Bahrain’s Forgotten Uprising | ||
Bahrain’s Forgotten Uprising By Julia Onnasch Julia Almost two and a half years have passed since the start of the Bahraini Uprising. Largely removed from international media attention and coverage, small-scale protests have continued within the Kingdom on an almost nightly basis. Often dubbed as the “forgotten spring”, tensions within Bahrain are now reaching new heights, with recent surges in violence threatening to escalate deepening political and religious divides. Following a bomb explosion outside a Sunni mosque at the heart of residencies of members of the Royal family, over 140 injuries were reported in clashes with police this summer. Amid these surges, members of the opposition called for mass demonstrations in August and September 2013. Inspired by the recent ‘Tamarod’ (Rebel) movement in Egypt and its success in ousting former President Morsi in just three days, activists have called for similar actions within Bahrain. With protesters demanding the establishment of a democratically instilled constitution, will the ruling family of the Kingdom of Bahrain be the next to fall? Dubbed the “Bahraini Rebellion” or “Tamarod Bahrain”, activists first issued statements calling for widespread public mobilization on 04 July 2013, with protest actions centering in the capital Manama. Since then the event has been widely promulgated on social media sites and other internet platforms. In connection with the protest call, Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, Blogs, and YouTube videos were established, urging all citizens (regardless of sectarian divides) to participate in the 14 August 2013 demonstration. The movement and its central aim of establishing a “democratic constitution in which the people govern themselves, and which the people are the basis of governance”, commemorates the two and a half year anniversary of the Bahraini Uprising as well as the country’s independence from the United Kingdom in 1971. As news of the planned demonstration spread across the kingdom, small-scale rallies in support and preparation of the “Bahraini rebellion” were held on an almost nightly basis. Perhaps best demonstrating the seriousness of the threat and, more specifically, its potential to ignite a new wave of mass protests, authorities have issued multiple warnings, cautioning citizen against participation. In a statement, the Minister of the Interior, referring to the movement, declared that “rallies and activities that affect security, general order, civil peace and the interests of the people are against the law”, further adding that the police would “deal with any attempt to disturb security and stability”. Responding to the prohibition, opposition parties called on the government to retract the ban, emphasizing the importance of protests as “legitimate rights”. Instead, members, notably including Sheikh Ali Salman, have vowed to continue to stage popular protests until the government meets public demands for greater democratic freedoms. The call for a “Bahraini rebellion” has come amid increasing dissatisfaction and public disillusion with the on-going national reconciliation process. With the main participating opposition parties continuing to raise objections to the talks, including the lack of participation of a member of the royal family, prospects for a resolution of the political crisis through established institutional channels remain bleak. Whilst the government has instituted several low level reforms following critical assessments in the aftermath of police violence during mass demonstrations at the beginning of 2011, crackdowns and house raids by security forces have continued. Local rights groups, tied to the leading Shia opposition group Al Wefaq, only recently reported that Bahraini police had stormed over a dozen residencies every day since April 2013. Deepening the rift between the government and the opposition, resolution of crisis through the established means of negotiation currently appears just short of impossible. Despite calls by both the government and the opposition to demonstrators to remain peaceful, the recent surge in violence is looking to continue as individuals are becoming increasingly frustrated. As people become more frustrated, the political stability within Bahrain is becoming more and more precarious. Demanding the establishment of a constitution based on democratic principles, the popular protests directly threaten the rule of the Al Khalifa family. Whilst the government has thus far managed to successfully contain the Bahraini Uprising that started in 2011, recent events in Egypt have injected new impetus into anti-regime demonstrators. Although much still remains open, the future is going to be challenging not just for the regime itself but also in terms of the wider regional and international consequences that a new wave of mass demonstrations would entail. Blog-inkerman.com | ||
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