1. Palestinian Intifadha
2. Against the US Military Base in Bahrain
3. Demand to close the American Embassy in Bahrain
Though they’re only a kilometer or so from my home, they are from another planet.
I think they just finished Friday prayers in Diraz Mosque and decided: “hey, let’s go out and demand that Israel gets out of Palestine and while we’re about it, let’s demand the closure of the American military bases and their Embassy as well.”
While they’re well within their rights to demonstrate about any issue that takes their fancy, I do not agree even for a second of what they’re demonstrating for. For one thing, I saw their society’s flag, the Palestinian flag as well as “Hizb Allah” flags, but nothing of my nation, so they can’t be that representative of the Bahraini street.
In any case, I am glad to see a member of parliament at the front on the demo (that guy with the brown “bisht” and turban) rather than that other deputy “Mattar” who said in the press last week that he can’t understand why people do “these things” – well h e l l o o anybody home? Mattar is a firm member of the “wheels are turning but the hamster is dead” society.
Unfortunately I was out of the island for a few days so I couldn’t comment on Mattar’s views, but I’ll dig the articles up and put links to them here for posterity’s sake!
Update: that guy in the front is not a member of parliament, and the papers today confirm that the purpose of this demonstration is to celebrate the Palestinian Intifadha anniversary. The GDN reports that demonstrators were about 1,000 people, not from where I was looking it wasn’t. It can’t have been more than 150 – 200 and maybe that my numbers are generous.
