Three issues have attracted the attention of citizens over the past week due to their connection to his long ordeal with the rogue Khalifa regime. The crime of political naturalization imposed by the tyrant on the country since he seized power after his father’s death in March 1999 has been raised again. The second issue is the continued political arrests that have affected a number of citizens, including minors. The third is the beginning of a living crisis with rising prices, declining individual income, and the rising cost of energy used by citizens.
Political naturalization is considered to be at the top of the list of crimes committed by the current ruler within the framework of his policy aimed at exterminating the indigenous Bahrainis through means that contain a lot of “smartness” masquerading as law and humanity. His deal with the Americans and the British during the Charter era required three things: the release of political prisoners and the introduction of what was called at the time “His Highness the Amir’s Reform Project”, and the third was the appointment of the ruler himself as “king” so that he could keep up with some of the rulers of the region. In return, the Americans and the British allowed him to change the demographic composition of Bahrain against the indigenous people who had for centuries represented the overwhelming majority in the country. Political prisoners were released for a short period that quickly ended and the tyrant returned to policies of imprisonment, detention and torture. As for his political project, it was stillborn, and the country subsequently entered a narrow tunnel filled with darkness, a situation that continues until now, and is likely to continue as long as Hamad bin Isa and his gang control the affairs of the country and its rule. Thus, he became a “king” and added “His Majesty the King” to his titles. With this deal, the people did not obtain any of their demands and the desired goals of democratic transformation were not achieved. Hamad added salt to the bleeding Bahraini wounds by imposing the political naturalization project, which resulted in granting the country’s citizenship to tens of thousands of foreigners, some of whom were brought in and given jobs, housing, and special privileges, while others remained in their home country.
After the 2011 revolution, the tyrant pretended to stop the naturalization project, but it remained frozen and did not reveal much about its path and prospects. But it has now become clear that a period of two decades was enough to reveal the negative and destructive results of the political naturalization project. At first, activists expressed their fear of the destructive repercussions of that project on Sunni citizens, because most of the naturalized belong to that sect. Many of them were settled in Sunni areas, and they began to compete with the original Sunni residents for jobs and housing. Today, those catastrophic results are putting pressure on the social and living conditions in Sunni areas, and the voices of the original residents began to rise in protest and discontent with the living and social pressure, especially since naturalization resulted in an increase in crime rates in addition to cultural and political polarization, which has become an unusual pathological phenomenon in a country where Shiites and Sunnis coexist in harmony, love and understanding. These cries that are rising these days express a timed crisis that has begun to explode and destroy.
The recent statements by the leaders of the Khalifa gang regarding the crime of naturalization have increased the citizens’ fear and deepened their feeling that the ruling gang is proceeding with the naturalization project, and that this time, it is trying to establish demographic change as an unstoppable phenomenon despite its disastrous consequences. The circle of discontent and protest is expected to expand on all levels after a real awareness has spread among the indigenous population (Shiites and Sunnis) regarding the necessity of confronting political naturalization, which Hamad bin Isa considers the most important pillar of his rule, and that he will not face real popular challenges after that. How far this is from the truth and reality, the Bahraini people who have stood in the past and present against tyranny and injustice and for freedom, constitutional practice and equal citizenship, will not back down from their project aimed at achieving profound political change that leads to a state of true political partnership and eliminates absolute tyranny and inherited family rule that is not based on moral values or an international charter. The circle of debate about political naturalization is expected to expand after it has proven its failure and has begun to pressure the ruling gang itself. Naturalization in a small country with limited capabilities and natural resources is not a wise decision by any measure. Rather, it expresses political shallowness and a short-sighted view that aims to ignore reality so that the government does not respond to the just demands of a people who have been struggling for decades.
As a result of this political and administrative chaos, the circle of popular protest expanded, along with arbitrary arrests. The tyrant was trying to delude others that the popular movement had ended and that he had exhausted the people and the opposition with his initiatives. He was very wrong if he thought he could mislead the citizens, especially his activists. They are committed to their demands and determined to continue the movement aimed at change. With political prisoners continuing to suffer behind bars, hundreds of refugees remaining abroad and the political development horizon blocked, it is not expected that the regime will be able to overcome the crisis simply, nor can it hide it with trivial statements, empty promises, or fierce repression. The suffering of citizens, especially activists, is great, and the circles of protest are wide, especially with the escalation of life pressures and high prices. It is expected that the flour crisis and its high prices will reach every home soon, which will double the social and economic tension in the country. Naturalization was certainly a factor in putting pressure on the country’s economy and deepening its crises, in addition to the social tensions it caused in the areas affected by the settlement of naturalized people.
Once again, the negative effects of the naturalization project adopted by the Khalifa regime in recent decades are evident. These effects do not bode well for the regime itself, let alone the nation and the people. A country is only built by its people, and countries do not develop by importing foreigners. It is true that some economic booms require importing foreign labor to participate in construction and reconstruction, but what happened in Bahrain is not of this type of development. Rather, naturalization occurred as a political project for goals related to the existence of the Khalifa family’s rule and its refusal to carry out meaningful reforms or for citizens to participate directly in the country’s wealth and resources, as is the case in other Gulf countries. Some were betting on the rise of “young” elements from the ranks of the ruling family to the seat of power and decision-making positions, leaving positive marks on the country’s progress. However, none of this happened, and the situation remained tense and subject to a dangerous security mentality that imposes itself forcefully and puts pressure on the country’s security and stability. The security of any country is only achieved when its people feel that they are part of its political system, and that they have a real responsibility to manage the helm of government and direct it to serve the interests of the nation and the people, not the interests of a special group. Given the lack of trust between the two parties, the indigenous population (Shiites and Sunnis) and the ruling family, things have gone in another direction until they reached the point of complete estrangement. This estrangement has manifestations, including continuous protests, overcrowded prisons, death sentences, exile, withdrawal of citizenship, and the ruler’s use of foreigners, all of which are features of the rule of the current tyrant, whose reign is considered one of the worst of the Khalifa rulers. It seems that the bet on a conscience awakening and political awakening among the ruling class no longer has a place, but rather the country has become at the mercy of the wind, tossed by waves of tension and directed by the whims of a small handful of symbols of the ruling family. As for the loyal citizens, they have no place in public life, but have become languishing in prisons and living in exile. This is a difficult historical moment in the history of the country, and the hope is that this dark night will end soon, to be followed by a bright dawn and a shining sun.
O God, have mercy on our righteous martyrs, and grant them a position of truth with You, and release our prisoners, O Lord of the worlds.
Bahrain Islamic Freedom Movement
June 28, 2024
2024-06-28 10:17:10