As a long time western resident of Bahrain, I find the recent riots a complete and saddening suprise. I do, however find it quite amusing as I read the letters sections (GDN October26 ) from Bahrainis complaining of the “Taliban” mentality of certain MPs.
As United States forces were liberating Afghanistan everyone in Bahrain was angry and against the US action.
Apparently the Taliban mentality is just fine when applied to Muslims outside Bahrain?
William Bleecker
From the Opinions page of the GDN
William Bleecker (letters; October 28th, 2003) is almost right in his sentiments that “everyone in Bahrain was angry and against the US action” in Afghanistan. To make this statement completely correct, I suggest that “most” Bahrainis were (are) against the US actions in both Afghanistan and Iraq, certainly not all. And no Mr. Bleecker, most Bahrainis oppose extremist mentality wherever such mentality exists and this feeling is not exclusive to those people outside of our own microcosm.
What most Bahrainis and the vast majority of the world are against however is the unilateral actions of the US/UK without international legitimacy. The end result of ridding the world of regimes as Saddam’s and Taliban’s is not disputed, the methods however should have been done through international acquiescence. Had we meekly accepted such methods, we would have given credence to the adage that the end justifies the means.
Debates, articles and books have been written about this subject that will continue for quite some time to come. Whether we like it or not, the United States is the greatest power on Earth at the moment, and as such it should work quite hard at distinguishing itself in the international community by setting a good example, rather than what the current administration’s two-faced approach in its foreign policy – particularly in this part of the world, and bullying nations into accepting its action as correct when it is blatantly obvious that quite the opposite is true.
We (Bahrainis and the rest of the world for that matter) respect and hold your constitution in very high regard and it should be thoroughly considered as a template for local democracies and no we don’t hate the American people either. I don’t think anyone has a problem with the foundation of the United States at all, the objection is to demonstrate to the powers that be in the United States that there are multiple ways to tackle problems, the best of which comes with commonality of views.
