Civil Unrest Amonst the Shia Citizens in Bahrain
Civil Unrest has been a daily struggle in Bahrain for many years. Protests have been been increasing in number since the Al-Kahlifa took over in 1783. As of recently, protests have become more violent and an overwhelming amount of arrests have been made, mostly of Shia citizens. The Bahrain’s Youth Human Rights Society has been at the forefront of the fight for civil rights in Bahrain
The apprehension among international bodies has intensified following the court appearance by Mr Mohammad Al Masqati, the President of Bahrain’s Youth Human Rights Society. The ruling family has refused to recognize the society in line with its refusal to approve the Bahrain Centre of Human Rights Movement and other non-conformist bodies. Mr Al Masqati was forced to appear today at a show trial ordered by the ruling family and presided over by one of its members. He is accused of associating and management of an unauthorized body. In the Al Khalifa culture, activities of civil society must be controlled by the ruling family, which ruled Bahrain without popular mandate. The victim, Mr Al Masqati, has refused to back down in his endeavor to pursue the issue of human rights with vigor and enthusiasm, especially as he witnesses the rapid deterioration of human rights in the country.
Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, has threatened members of the Sheikh Hamad’s councils who spoke at foreign forums with severe punishment. He singled out the appointed and elected members of these councils who did not praise the ruling family when speaking to international political and human rights bodies that they would face spending time in prisons where torture is a routine practice. He said that article 134 of the penal code stipulates that: “any citizen, regardless of his status or position, who attend without government permission any public meeting, seminar or conference held abroad, or participated in anyway in its proceedings with the aim of discussing Bahrain’s political, social or economic conditions will be punished with at least three months imprisonment and payment of at least BD 100 ($250)”. The article adds that the same punishment applies if he communicates without permission from the government, with representatives of foreign countries, body, association, trade union or society for the sake of discussing any of what has been mentioned”. These threats have been taken seriously especially by human rights activists whose work included communicating with international bodies especially those of the United Nations. The threats are in violation of Bahrain’s commitments in accordance with the special conventions on political and cultural rights and those on economic and social rights, as well the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
There is now growing fear for the life of Mr Al Masqati and other activists for their continued defiance, especially after the attempt on the life of another young citizen, Mohammad Makki. This young man had been freed after spending several months in the Al Khalifa torture chambers for opposing the hereditary dictatorship. On Monday night, 3rd November, he was targeted for assassination by members of the Death Squads roaming the streets in the area of Sanabis. An unmarked white car with three occupants drove fast towards him as he was walking along one of the town’s roads. He managed to escape the assassination attempt by throwing himself away from its path. He had earlier testified at the Court of Cassation to confirm that he, with others, had been subjected to horrific torture for taking part in an anti-regime protests in December last year. Civil protests have continued with youth burning tiers outside the village of Abu Saibe’ on Monday. Families of the political prisoners are also planning more protests and marches in the coming days.
This political activism comes at a time of heightened tensions as the annual Day of the Martyr approaches. This year’s anniversary is expected to take new dimensions as the political crisis deepens. Last year, a 22-year-old Bahraini was killed by the Al Khalifa Death Squads as he took part in protests. Meanwhile, more protests have taken place in recent days, with university graduates picketing outside the ministry of labor. The ruling family has failed to address the problem of unemployment despite the enormous gains from high oil prices.
A deeper look at Opinion Editorials
The opinion editorials that I have read deal with the author trying to convince a popular audience of something. I noticed that many authors would somehow try to relate themselves to the general public advocating that they are just like everyone else. In an op-ed I recently read in the New York Times by republican Mitt Romney about the automaker industry in Detroit was a good example of this. Often I try to find out how the author will benefit from there own opinion if they are convincing enough to make the change happen. In the case of Mitt Romney, his father was a previous Chief Executive of General Motors and he talks about how the bailout money should be used to save the auto industry. That seems convenient because there is a good possibility some of that money would be going directly in his pocket. An opinion editorial is just that, an opinion based on the belief of a certain individual to gain favor of there own opinion to suit there own gain.
writing for academic and popular audiences
The are many differences when you are writing for academic or popular audiences. It all depends on which one you’re writting for. If your a journalist and you are writting to a popular audience, you want to make sure your information is true and relevent, just as you would for an academic audience. If you are just sitting around on the internet writting blogs to a popular audience, you’re most likely not going to worry about accuracy as much. Blogs are more of a spur of the moment reflection on events that have recently happened. Many people in a popular audiences don’t look to deep to see if everything is in place perfectly. If your writting a paper you have to do research usually and be as accurate as possible. Wheather your writting for an acedemic audience or a popular audience, they both want the truth.
Analytical Research Paper
I recently wrote an anylitcal research paper about the suppression of the Shia majority by the Sunni elite in Bahrain. The Sunni elite wreck havoc upon the shia people. Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa crowned king in 1999, delclared Bahrain a Constitutional Monarch in February 2002. Him and his family have created a beaucracy almost completely controled by al-Khalifa family. Grievances voiced by Shiite news sources, such as Voice of Bahrain include, election fraud, discrimination against Shiite citizens, and unjustifiable arrests and torture of Shiite protesters. News of these events go unheard of through mainstream media and are rarely made public. The Sunni elite are somehow able to infiltrate the the mass media and manipulate the public. In Bahrain, there is a two thirds majority of Shia to Sunni yet the Shia only occupy 18 of the 40 seats in the Council of Representitives. This kind of misrepresentation in government makes it extemely hard for the Shia people to aquire equal rights. In a report released months before the 2006 election, former cabinet member Salah al-Bandar received international attention triggerering unrest amongst Shia citizens. Bander alleged that the government funded anit-shia propoganda through various media sources. Although the government denies these claims, most western sources side with Bander. The amount of discrimination that goes on in Bahrain has caused many Shite groups to protest the governments actions. Many of the people that were detained from these protests were taken to undisclosed locations. Reports detail torture allegations; food and sleep deprivation, verbal and physical abuse, and sexual assault. To this day many of these prisoners are still in jail unable to speak to a lawyer, family members or friends. How can a small minority control a majority? By mass control of the media. This is the same in most countries, even in America. Most of the news american’s receive is from the associated press or any other government controled entity. I believe we need a more public government throughout the whole world. When a small minority controls the majority, more people are oppressed and left out of the big picture.
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