Parallels between Bahrain and London?
To the sad sad people who’re trying their utmost to compare what has happened in Bahrain to the UK’s current riots and come to the staggering realization that they’re one and the same: don’t. The twains do not and shall never meet.
Over there, it’s yobs, criminals and looters running rampant and they deserve nothing less then to be brought to justice. Here, the vast majority of demonstrators were peaceful and their demands were not DVD players, TVs and sneakers but to be able to live with dignity, have their human rights respected, get a representative government and inculcate social justice.
So get over yourself or stay in your padded hole. These things ain’t the same. Live with it.
I can’t fault you there, but please do not tell me that those who held Bahrain under siege and terrorized its people with their reprehensible actions were anything but peaceful and not a bunch of yobs running rampant in the streets causing mayhem and fear. I’m sorry, but those that have a genuine desire for legitimate reform (most of us in Bahrain DO want that) do not have to resort to the measures they did to be “heard”. Many of those who hijacked the “revolution” lost our sympathy vote a long time ago by the way they went about things, and that’s a fact. Now is the time to heal, reach out to each other and genuinely call for political/economic/social reforms that benefit us ALL.
Don’t agree with you there Dina. Those whom you unfairly categorize as to have held Bahrain under siege and terrorists wanted nothing more than to live with dignity and equality. You don’t see that or maybe you don’t want to see that. I urge you to think outside the flock and try to be in their shoes for a single minute. Maybe then you will start to understand and not haphazardly label your own compatriots as traitors – as you allude – or criminals at best. Think critically and open your horizons.
I understand what you are saying and I do genuinely feel empathy for the down-trodden. I have a heart and can feel their pain. I am not a monster who likes to label my compatriots as traitors – I detest that word, as all it does is polarize us and create more hatred/fear/suspicion, which is something none of us want, since most of us want to live together in peace and harmony. I do not live in a gilded tower, and know as Bahrainis we ALL deserve equal rights and the right to live in dignity. We all love our country and want the best for it. I also know we have a LONG way to go before equality is established, and that is something that needs to be worked on and fast.
I look forward to you fighting – in whatever manner you can – to establish equality and genuine social justice Dina. This country cannot hope to go into a more prosperous future without this being established. We should look at each other as equals regardless of gender, political affiliation, faith, body shape or disability and celebrate our humanity and difference and translate those differences as strengths to benefit the community and world rather than useless labels which serve no one but those who want to harm this community to their own myopic benefit.
Amen! I’ll do the best I can in the best way I can, as I’m not afraid to stand up for what’s right, which is not as complicated as some of us would like to believe.
I wish there was a ‘Like Very Much’ button for this post, I couldn’t agree with you more, Mahmood!
Well put. Also, those Brits that do get arrested will not be subjected to torture, threatened with rape and incarcerated indefinitely without due process,
M.
I agree with both of you and I hope we can all work for a better Bahrain. I also wish that the opposition stands up and condemns these random acts of violence that scared all of us. These acts should not be tolerated because they have lost the cause for everyone. Growing up in the 90′s, I’ve lived through my fair share of burned tyres and the scattered violence and vandalism this year made a lot of people lose sympathy. So let’s ALL stop the drama and move forward to build Bahrain
“I also wish that the opposition stands up and condemns these random acts of violence” They did. Plenty of times! and it’s hardly drama when people wrongly lose their lives Alia and the perpetrators of THOSE crimes still walk amongst us with impunity. If we let those deaths go, if could very well be you, your children, your neighbors or your friends who get that treatment next and no one will lift a finger.
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Get a sense of proportion Jons – the results ARE NOT one and the same.
Blocking streets and preventing people going on with their lives is an inconvenience. Having your business/home looted and all your wordly possessions stolen or burnt to the ground is incomparable. Drop the heightened sense of victimhood. I happen to live in Brixton, please do not compare your inability to go to the mall with the terror we have lived through the last few days and the massive losses my friends and neighbours have suffered.
Yes it was annoying being stuck in traffic for hours when the financial harbour was blocked – yes it was unpleasant and very scary having to go through ridiculous checkpoints set up by community vigilantes across all sections of society but how many shops/homes were looted in Bahrain during the unrest? I heard of damage to 2 well known supermarkets and a 24 hour store, and the perpetrators were certainly not protestors. Likewise, private cars destroyed and smashed up – again, the perpetrators were not protestors, they were wearing masks and uniforms. Mosques & Matams, who trashed those? How about village gateways and a communal garden planted by a widow in memory of her late husband? How about the desecration of graves, including those of greatly revered clerics? None of these acts, for which there is abundant evidence were perpetrated by protestors.
So calm has now been restored to the streets of the UK following the worst riots in 30 years. How many rioters were killed by the UK police? 0. How many bullets were fired, live, rubber or shotgun? 0. How many teargas canisters were used? 0.
I say go ahead and make your comparisons- beginning first and foremost with the police response.
Jons: There was very little destruction in Bahrain (at least by the demonstrators!), no more than an average protest in any part of the world. Granted there are hotheads on both sides, however we still do not know exactly which ‘side’ contributed to any ‘destruction’. Blocking of streets is an inconvenience, it is NOT terrorism!
Mahmood is quite correct. Bahrainis were protesting, not rioting, while the British yobs were rioting, not protesting. In Bahrain, it was the government which rioted and was the vehicle of violence while in Britain the police were pacifist and feeble in the face of thug violence. In Bahrain, the protestors were trying to build a better nation while in Britain the yobs were trying to tear their nation down and burn it up.
Max Hastings has summed up the conflict neatly:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2024284/UK-riots-2011-Liberal-dogma-spawned-generation-brutalised-youths.html
Simply put, the deficit crisis among Western nations and these riots are nails in the coffin of the welfare state.
Spot on Steve, I was nearly frothing with rage when Darcus Howe claimed that these riots were sending a message and that it was akin to the “Arab Spring”. He even snaked his way to saying it’s a result of police searching black youths. Boo hoo, it’s a hard life over here isn’t it.
These yobs chose to target high end designer stores because their clothing doesn’t reflect a lifestyle they wish to portray they have the money to lead. That’s a long way from fighting for freedom and against repression. If they had nothing and were robbing food stores I would have sympathy but they have enough money to own and use Blackberrys, they’re hardly destitute.
Mahmood, it’s a strange parallel, but whilst watching our riots I was thinking the police needed to come down harder, even read the riot act and that’s basically what the Bahraini police did. I guess it’s just the reasons behind “why” that justifies the force.
Cameron hit the nail on the head saying that these people know their rights but nothing of their responsibilities. I support the welfare state 100% in principle but when it becomes a gravy train to not work it needs reform.
This opinion piece in the leading Tory paper is worth reading:
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/peteroborne/100100708/the-moral-decay-of-our-society-is-as-bad-at-the-top-as-the-bottom/
wow a super dooper discussion goin’ on..i like brain food, i don’t have me thesaurus with me to match your vocabulary mutts….but simple is good…i was on sitra’s fishing port a few weeks back, two guys were talkin’ about one of the guy’s that got killed during the unrest, about how despicable the guy was & how all the fishermen are more comfortable of his nonexistence, his foul mouth & barbaric behaviour gave him a bad reputation…not once did they mention the word martyr…it tell’s me somthin’ ” birds of a feather don’t always stick together” the opposition made massive mistakes & the pro-gov aren’t any less more like a mammoth of mistakes !! both just as bad, thats politics + the holy war’s doing…nothing more to say….the opposition aren’t as strong as they were, startin’ to break up different opinion’s are starting to rise…boycotting the elections, sh.al asfoor & disciples on the other side, god knows whats next… now thats what scares me now dayz…let’s imagine the AL K’s left the island off to a better one…the opposition take the leading role….Ooo delally, what a great LiL island this will be” separation will be the slogan” shiraziy’s on one side sistaniys on the other the hizbie’s & so on & so forth …. the 3ajam & the Baharna hate each other lets not Denny that….simply a big mess…..best thing to do is pack up your valuables & Vammoss….Most of us don’t agree with the AL K’s that’s normal, only God”Allah” is complete…but what i do LOve about the AL K’s is they alway’s tried to stick us together over the years…”One LOve” i wish we can all sing that song one day…allah er7mak yaa BOB BiN MARLY…god bless & have a great day…sorry to intrude
Most welcome intrusion Omar, do it more often! My position is not so much about personalities as it is about principles. Human rights, equal opportunities, representative parliament, one-man-one-vote, anti-gerrymandering, social justice and that sort of thing. So in essence, I don’t particularly care about a person’s personality, what I do care about is that he is treated with dignity and respect his rights. As to the assertions that there isn’t anyone better to take over IF (and that’s a very big IF) Al-Khalifa leave, I don’t agree with you because that presupposes that in a population of half a million, there isn’t any group of people who are capable enough of forming and maintaining a government. Further, I don’t agree that Bahrainis will be at each others’ throats and that Al-Khalifa are the only people/entity who are keep us separate. What keeps us interacting with each other is the tolerance exemplified through the ages of almost all port-cities/states and of course beyond that our shared destiny. Every house is intermarried with another, sometimes at the extremes of political spectrums and this is not the exception, but the actual rule. Finally, believe me Omar, that should social justice prevail, where every single Bahraini is assured that s/he is treated equally and provided with equal opportunities without regard to familial or political allegiances, this country will really demonstrate its oneness in no time whatsoever. Then, no one will care if you are ajami, arabi, englishi, ship, sunni and whatever “i” that happens be at the end of your denomination.
word’s of wisdom is all i can say Don Mahmood, i love your brain, i would be the first person to vote for yaa to have a chair in the shura council, oo wait we can’t do that can we…well i would if we could…why i say that is because your “purpose” has never changed throw out the years & i respect you immensely for that…what bogles me is one thing!! what do the opposition what exactly?? other than over rulin’ the AL K’s…equal opportunities? to be treated equally? super cool we all want that but when mansoor al jamri said on tv a few weeks back” Shiaa’s are second class citizen’s” now how is that possible!! what a hypocrite, most of our millionaires & prominent personalities are shiaa’s?? these words are coming out of a VIP on this island, i guy who will be in our history book’s thats if he’s not already…sad, he forgot that we are all second class citizens…man i hate it when officials say the “AL K’s are the owning family” coz they are not “the AL K’s are the ruling family” us bahraini’s are the owners, all bahraini’s will protect & serve our island if anything goes wrong, other wise what are we scally waggs? what i’m trying to say is the opposition keep shifting there “purpose” they keep changing there mind as fast as a woman changing her nicker’s…it’s insane…one day we unite the other we separate… ok we all know that the AL K’s are not in good terms with the shiaa’s at the moment would you blame them…i see death to the AL K’s as a tag on all the villages walls… it only means the unrest will carry on for a while…i’m super happy that the check points are removed from Riffa, from the looks of things it wont be long & poww they’re back…i watched suhail & zaynab on the stream the other night..it was nothing but the blamegame!!! thats whats happening to our beloved society, blame it on the bell boy!!! i was observing & readin’ a twitter fight bickering at each other about a youtube video off the riot police breaking there fast & protesters shoutin’ abuse at them…& again the blamegame was still going on…we’re all in a hole that is so deep that the light is starting to fade out, we all want reform’s the media war is going nowhere people will give up believing, especially after one of the power houses of media slipped & lost its credibility “shouting in the dark” is a super production don’t get me wrong but with every action there is a reaction…i only saw the reaction!! my condolences & thought’s are with the 30 family’s that lost there loved ones, i’m a parent myself nothing could be worst than taking what i love away from me & that goes out to the 5 riot police officers that are dead & the dozens that were savourily injured witch al jazeera complete ignored….shameful, they were to busy getting the dramatic sound track suitable to fall in the propaganda basket or lets call it the one eyed media basket..but hey sela vee…..they got what they wanted & the train moves forward…..i want this place to heal sooo bad, on me birthday i didn’t wish for healthy kids nor a house by the beach…i wished for all of this to vanish…what a wasteful wish haaa….sorry for the blab Don…keep well & god sped
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1. I would like to directly speak to those “asians that you teach” please call me and I’ll be available at any time to do so. If for nothing, I enjoy meeting people.
2. More than 30 Bahrainis were killed. Those must account for something, or is it that our blood is less valuable?
3. International journalists are no fools. They generally can smell shite miles away, ignore it, and report on the actual things happening on the ground. They have their reputations to protect, and to them, that quality and the truth trumps all other consideration.
4. Criminals, no matter what color or hue they are should be fairly tried and if found at fault should have the book thrown at them. Until they are actually proven guilty, they are innocent, so step away from that soap box please.
5. I’d like to talk to that nurse too if you would care to get her to contact me.
6. It might help your case if you de-anonymise yourself and your allegations.
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Read my reply above. This too is just as ludicrous.
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No, I don’t take someone being threatened lightly. But the continuous harping on of “the poor asian” is more than ludicrous. At best, it makes them the victim unnecessarily and undeservedly. They are capable human beings some of whom have lived here all their lives and know that no one really means them harm, and if harm is done then the perpetrator should unquestioningly be put to court. This “poor asian” thing is distasteful now especially because they have been used as expedient fools and the very people who cry for their misfortune are the ones at other occasions who abuse them with alacrity.
I have Asians working for me, one lives by the CID place in Adliya, the other in Tashan and another by the Gold City, although they found the situation scary, as I and many others have, they were the first to the office during that time and only me deciding as a business owner to shut the office for 4 days stopped them from making their way through the rubble, the police cordons, the vigilantes and through the lines of thugs to get to the office. I think this “poor Asian” should stop, it’s way past its sell-by date.
As to international journalists and Bahrain suing Robert Fisk for libel, the answer is really? Really? What brainfart is this? Robert Fisk is one of the most highly regarded journalists and they want to pin on him some ludicrous notion is farcical, as were the attempts of the sycophants to “get at” Kristof. Do you honestly put these journalists with our very own Anwar Abdulrahman and his lot, or Mahmood Al-Mahmood and his or the whole bevy of wannabes at the Arab press? Purleez!
I’ll tell you what Bahrain needs more than an erudite spokesman. What we need is to face the truth and be humbled by it, adopt it, amend our ways and ensure that social justice prevails and stop being so sensitive about this spick of an island being much bigger than it really is. Once we face reality and honestly address our shortcomings, we won’t need any paid spokespeople, every one of us will become a shining ambassador to the world with pride.
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زين تسوي،عندك اياهم!
طبعاً لا اتوقع رد ايجابي منهم .
1. I would like to directly speak to those “asians that you teach” please call me and I’ll be available at any time to do so. If for nothing, I enjoy meeting people.
Well talking to people it seems pointless now what have been done ppl still have those horrifying memories and looking at your history i will sure not agreeing not even on talking over the fone so you can make a phony story of urs and publish it
2. More than 30 Bahrainis were killed. Those must account for something, or is it that our blood is less valuable?
Well lets see how did this dirty blood spill happened. 1st of all lets look at international peaceful standards or rioting when you have given a liberty in a certain area u utilize it you dont cross over and terrorize people or stop daily life job for people and create chaos. I’m sure ull come up with another dramatic story.
3. International journalists are no fools. They generally can smell shite miles away, ignore it, and report on the actual things happening on the ground. They have their reputations to protect, and to them, that quality and the truth trumps all other consideration.
CNN,BBC and al jazeera we dont give a crap about them all biased.
4. Criminals, no matter what color or hue they are should be fairly tried and if found at fault should have the book thrown at them. Until they are actually proven guilty, they are innocent, so step away from that soap box please.
Nabeel Rajab and al khawaja’s are the biggest criminals please dont join their league if the govt have really given you a chance to be neutral.
I guess its enough so can start your sarcastic comments
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Thanks ,,, God bless you
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It seems like any one who tries to show the more sinister side of the rioters is being voted down, and their comments hidden.
I’d like to share my experience of the protests turned rioters in Bahrain…
I grew up in Bahrain, went to BSB then St. Chris and so Bahrain is my second home, and so I would like to see it flourish.
When the protests started they were peaceful, and I was optimistic that their needs would be met….Then Pearl roundabout was raided (for some people its pearl square etc). This lead to a great deal of anger, and post raid it became quite unsafe for any non caucasian (non white) foreigners to visit the roundabout to show support to the protestors.
It was after this time that gangs started going round Manama forcing shops to close and checking CPR’s. This DID HAPPEN and Mahmood you seem content on saying otherwise.
Things became worse when gangs started abducting Pakistanis and other asians and beating them. Mahmood there are some videos on Youtube, and you can also call the Pakistani and Bangladeshi embassies; they’ll enlighten you. (As an employer of many Bahrainis and Asians I was asked to contribute funds to help the injured Asians return to their countries of origin, thats how I know their embassies and clubs should have records).
This is the same time that news described by Elish and HMMF came out (kidnapping and torture by rioters). There were several videos on youtube and the British Embassy advised British citizens to leave Bahrain.
To be honest I felt the GCC force intervention brought some measure of calm to the country despite their forceful demeanor.
These were unfortunate sequence of events for Bahrain, and I do pray every day that some sort of solution is found. As a student I loved Bahrain…it was home. After graduating from University in the UK I poured well over US1m of my family’s money into the country right before the crisis (you could say I have a vested interest in peace!).
Mahmood I’ve been following your blog since I was a student, and was quite appalled that you simply ignored the other side of the story. Whether you believe it or not ‘extremist’ Bahrainis are high jacking your quest for democracy. With them in the same boat as yourself, and the inability to distinguish between the two, you’ll never achieve your goals.
Back to the original article…theres a big difference between Bahrain and UK. The UK riots were dominated by thugs who worked together to loot and pillage, and Bahrainis attempts to achieve a democracy was thwarted from within by a group of thugs who caused great mayhem.
(From memory the majority of deaths on the Protestors side occurred post GCC force intervention, whilst Asian deaths and torture cases happened prior to this. IMO the only mistake the gov of Bahrain made was to raid pearl r/b during the initial peaceful protests).
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Someone forgot to send my wife, son and an employee and her partner as well as a couple of other friends who fit your description the memo then…
Quite possible. This is what happens when people get killed and thugs are carted around to attack people. Ill feelings and will do pervade.
I don’t condone violence of any sort. If this did happen, then the pending report from the BICI should highlight it and address this problem. Perpetrators should also be identified and put to justice.
Funny. Including the killing of several Bahrainis. I guess our blood is cheaper in your eyes. Great sense of calm indeed.
ahuh.
finally.
Agree with the first part, the other part suggests that you’re blinded for some reason and cannot evaluate what’s occurred here, or worse, naively accept some accounts of what happened as gospel. Re-evaluation needed by yourself I suggest.
You don’t say!
And of course you have evidence to corroborate this.
Hardly. This is just one instance. An intelligent person would go back further and try to understand the situation before spouting unsubstantiated and naive accusations. Regardless of the sums of money you or your family have “invested” here, we have given you back a lot more than you’ve put in. So be thankful, and don’t take sides. Or at least, try to understand the situation more fully rather than just scratch the surface and think that you understand our dynamics.
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-Quite possible. This is what happens when people get killed and thugs are carted around to attack people. Ill feelings and will do pervade.
The problem is you’re defending those who use this opportunity to cause harm to the innocent.
-I don’t condone violence of any sort.
Funny…you seem to contradict this by implying its natural.
-Funny. Including the killing of several Bahrainis. I guess our blood is cheaper in your eyes. Great sense of calm indeed.
I never said Bahraini blood was cheaper…you assume things…I said things calmed down. The general population can go about their business. Protestors should try to cause the least disruption possible. You may not have noticed how businesses especially banks are lining up to leave. It’s the Bahraini’s they will fire not the expats- they’ll be moved to Dubai etc.
-you’re blinded for some reason and cannot evaluate what’s occurred here, or worse, naively accept some accounts of what happened as gospel. Re-evaluation needed by yourself I suggest….Regardless of the sums of money you or your family have “invested” here, we have given you back a lot more than you’ve put in. So be thankful, and don’t take sides. Or at least, try to understand the situation more fully rather than just scratch the surface and think that you understand our dynamics.
No I completely understand whats been happening in Bahrain…but perhaps you should follow your own advice and “be grateful” for what you have.
In terms of a second home…thats the only thing I got from Bahrain…but I paid for it with by my own money (nothing was free for me as a non-bahraini, I got my own healthcare; paid for my own house with no subsidies; pay my own bills etc). So Bahrain really hasn’t given me anything to be grateful enough to not protect my investment. All of our wealth was generated in the UK.
-And of course you have evidence to corroborate this.
I told you where to look. By turning a blind eye you are just as guilty as those who targeted the defenceless. You’ve spoken just like Ahmadinejad…just because you didnt see it with your eyes you should not ignore the evidence already out there.
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I am living in this country and have been for the last 11 years and I only mix with the locals Shiites and Sunies and to be honest with u ur full of crap , u have no idea what has and is going on in Bahrain. The people from the villages or should I say the kids who are pushed to go out their every night to as u call it protest is shameful they are ordered by some big thugs cowards who are sitting at home giving them their orders to these young kids to do their dirty work for them.They are messaging them and also over the net , why is it that only the villagers are out ? oops!! is it because they are uneducated and they are being used?
I have followed these people on the net for many months now and I have learnt a lot thanks to their hateful pages , so I am not fooled as I get all the info I need to know from them , straight from the horses mouth . I will say it again full of propaganda and a lot of advice coming from out side to encourage the protesting game , no blind eye from my side my eyes are wide open , thank u
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Your eyes might be open, but the lights are most definitely off!
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Ah Elish aka Liz Lane strikes again. Famous for her GDN whines re her hateful facebook pages being removed. Long may they continue to do so. Give it a rest Liz!
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lol, So called James Benson u should have went with the name Bond, hahahaha!!!! guess what James boy ? I am not going to stop! and for my so called hateful page I will say to any of u who have a face book account please look up Expats of Bahrain 2, and it will prove to u how they lie little by little and they do not like it when some one speaks out , They also like to use foreign names and why do u think that is ? lol so that they will get noticed , full of lies and propaganda and now people are beginning to see behind the one sided story ,, oops!!! James u for got to mention the threats that u guys sent to me but not to worry I have them all keeping them for a rainy day,
Take care James boy
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