I’ve been so busy over the last couple of months that I haven’t had time to blog. I miss it, of course, but with everything that’s going on at the moment, the despondency, the collective depression, the accusations, the deceit, the denial, and the hostile environment have discouraged me from doing so. It won’t last. Like everything in life, all of those have got to end, one way or another. At some point, we – or a future generation – will look back and probably say something like: “what a bunch of morons! why couldn’t they sort their shit out in a better and faster way.”
Apart from not blogging, I just couldn’t be bothered to read the papers. I glance at headlines at the end of the day, rather than poison my whole existence with the crap that is written. I do that with almost all the local papers, but get my “real” news from foreign sources. Unfortunate, but I’ve learnt that the local press has an agenda far worse that I have initially and naively thought.
So it’s with a slightly amused grin that I read today’s headlines which could be summarized in what the illustrious GDN has printed, not a stalwart of journalism, that paper isn’t, but my parakeet enjoys messing around with it at the bottom of its cage. Anyway, here’s the bit that amused me:
The Western media has been unfair to Bahrain’s Shi’ites by making it appear that they were all against their homeland, while the truth is that very few may have been affected by calls of “Welayat Al Faqeeh” (theocracy). His Majesty King Hamad said this yesterday as he received, at Al Safriya Palace, Arab media and Press personalities taking part in the Arab Youth Media Forum. [source]
Some of the Western media might have been so, your majesty, but the real real problem is the local media. The clear hate-mongering perpetrated by the likes of the Alwatan, GDN, Daily Tribune, Akbar Alkhaleej, Alayam and even the puny Albilad have left this country and society ripped asunder and have not allowed any reconciliation to take place. It is them your Majesty, and I say this with complete humility, it is them who should be singled out for your displeasure, if not wrath, not the Western media.
I find that the only credible newspaper here is Alwasat, at least they allow differing views and contain themselves to non-sensationalism. But yes, even it sometimes falls into the trap.
Comments
What do the Bengali media say??
I am not sure whether GDN has reported on the rest of the royal remarks. Royal pronouncement are curiouser and curiouser with age. (God saves us! He is only 61 years old).
HM has put on the hat of an accomplished history professor and told us that “We in Bahrain are one people since time immemorial. We lived together, Sunnis and Shias, in Zubara [apparently before 1783], and together we came to Bahrainâ€Â.
This is fascinating new historical discovery. I look forward to read more. Can some of my students request permission to access the royal archives to elaborate on this new scholarship?
Whatever is his answer to my question, I am particularly thrilled that HM has refrained from referreing to 1783 as the Year of the Conquest. عام الÙÂتØÂ
The royal ‘we came together’, while untrue, may be intended to sound more conciliatory the than the official history’s C-word.
abdulhadi
The pain of media bias is shared by many countries, the government of the day even in western countries is trying to control the flow of information. This is not from political or social unrest but from the socialisation of the west by agenda 21 from the UN. We are as stuffed at the moment as your country.