Mahmood's Den

Man the past couple of months were hectic, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to slow down. Directly after the race I’m off to Riyadh on the 6th, then goodness knows where else, I hope somewhere where I can enjoy some snow! I’m fed up of the sun every single day and my multi-coloured body can tell you the story – I’m peeling! Now I’ve got the colour, the curly hair… maybe I should work on thicker lips!!

Thank you all for your support via comments here or emails. Sorry if I have not responded, but waking up at 6am and coming to bed at 1am for two solid months is not fun.

I haven’t even been able to read the papers, that’s probably the greatest loss through the past few weeks, I have no idea what’s happening on the island other than what I hear. But, it’s coming to a successful completion in the next few days. You wouldn’t believe the atmosphere at the track now. Electric!

As my daughter Hanan’s 13th birthday falls on race day (04-04-04) I snuck her yesterday afternoon into the track as my birthday gift to her, and she thoroughly enjoyed the experience! She even met with the Chairman of the BIC, Shaikh Fawaz in the paddock and he gave her a bunch of commemorative coins, 100 fils coins nicely mounted with the BIC’s logo on the back. Brilliant! Thank you Shaikh Fawaz, you made her day

I took Hanan from the TV Compound, through to the Paddock area, then the pit-lane, over to the very top of Sukhir Tower, down to the Grand Stand and commentary booths, so essentially a full tour. She was jumping for joy!

Happy birthday Hanan!

for those of you who are observant, these pictures were taken with my new Nokia 6600 phone which I had to buy last week as my Ericsson died! I would have preferred to get the 6620, but alas, I can’t be without a mobile!

Quiz:
1. Name them, from left to right
2. Who’s the prettiest? score out of 10
3. Guess their future in the 2006 elections
4. Which one is the odd one out? and why?
5. What’s their impact on Bahrain?

Get crackin’!

Soon to be ex-MP Sameer Al-Shuwaikh, (the guy I voted for!) was handed a six-month suspended jail sentence yesterday for issuing a dud-cheque. For 158,000 Dinars (US$ 419k). His defence of ignorance and that “he only presented the cheque as a guarantee” were thrown out of court. You ain’t got money, don’t write cheques. Even my 10-year-old son knows that. He probably thought that becoming an MP would shelter him from prosecution, and it did for a while, but his immunity was lifted.

So it looks like we’re going to have to elect another person to represent us quite soon in our area (Northern Governate, Constituency #3, Barbar) , and hope that this time there will be a better choice to pick from.

C’mon Parliament, what are you waiting for, let’s have an election and see if that too is going to be boycotted! What fun!!

58 security personnel were made redundant by the Seef Mall a few days ago in an effort for the company to be more profitable by out-sourcing security. The ex-employees were given an extremely fair severance pay (the last one negotiated was 6 months for every year employed by them, coming to some BD 22,000 in severance pay for the group, the members of which used to get between BD 200 to BD 250 per month if not less) but that was rejected. Their union is demanding severance pay equivalent to 5 years’ wages per person. The excuse given is that these people have loans and families to support.

The whole of Bahrain is in a tizz with this “issue.” Every paper has articles and editorials about it since this started. Members of parliament are “outraged” at the unfair dismissal, the the workers’ unions are giving interviews left, right and centre. The minister of Labour and Social Affairs is into the fray as well. He (or at least his Ministry) has given Seef Properties, the owner of the Seef Mall, the go ahead to outsource security to a private company, but now he’s coming out that he was never aware of this decision and wouldn’t have sanctioned it had he been aware of it. The company on the other hand has proof that he did know. And the games start.

Now, like with any issue in the past 3 or so years, the affected workers through their union have approached the King to force the company to hire them back. As if he’s not busy enough.

Can you now imagine the Vaseline jar or KY jelly being put to good use with the company bending over?

Right. This sums up the labour market in Bahrain. The worker has the ultimate power, no businessman or woman has the balls to fire a Bahraini. Even if you caught that Bahraini steeling from you, physically damaging your office equipment, selling your trade secrets, or even screwing your dog. Because if you do, then be prepared to be immediately sued for an inordinate amount of money.

You, as a businessperson, will be at the worker’s mercy. The very first thing this “dispossessed” person will do is lodge a complaint for wrongful dismissal with the Ministry of Labour, they will move the case to the Labour Courts and they in turn will slap you with a bill so big that it would be better for you just to up-sticks and close your shop, declare bankruptcy thus leaving of course more people out of work.

Welcome to the wonderful world of employing Bahrainis.

Do we have to? Have you heard of state controlled and sanctioned embezzlement and hostage taking? If you haven’t and you intend to do any kind of business in Bahrain, you soon will. It will be the stuff of your most virulent nightmares. Believe me, I have been having the same recurring nightmare for about 12 years. It is not a pretty thought I can assure you.

There is no way in hell that as a business, large or small, for you to get the correct employees you need for your survival, success and growth under the current stilted labour laws. I’m talking about Bahrainis here. Give a Bahraini the option of working for you and the interview will go like this:

1. How much you pay?
2. Not enough, how much more?
3. Ok, I’ll fink about it.
4. I only work morning. How many shift you have?
5. I only work morning.
6. How much you pay more?
7. What time start? I come between 9 and 12 ok!
8. You give me mobile.
9. You give me car.
10. You give me holiday 2 months every year.
11. Sometime I don’t come to work because period. (huh? You’re a man!)
12. I only get work when pregnant 3 months. Don’t show. I get maternal leave one year. Full paid. Then I leave ok.
13. I get mobile, yes?
14. How much you pay more?

Now take your pick, this could be an interview for a secretary, office boy, technician, whatever. Just change the language up or down to suite, but the essence is the same.

And the hidden thing in all of this of course is that after you do employ them, they will continue to try to find another job and will leave you even if the pay difference is 5 Dinars. And even while transferring to another job they will:

1. claim unfair dismissal.
2. sue your ass for the privilege or having hired them in the first place.

And do you think they will stay in that “greener pasture” long? No, they will continue to try to find another job, UNTIL of course they land a GOVERNMENT job! THIS my friends, is the ultimate for a Bahraini worker. They will be in their heaven when they get that and will hold on to it with their teeth until the day they die, and even after that, they will have had dibs put on their seat for their children, and their children’s children.

Why? No need for performance, evaluation, and a guaranteed lifetime of doing nothing. Add to that the fact that they will only work mornings, so almost all of them will get another part time job for the afternoons or start their own grocery, tailor, garage, or electronics repair/sale shop!

So why waste time even attempting to hire Bahrainis in the first place? Remember what I said about the government sanctioned extortion above? A businessperson CANNOT employ foreign staff UNLESS you have the token Bahrainis. So most small businesses at least just hire an office-boy/driver and with that you will get one visa (if you’re lucky, or have the right connections) to employ a foreign person you can depend on.

You’re expanding? You’re moderately successful so now you need to hire a secretary? Bahrainis only can hold his exalted position. Refer to “steps of successful interviewing” above. But pay particular attention to points 11 and 12 though, don’t get caught now, don’t say I didn’t warn you!

And you wonder why we have unemployment here? How can the private sector, which is the largest employer on the Island cope with this phenomenon? How can I as a small business owner employ an office-boy and pay him a comparatively good wage, higher than the national average for such a job, fire the stiff because he threatened my life (literally) and he not only walked away with it, but the court gave him 7 months’ salary as severance pay, a bonus because he worked for me for a few years, and pay his full social insurance which we are not eligible for anyway? Now repeat this story at least once every 3 years or so. Vaseline anyone? Anyone?

The unemployed don’t WANT employment. Why the hell should they if each and every one of them can “sell” his CPR (central population register) number to an employer for 100 Dinars or more and be a “ghost” worker, just for the privilege of this employer to get a work permit for a foreign worker? Just walk by the Ministry of Labour any day of the week and you will find them all sitting around, sometimes inside the ministry’s halls waiting to catch someone to sell their numbers to? This is a highly profitable fishing exercise! And if we do fall into the trap and do buy a ghost-worker we have to pay into his social pension fund as well!

(I should probably explain the CPR thing. Every person in Bahrain must have a central population register number. This number dies with you and you need that card for conducting anything with the government, banks, anything. If you hire a person, that person has to register with the Ministry of Labour using their CPR card number and that number is cross-referenced to your commercial registration, so that the government knows how many you employ, who you employ and when you employed them. Why would a country that doesn’t have any taxes do that? Big brother of course.

So let’s say that you want to hire a Bahraini in order to really hire a foreigner. What you do is get an unemployed Bahraini to just register with the Ministry of Labour as your employee, then the Ministry will deem it correct to give you a work permit to hire a foreigner.)

More? Ok. A business cannot get ANY government contract unless they get a certificate from the Ministry of Labour certifying that your company actually employs the required quota of Bahrainis the ministry has set. In most business enterprises that varies between 25% to 75%, maybe higher.

Okay you are officially a good citizen and employ Bahrainis as a matter of course. You are patriotic and truly believe that you do good by not only employing Bahrainis but also train them, bring them into your business and give them responsibilities and make them grow with you. This can work and does work in some cases, but not in the small business arena. This only works for larger companies, banks, insurance firms and of course the great benefactor: the government.

For the small and medium enterprise this is fraught with untold danger. The sword will continuously hang over your head: if the person gets a slightly better paying job, he WILL leave. If the person gets a government job, he most definitely will leave, but if has stayed with you for a few months and learnt the ropes he will not only leave, but leave and start a business to directly compete with you, taking with him of course most if not all of your customers. This has happened, and in this environment and stupid labour laws will continue to happen.

The solution is so simple and staring the government in the face all the time that it boggles the mind why it is so difficult to grasp and enact. FREE the labour market! Remove all these hindrances to small and medium businesses. Invest – really invest – in effective training schemes. Radically revise the dilapidated educational system. And hold the workers responsible.

If as a business you absolutely NEED to fire someone, then ensure that the contractual agreement between the parties actually is respected, don’t come back and say that if the contract does not tally with the official contract template from the Ministry of Labour then it is invalid. What, did the guy sign a contract blindly, cannot read, cannot think for himself so that the government once again acts as the big brother here? If anyone signs a contract which is fair and correct, why force the government’s own version down your throat? If you fire someone, give him the correct severance pay, as dictated by the mutually signed contract, don’t even LET the bastard come and complain to you that he was wrongfully dismissed and demands 20 years’ salaries because his wife can’t keep her legs closed and now he has 19 children. Why the fuck should I care? I want a productive employee, I’m not running a child-bearing farm, nor am I a family planning unit.

Having said that, NO company is going to fire a good employee. It has invested time, money and a lot of effort into training the employee on the various aspects of the business, why go through all of that again if you don’t have to? We’re running businesses to make money after all, not squander and lose it.

Almost every day we get teachers, labourers, and even professional nose-pickers demonstrating because they can’t get jobs. In most cases it is not because jobs are not available, it is because they don’t WANT the jobs found and offered to them on a silver platter. It is because they are not flexible enough to do something else, it is because they want a government job, and it is because they want a hand-out. And they hold the business enterprises by the balls to get what they want.

Sure there are cases which are genuine. Sure some people are highly educated and cannot find jobs because of discrimination and other factors. I am all for that person and am aghast with disgust as to why a job cannot be found for them. But generally, ask any business owner about this situation and I can guarantee that if they are honest they will fully agree with me.

Minister of Labour, if you are in the mood to listen, then listen to this advice:

1. make your absolute priority in your office to find the fastest and best way to close your ministry. It is not needed. The best way to do that is for you to enable, encourage and harbour free trade and a free labour market. For the sooner you do that, the sooner businesses will boom and as they boom they will require more workers and the country’s main unemployment problem will dissolve. Trust me on this.

2. shut down the labour courts. They are useless and unnecessary. They are completely biased to the workers anyway and they (along with your ministry’s policies) are throttling business opportunities and FUTURE job opportunities for your armies of unemployed. If a just claim to wrongful dismissal is raised, then raise it in a civil court. And LOOK and STUDY the documents presented by the employer, rather than judges arbitrarily remove the soiled finger out of their proverbial ass, test the wind with it, and award a sum of money that will break the small business’ back, hence creating more unemployment. An even better option is use a tribunal. It does work in other countries.

3. invest in education. Throw all the current books away, let’s have a national bonfire, it will be a pretty spectacle. And then bring in real experts and real teachers to teach. If you have to close all the schools for a year or two to get that done then it’s not a problem, they’re not learning anything now anyway.

4. LISTEN to the business community. They are your friends. They are the people who are creating and maintaining jobs. They know what they’re doing and they know how important loyal and productive workers can be.

Back to the start now with those security personnel. The majority of the sacked workers have been offered jobs by the company taking over at the same or even better salaries. Get them to take it! It’s an opportunity which should not be missed. If they refuse, then fuck ‘em. They will restart selling their CPR numbers anyway…

Here’s something that you should read, study and take to heart:

Opinions differ as to whether the economic success of Dubai can be replicated elsewhere in the Middle East. Delegations regularly troop through Internet City, and Egypt recently rolled out its own technology park, Smart Village, near Cairo.

But no other Arab society seems to possess quite the same readiness to throw its doors open to outside influences, coupled with the flexibility to capitalize on them.

“Dubai’s a complete anomaly, like Singapore or Hong Kong,” said Peter J. Cooper, editor of AME Business Info, a journal of gulf commerce. “Port cities have always been more liberal.”

Philadelphia Inquirer: A city-state run like a conglomerate

Bahrain is a port country not just a city, or am I mistaken?

But shouldn’t EVERY day be women’s day? Ok, make it 364 days in a year dedicated for women – which they deserve, but let’s just have one day for men!

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Over 2.5 billion people watch every single formula one race. And an average of 100,000 people attend the event physically. Think about it.

In effect, the Formula One circus equates to a Football World Cup or the Olympics. The difference of course is that instead of the events happening every FOUR years, the F1 happens every two weeks! It is the second most watched live sporting event in the world.

It is a known and proven fact that the immediate revenue for the host country (direct and indirect) of every single Formula One weekend goes well beyond tens of million of Dinars.

The Formula One event has contributed greatly to tourism in every country it has ever been held in. Apart from the “tifosi” who travel the globe to be with every Formula One race, many motor-sporting enthusiasts and supporters will come to Bahrain to spend their time and money, not just at the track, but in hotels, shops, restaurants and various other outlets.

It is well worth remembering that the Bahrain International Circuit is a multi-purpose major motor-sporting arena which is the most advanced in the world. It includes a Formula 1, a drag-strip, and an oval track. Even the Chinese circuit which costs twice as much does not compare to the facilities we have here, it is certainly less “cultural-like”.

Just a glimpse at the Bahrain International Circuit and one cannot miss the cultural import of the architecture, let alone its utility to the local economy. It embodies our heritage: wind towers, tents, and desert, married with the most advanced facilities Formula One has yet to experience. A true embodiment of the Arab soaring spirit. It is truly fascinating, kudos to our Crown Prince Shaikh Salman bin Hamad, the main visionary of such a mammoth enterprise.

The activities it will host is not limited just to Formula One. It’s also going to have go-kart, motor-cycle, drag-racing and other motor-sporting events. One important revenue stream will be car manufacturers’ testing where they will bring their newest concept cars to test in typical Middle Eastern conditions, where else can they do that in the Middle East now?

So although the build cost is perceivably high at BD 57 million, the country more than will recoup that investment in just a few years.

On the intangible side, the gain that the Bahrain International Circuit will contribute to Bahrain is international recognition and publicity. No other activity will bring Bahrain as much recognition as the Formula One races; for about 90 minutes every year, Bahrain is going to be the center of the world, watched by some 2.5 billion viewers! And this is completely free publicity! For the mathematically inclined, multiply those 90 minutes by what it costs to normally advertise on TV advertising slots which are normally charged in segments of 32 seconds, and you will get the picture.

It’s estimated that the event will be broadcast by more than 90 television stations around the world, live, from Bahrain, reaching those 2.5 billion viewers. Even if less than 1% of the viewers come to Bahrain for a holiday every year directly due to the Bahrain International Circuit, or feel encouraged to conduct business with a Bahraini company, it translates into a lot of jobs and opportunities for Bahrainis.

In the short term, most of the foreign visitors to the formula one event in Bahrain are normally wealthy individuals, and judging by the revenues generated from them in other circuits, they will spend much more than the average tourist. This of course is in addition to the money that will be spent by the teams themselves. The F1 entourage is expected to exceed 2,000 people who should be treated as our honoured guests who will spend a lot more than a normal tourist.

Translated in real terms, this means an increase in revenues from tourism, increase in foreign direct investments, increase in joint-venture firms, increase in jobs, increase in advertising and sponsorship spend, increase even in technologies and manufacturing enterprises associated with car manufacturing. It is not too far fetched for Bahraini engineers to contribute to engine and various other car parts’ design and construction. A whole new industry will grow around this circuit and will provide much needed non-transitory jobs in areas not catered for or maybe even not thought about at the moment.

It is wrong to think that the circuit’s impact will be limited to just the tourism and hospitality industries.

With its planned driving and racing schools, it will contribute in another way to the country as well. It will raise a generation of safer drivers! And before long, we might even have a young Bahraini driving in the Formula One races too.

Although the sport is expensive, revenue generated by it is huge. Melbourne’s Sunday Herald Sun described the Formula One as that giant vacuum cleaner that sucks up money at an alarming rate, but also brings in an annual revenue of more than BD 100 million.

For example, the Australian Grand Prix event some BD 4 million has been invested in advertising, promotions and marketing for the four-day period and at the same time the Melbourne business community were reported to have generated an income close to BD 20 million. Even the official caterer for the Grand Prix made an access of BD 2 million in profit, catering to some 400,000 spectators who turned up throughout the four days¹.

The concern now is not the money or jobs which will be generated aplenty by the Bahrain International Circuit. It is predatory politics. What is feared is that opposition groups be they Islamists or other parties might willingly sabotage such an important event for selfish and personal gains, or at least unwittingly doing so under the guise of “cultural values” which they themselves impose on our community, as they have done before.

We have already seen the impact the Islamists have had with the Nancy Ajram concert, and recently with the chasing out of capital when they successfully stopped the production of the Big Brother television program. The effects of these two actions might be too soon to ascertain, but the general business consensus indicates the impact to be major and probably lasting.

No longer will a television station consider Bahrain as its base, no producer will consider filming in Bahrain, and an entertainer will think many times before mounting a concert here.

Apart from the immediate negative impact the country suffered, a far more dangerous aspect must be considered due to these actions: a huge loss of opportunities for the community at large, and loss of reputation for Bahrain as being a diverse cultural and multi-ethnic society. We are now viewed by the world as simply a harbour for extremists.

What might these extremists do during the inaugural Formula One race remains to be seen, but judging by past experiences, they will probably do something to muddy the waters and further entrench the view that we are not receptive to, and what ultimately will be translated as hostile to foreigners and foreign investment.

They will politicise the event by branding their actions as “constitutionally guaranteed” or “democratic.” In doing so however, they will demonstrate without a shadow of a doubt their selfishness, un-patriotism and as importantly their complete disregard for their national duty.

If a negative campaign is mounted no matter what guise it takes, it will be nothing less than holding the country hostage, with dire consequences for the community in the long run. Destroying such an event will not be recovered from.

What the opposition forces and the Islamists should do, if they are indeed patriotic and want the best for their country, is diligently work at the success of this event. Nothing less will be acceptable.

[1] Formula 1 Racing, the Economy and the Environment

The Chamber of Deputies website. Arabic.

Don’t search for it, google won’t find it and it’s completely in Arabic.

But it seems complete, you’ll find it at

It lists the complete directory and contact details of the MPs and even their Bios (you don’t want to go there, it’s depressing! I’ll try to translate at least their contact information and their bios and put them up here when I have a chance.)

The important thing is that they all have email addresses, but whether they actually read their emails is another matter.

Ugh! Full blown cold. Blocked nose, leaky nose, dizzy, can’t breathe and worst of all, can’t enjoy my coffee. Can’t taste the blasted thing or anything else for that matter. I feel my brain leaking.

It started on Friday with what I thought was an itchy throat, by evening it was compounded by a heavy bout of the sniffles, then onto the phase which we all love, a leaky nose!

Couldn’t sleep properly last night. Turn left: leaky nose, turn right: even more, on the back and it trickles down the throat. Ugh. Nasty.

Damn it, I don’t need this. Not for another 4 weeks…

Normally I would automagically get rid of a cold in 24 hours. At most in 48. Not this time I don’t think.

I should be thankful, the last time I remember a cold as bad as this was about 22 years ago (shit, has it been that long?) leaving Scotland to warmer London on the way home.

I guess once in every 22 years ain’t that bad, but it didn’t have to happen now, did it?

Any home grown quick cures?

Adel Al-Moawdah: “We entered the parliament to please our God before pleasing the people. We won’t sell our ever-after for this life.”

He also denies defaming “most” Barhaini business people with this comments reported earlier that they are the “morally corrupt lobby,” he claims his words were skewed and that the media is mounting a campaign against him personally. Hence he doesn’t see a reason to apologise for his remarks. He didn’t do nor say anything wrong.

Adel Al-Moawdah also firmly disbelieves that the closure of Big Brother Arabia will affect business and capital in Bahrain and encourages investment in “clean” projects – which he sanctions of course¹.

He initiates the fire, then runs as far away as possible from it, letting others fan it with their hatred until it becomes all consuming. He of course didn’t do anything, just pour some kerosene and lit the match. As in Nancy Ajram’s case, he had nothing to do with the consequences, as he didn’t have anything to do with slandering the whole business community, MBC, the contestants and the 200 workers (now unemployed) at the show.

He has simply pulled himself out of it completely and blames the media for misrepresenting and misquoting him.

Perhaps his final declaration that he’s in parliament on a religious mission sums it up nicely. With this (documented) declaration, he emphasises that his mission and bloc is invariably to get Bahrain to be the next Tarliran. His duty as an MP to find solutions to people’s problems as in employment, health, services, education and eradicating corruption and nepotism is only second to turning this country into a Islamist state closer to his vision of the 7th century, than a modern, vibrant, tolerant country of the 21st.

I sometimes just wish and dream of owning a time-machine. If I had, I would use it exclusively to send these people back to the age they so long to be in. Then we’d see just how long they would last in their Utopia!

[1] Al-Wasat Newspaper Friday 5th March, 2004, page 5

The effervescent MP, the honourable Adel Al-Moawdah described anyone who defended the “Big Brother” program as being from the “morally corrupt lobby¹.”

That of course labels virtually the whole of the business community, leading businessmen and their families, and moderates alike. And of course that means that only Islamists know the “way to Allah” and we should blindly follow in their footsteps.

And here is simple “morally corrupt” me wondering if there is no panel in parliament to censure MPs who use such insulting language to describe the very people who they have been sworn to serve?

Where is the Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies from all this? Isn’t it his responsibility to at least reprimand wayward MPs like Al-Moawdah for choosing to blatantly use phrases like these? As important, as an Islamist himself, isn’t it his responsibility to educate these people in the correct way to conduct themselves? In direct violation to the parliament’s own internal rules and regulations Adel Al-Moawdah, Ali Mattar, Mohammed Khalid and Al-Saidi have continuously flouted their sworn roles and went out on demonstrations, described their constituents with terms like “lost” and “morally corrupt.” Isn’t it time that the Chairman and these honourable gentlemen offer their abject and sincere apologies to the community?

I join my voice to Farouq Al-Moayyed, one of the leading businessmen in Bahrain, demand an apology from Adel Al-Moawdah for describing me as “corrupt”. The only corruption I can see at this moment is Al-Moawdah’s mind!

With his once again irresponsible actions and words, he has successfully banished MBC from Bahrain who is on record today saying that they will never consider any form of project in Bahrain. With them I think Orbit will go – which plans to hire up to 700 people on the island, build a station and broadcast some 30 satellite channels as well as build production facilities and studios. There is also the Bahrain Financial Channel which is probably re-considering its location now, 2 private TV stations who have applied for licenses and I would not be surprised if they “suspend” their applications now, there is the Opera House which is scheduled to be built in the Bahrain Financial Harbour which is on the balance now, and goodness knows what else directly in the media business.

This translates to thousands of jobs and countless millions. But we can’t have that as some of them “might” be perceived as un-Islamic.

These people can’t seems to realise that there is no bigger coward than capital. Any hitch, much less than the reaction to Nancy Ajram and Big Brother, and it’s the first to escape, leaving behind lost opportunities, lost jobs, increased poverty, shrinkage of the middle class, and shattered families.

The Islamists owe us all an apology.

[1] Al-Wasat Newspaper, front page, 4th March 2004.

In today’s Akhbar Al-Khaleej newspaper, on the front page, the Salafi/Wahabi MP Jassim Al-Saidi proposes the application of Shari’a Law in Bahrain and will table a motion to amend the Penal Law as such in parliament.

His argument of course is that it is a clear text in the Holy Quran, cut off the hands of theifs. End of story. He goes farther by quoting the actual text in the Quran, and the Teachings of the Prophet to support his case.

What instigated him is the abundance and the escalating number of crimes in Bahrain. Thievery is rife, rape and killings have escalated dramatically over the last 10 years. Al-Saidi’s resource to the Scripture and his demand to apply the Laws of Allah as prescribed by the Quran and the Teachings of the Prophet will defintely solve these problems.

Nancy Ajram and Big Brother were only the hours de avors. This is the entree.

Cinemas would be either shut down or made subject to religious censorship if certain MPs have their way, sources told our sister paper Akhbar Al Khaleej.

Several Islamist MPs intend to submit a draft proposal to parliament, claiming cinemas are favouring mixing of the sexes and showing indecent films which flout Bahraini traditions and values.

source: GDN

Now that the people of Bahrain have accepted the rule os the Taliran(tm)-like Parliament, we deserve everything we get. The next item on the agenda now are Cinemas according to a report in today’s GDN.

Can you think what else offends the Taliran(tm) Parliament so those too should be addressed by them?

This from Reuters:

MANAMA (Reuters) – An Arab television channel said on Monday it was temporarily pulling the plug on its Arabic version of the hit reality show Big Brother after charges of indecency.

But an official of the MBC satellite channel said it would relaunch the show from outside Bahrain, where it was produced. Protesters in the conservative Gulf Arab state had said showing unmarried people living together offended Islam.

“There are many (locations) where it could be produced. We are looking at possible schedules,” the official said.

“This decision aims to avoid exposing MBC and its programs to accusations that it offends Arab values, customs and morals, because we consider MBC to be first and foremost a channel that belongs to the Arab world,” the popular Saudi-owned channel said in a statement.

Several hundred Islamists chanting “Stop Sin Brother! No to indecency!” protested in Bahrain on Friday against the show, which they deemed un-Islamic.

Some members of Bahrain’s parliament demanded to question Information Minister Nabeel al-Hamer about Big Brother.

“We are an Islamic country with our own traditions. This program spoils the morals of our sons,” MP Jasim al-Saeedi said.

Yousef Nooh, a doctor, said: “The show was not acceptable, but it’s strange to stop it, because it is an internationally accepted program.”

The Big Brother formula, in which participants are filmed 24 hours a day, has been copied around the world and draws large audiences.

The program, aired across the Arab world by MBC, had raised eyebrows despite efforts to take into account Muslim sensitivities. Separate living and sleeping quarters for male and female participants were introduced, as well as a prayer room.

“This type of show is no more a challenge or social problem than most films and television serials shown on all channels, in fact it is more faithful in showing reality than the movies and soaps,”the MBC statement said.

The Arab world’s first reality TV experiment, a dating show called Al Hawa Sawa (On Air Together), survived its three-month stint, ending earlier on Monday. It was aired from less conservative Lebanon.

So they get to have their way again. Now it is time for the silent majority to show that they are against these self-styled ‘big brothers’ of our society and wrench it back from them before all is lost.

Let’s recap:
1. Adel Al-Moawdah (salafi/wahabi) riles against Nancy Ajram in parliament, people heed his advice and riot, 10 people are awaiting prison sentences and of course he disassociates himself from the instigation of the riots completely.

2. Adel Al-Moawdah and his block (Al-Saidi, Mohammed Khalid, Ali Mattar (salafis/wahabis) and the rest of the Islamists in parliament) again protest against a television show, this time Big Brother Arabia, the three of them organise protests just after their Friday sermons, march to the Big Brother production location, get publicity, and a few hours ago they once again get their way. No rioters this time, however they were censured severely by their colleagues Abdulnabi Salman and Farid Ghazi (both MPs) where they indirectly cautioned them that they (Islamists) shouldn’t use extra-parliamentary means to get their way, especially if there are instruments within the parliamentary system to show their grievance and their objections.

Once again the honourable Adel Al-Moawdah waves the flag of Ministerial interrogation and questioning in parliament of the Information Minister in regards to Big Brother.

3. Al-Saidi (salafi/wahabi) proposes that ALL areas of public life, starting with schools should be segregated. “It only takes building a few more buildings in the university compound for the girls or erecting fences between the genders!” What’s the big deal? He just threw hundreds of years of psychology in the toilet and flushed it, after heavy use by the honourable gentleman.

4. Abdulla Al-A’ali (shi’a cleric) proposes as a solution to “prevent possible vice” banning Bahrainis from entering hotels in the country. He’s laughed at in parliament by his own colleagues.

5. Al-Saidi (salafi/wahabi) is “extremely worried” about “our girls” living abroad to attend university by themselves in foreign land where he “can’t keep an eye on them, and they are open to subversion in the western culture.” He proposes to not allow girls to study outside of Bahrain.

6. I can FULLY envisage the cancellation of Formula One in Bahrain AT THE LAST MINUTE due to these “Big Brothers” because it encompasses all of the above and “it will subvert our ‘youth’ into speeding”

God have mercy.

Do the moderates continue to sit in their armchairs while these despots take over our lives? Do we still allow them to control every aspect of it? And can we accept to live in an Orwellian version of Bahrain even worst than the “security law” era because these people are genuinely “afraid for us in front of God and by their actions want to keep us from sin and debauchery?”

If we don’t do something concrete to let these people, the parliament and the government to hear our voice, then all is really lost.

Is this the democracy that we envisage and want for Bahrain? Ruled by religion, especially a closed and blind interpretation as has been forced down our throats by these people?

George Orwell, we’re catching up with you, it only took 55 years, lightspeed in this area of the world!

Welcome to mini-Iran and Taliban’s Afghanistan rolled into one. A place which used to be called Bahrain.