where “before” photos of the destroyed mosques showed they were well maintained, decades-old structures. Some sites had a wistful air. At the Sheikh Aabed Mosque in the village of Sitra, once a ramshackle building that residents said was more than a century old, prayer rugs and other religious paraphernalia covered the ground. On Wednesday, the State Department told McClatchy that it’s “concerned by the destruction of religious sites.” The statement noted that the Bahraini government had international obligations to preserve the common cultural heritage.
In private, U.S. officials are harsher. One, who’s not in Bahrain, said that by bulldozing Shiite mosques and persecuting the political opposition, the government was treating its people like a “captive population.” Another U.S. official visiting the area described the Sunni leadership as “vindictive” and indicated the Obama administration was deeply worried about Bahrain’s rapid downward spiral. Both officials asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the subject.
Shiites have long complained of bias and discrimination here, despite massively outnumbering the entrenched Khalifa dynasty, whose prime minister, Sheikh Khalifa ibn Salman al Khalifa, 75, has held the office for the past 40 years — a current world record.
http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/behind-obamas-insipid-speeches/
Just an update
While Bahrain demolishes mosques, U.S. stays silent
MANAMA, Bahrain —
In the ancient Bahraini village of Aali, where some graves date to 2000 B.C., the Amir Mohammed Braighi mosque had stood for more than 400 years — one of the handsomest Shiite Muslim mosques in this small island nation in the Persian Gulf.
Today, only bulldozer tracks remain.
In Nwaidrat, where anti-government protests began Feb. 14, the Mo’men mosque had long been a center for the town’s Shiite population — photos show it as a handsome, square building neatly painted in ochre, with white and green trim, and a short portico in dark gray forming the main entrance.
Today, only the portico remains.
“When I was a child, I used to go and pray with my grandfather,” said a 52-year-old local resident, who asked to be called only “Abu Hadi. “The area used to be totally green, with tiers of sweet water wells.” “Why did they destroy this mosque?” Abu Hadi wailed. “Muslims have prayed there for decades.” In Shiite villages across this island kingdom of 1.2 million, the Sunni Muslim government has bulldozed dozens of mosques as part of a crackdown on Shiite dissidents, an assault on human rights that is breathtaking in its expansiveness.
Authorities have held secret trials where protesters have been sentenced to death, arrested prominent mainstream opposition politicians, jailed nurses and doctors who treated injured protesters, seized the health care system that had been run primarily by Shiites, fired 1,000 Shiite professionals and canceled their pensions, detained students and teachers who took part in the protests, beat and arrested journalists, and forced the closure of the only opposition newspaper.
Nothing, however, has struck harder at the fabric of this nation, where Shiites outnumber Sunnis nearly 4 to 1, than the destruction of Shiite worship centers. The Obama administration has said nothing in public about the destruction.
Bahrain — and its patron, Saudi Arabia — are longtime U.S. allies, and Bahrain hosts the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet. Members of the Shiite opposition assembled a list of 27 mosques and other religious structures demolished or damaged in the crackdown. A tour by McClatchy of several townships suggests the number of buildings destroyed is far greater. The demolitions are carried out daily, Shiite leaders say, with work crews often arriving in the dead of night, accompanied by police and military escorts. In many cases, the workers have hauled away the rubble, leaving no trace, before townspeople awake.
Bahrain’s minister of justice and Islamic affairs, Sheikh Khalid bin Ali bin Abdulla al Khalifa, defended the demolitions in an interview, claiming that any mosque demolished had been built illegally, recently, and without permission. “These are not mosques. These are illegal buildings,” he said. That claim, however, is easily challenged. In Aali, for example, the government rerouted a planned highway some years back so as to preserve the Amir Mohammed Braighi mosque, residents say.
McClatchy visited three other sites where “before” photos of the destroyed mosques showed they were well maintained, decades-old structures. Some sites had a wistful air. At the Sheikh Aabed Mosque in the village of Sitra, once a ramshackle building that residents said was more than a century old, prayer rugs and other religious paraphernalia covered the ground. On Wednesday, the State Department told McClatchy that it’s “concerned by the destruction of religious sites.” The statement noted that the Bahraini government had international obligations to preserve the common cultural heritage.
In private, U.S. officials are harsher. One, who’s not in Bahrain, said that by bulldozing Shiite mosques and persecuting the political opposition, the government was treating its people like a “captive population.” Another U.S. official visiting the area described the Sunni leadership as “vindictive” and indicated the Obama administration was deeply worried about Bahrain’s rapid downward spiral. Both officials asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the subject.
Shiites have long complained of bias and discrimination here, despite massively outnumbering the entrenched Khalifa dynasty, whose prime minister, Sheikh Khalifa ibn Salman al Khalifa, 75, has held the office for the past 40 years — a current world record.
http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/behind-obamas-insipid-speeches/
Grace Seeker
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These actions on the part of the Bahrain government are deplorable.
Very curious why the article was titled the way it was, "While Bahrain demolishes mosques, U.S. stays silent," when the content itself makes clear that the US is not silent:
Very curious why the article was titled the way it was, "While Bahrain demolishes mosques, U.S. stays silent," when the content itself makes clear that the US is not silent:
Getoffmyback
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As usual the rhetoric shi'ite lebanese figure ,god's ak47 on earth "nasrallah" backed up his bahraini relatives But never mentioned anything about the 90% sunnis who are ruled by 8% alawite in syria . You know the alawites are nasrallah's cousins!
جوري
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under an Islamic state, not a monarchy and certainly not faction ruled!
I don't believe in those individual city states or pan-arabism in general as that was the fall of the Muslim world ''divide and conquer''. It was unheard of prior to 1927 to govern by anything but Sharia law!
Salaam
Another update
Foreign secretary William Hagues annoucement that he is sending British soldiers to Libya to train the ragtag rebel army fighting Colonel Gaddafi certainly caught the headlines, but British military trainers have also been busy in Bahrain, working with the soldiers of a regime that has been shooting and beating pro-democracy protestors.
Currently there are no British trainers in the Gulf State; but as recently as December half a dozen officers ran a week long 'tactical planning' course for the Bahrani army. A Ministry of Defence spokesman told the Eye: 'The UK provides world-class defence training and education to many countries, including in the GUlf, creating lasting ties between our armed forces and enhancing their ability to work together towards regional security and stability'
Regular training missions in Bahrain have included the permanent loan of an officer in the early Noughties (2000). Asked if the current respression would lead to a re-evaluation, the MOD said 'All requests for defence training are considered on a case-by-case basis and it would not be provided if we thought such training would lead to human rights abuses. . . . We will continue our positive bilateral defence engagement with the Bahrainis in order to support our wider regional security objectives'.
Bahraini soldiers also train in the UK: about five officers are currently at Sandhurst.
From the Private Eye - No 1287
Another update
Foreign secretary William Hagues annoucement that he is sending British soldiers to Libya to train the ragtag rebel army fighting Colonel Gaddafi certainly caught the headlines, but British military trainers have also been busy in Bahrain, working with the soldiers of a regime that has been shooting and beating pro-democracy protestors.
Currently there are no British trainers in the Gulf State; but as recently as December half a dozen officers ran a week long 'tactical planning' course for the Bahrani army. A Ministry of Defence spokesman told the Eye: 'The UK provides world-class defence training and education to many countries, including in the GUlf, creating lasting ties between our armed forces and enhancing their ability to work together towards regional security and stability'
Regular training missions in Bahrain have included the permanent loan of an officer in the early Noughties (2000). Asked if the current respression would lead to a re-evaluation, the MOD said 'All requests for defence training are considered on a case-by-case basis and it would not be provided if we thought such training would lead to human rights abuses. . . . We will continue our positive bilateral defence engagement with the Bahrainis in order to support our wider regional security objectives'.
Bahraini soldiers also train in the UK: about five officers are currently at Sandhurst.
From the Private Eye - No 1287
Salaam
Another updated, forgot to post this
More is emerging on Britain’s dealings with repressive Bahrain, where martial law has recently been declared to deal with unrest.
Security forces from the UK have already ‘intervened’ in the sheikhdom: not on the side of the pro-democracy protestors who are being shot at, but in helping to train the police force whose officers have been doing the shooting, as well as the beating and attacking.
The last British police adviser was withdrawn from Bahrain less than two weeks ago. This was not in protest at the regimes brutal tactics but because of fears for the officers safety, said the UK National Police Improvement Agency (NPIA), the Home Office quango which sends UK officers to Bahrain.
The NPIA full-time advisers have offered ‘assistance in the modernisation of the Bahrain police force’ and training in ‘community policing’, simulation of operations like ‘riots armed sieges, etc’ and ‘counter terrorism’
The NPIA told the Eye it had two advisers in Bahrain this year. One was called back to Britain in mid March; the other was already on leave outside Bahrain and will not return.
In fact the NPIA has sent a variety of helpers to the kingdom. Last October trainers from the NPIAs ‘International Commanders Programme’ were there to ‘construct a leadership programme’ and in 2009 two media specialists were sent to ‘train members of a royal family, plus a judge, three lieutenant colonels and senior officials from various ministries. . . how to handle the media in a crises’. No doubt the training has been invaluable in recent weeks.
PE No: 1285
Another updated, forgot to post this
More is emerging on Britain’s dealings with repressive Bahrain, where martial law has recently been declared to deal with unrest.
Security forces from the UK have already ‘intervened’ in the sheikhdom: not on the side of the pro-democracy protestors who are being shot at, but in helping to train the police force whose officers have been doing the shooting, as well as the beating and attacking.
The last British police adviser was withdrawn from Bahrain less than two weeks ago. This was not in protest at the regimes brutal tactics but because of fears for the officers safety, said the UK National Police Improvement Agency (NPIA), the Home Office quango which sends UK officers to Bahrain.
The NPIA full-time advisers have offered ‘assistance in the modernisation of the Bahrain police force’ and training in ‘community policing’, simulation of operations like ‘riots armed sieges, etc’ and ‘counter terrorism’
The NPIA told the Eye it had two advisers in Bahrain this year. One was called back to Britain in mid March; the other was already on leave outside Bahrain and will not return.
In fact the NPIA has sent a variety of helpers to the kingdom. Last October trainers from the NPIAs ‘International Commanders Programme’ were there to ‘construct a leadership programme’ and in 2009 two media specialists were sent to ‘train members of a royal family, plus a judge, three lieutenant colonels and senior officials from various ministries. . . how to handle the media in a crises’. No doubt the training has been invaluable in recent weeks.
PE No: 1285