Oblivious Bernie

Bernie Ecclestone yesterday finally put rumors to rest and declared that the F1 race would definitely take place in Bahrain this year. He also claimed in his statement that everything is peaceful and quiet in Bahrain and that everybody is happy with the outcome of this decision. There had been much debate and deliberation prior to his announcement over whether or not the F1 race would be pulled from Bahrain due to the government’s ongoing heavy-handed repression and discrimination of its pro-democracy protesters. The reasons to why the people are protesting are varied and have been covered in this previous post so I wont recite the points again. But bear in mind since my post there have been have been a plethora of abuses of human rights and injustices that have occurred.

In hearing the news of the commencement of the F1 race as scheduled Amnesty responded criticizing the decision stating that:

“as the country prepares to host the Grand Prix, daily anti-government protests continue to be violently suppressed by the riot police that uses tear gas recklessly with fatal results.”

Not only that but on the same day as the announcement was made a young 14 year old boy was shot in the chest by government forces during a protest.

So peaceful and quiet Bernie says. If this is quiet and peaceful I’d like to see his idea of violent. Armagaddon is probably a walk in the park for this Hard-as-nails character. This race should not be held in a country which continues to ignore and repress the cries of its people.

But there are those who argue that the other side of the argument should be given some recognition. This side claims the F1 race will bring in revenue through tourism and jobs. To this I say yes it would, but right now ‘revenue’ is not what the country needs. Instead ‘Justice’ is what it should be seeking as the seeds of discontent and division continue to be sown. And anyway, whatever way you look at it, Bahrain is NOT exactly struggling economically. Fact: It’s not a picture of poverty and depravity. If it has survived countless years without the F1 race, I am sure it will manage to survive this year and the many more years to come without it. After all, this F1 race isn’t exactly going to be a constant yearly fixture on the Bahrani calendar.

Instead the Race should be cancelled. A message should be sent, however small, that no government who serves its needs over its peoples will be rewarded, be it with something as superficial as an international F1 race.

Injustice should not be Ignored, let alone rewarded.

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How do you solve a problem like Saudi?

Saudi..Saudi.. Saudi….aghh…What a little old conundrum you are. Where do you even begin when there are so many contradictions to pick from.

I personally think many of the problems in the Middle East can be directly linked to that oil-rich monarchical piece of land. It’s as much to do with the monarchy as it has to do with the oil. Because of its geopolitical situation and because it pumps out 55% of the world’s oil the west is keen to keep it sweet and stable. It also doesn’t mind acting like the west’s lackey every now and then as long as it gets to do as it pleases in its nation without scrutiny, criticism or comment. So think of its relationship with the west as a symbiotic corrupt rave.

But let’s bring these back to recent events which highlight how Saudi Arabia likes to react to the revolutionary atmosphere that has swept the Middle East.

Well, when it occurred in Egypt King Abdullah was non-to-pleased. He threw his own version of a hissy fit over the phone with Obama saying that if he pulls his military aid budget from Egypt he would personally make sure that Saudi picked up the tab and cost. Not only that, but boi was not happy about the tone Obama used towards Mubarak, he wasn’t being ‘supportive’ enough.

Alright just to jog people’s memories a bit, let’s remind ourselves of some of the *best loved * phrases that were used during that time period:

‘Orderly Transition’ ‘Restraint on both sides’..

Yea that’s about it….I know…FREAKIN HARDBALL BIGMAN words being thrown about the place….if words could cut…these bad bois would have sliced and diced you in no time.

But on a serious note anything other than America having literally espoused these words while sat lovingly on the lap of Hosni Mubarak couldn’t have made their reaction to the events any tamer. They only started talking in more blunt and harsh terms when Mubarak was literally packed suitcase in hand and out the freaking door. But yet King Abdullah apparently couldn’t stomach this…wait till he gets ahold of what people say about him behind his back/across-the-atlantic-since-they-fear-and-value-their-lives-and-don’t-actually-like-the-idea-of-being-jailed-and-maybe-killed…boi is gonna be FUUUUUU-ming

Now if that wasn’t enough, it was also revealed later on that King Abdullah personally spoke to Mubarak during the protests and URGED him to crack down harder on his protests….yes…apparently thugs with sticks, stones, Knives, guns, bombs and PIMP-MY-RIDE camels and donkeys to boot just don’t cut it with him…its  Go big or go home with King Abdi *yea he is getting a nickname*…all out bloodshed or nothing..

And we can clearly see what King Abdi would have liked to see unfold in Egypt with the events occurring currently in Bahrain. What’s worse is that the Bahraini security forces where already clearly cracking down hard on the protesters before the Saudi troops were sent in…as there where many deaths and injuries reported and recorded on video footage. But apparently that wasn’t enough. Big Daddy had to get involved and show ‘em how it’s really done. And so Big Pappi has sent in the ground troops to ‘bolster’ the forces and bring a quick and ‘decisive’ end to the protests going on in Bahrain… I think the most striking thing is that this is the first time I have seen the Saudi troop being used properly in any type of battle scenario…. and it’s against other Arabs and Muslims… doesn’t sound really Islamic from the get-go but go figure… Hypocrisy wouldn’t be their middle name if they didn’t act hypocriticaly .

Now I won’t go into detail into why King Abdullah feels the need to get involved, as I don’t think his rabid thought process deserves the time of day or justification, but to summarize it for those who aren’t aware, it basically revolves around his inherent fear and paranoia about the Shia unrest in Bahrain spilling into his back garden and spurring the Shia in the Eastern province of Saudi to rise up against him. So therefore quell the protest in Bahrain bloodily in his eyes, and you’ll fix the problem….yea…like I said…really doesn’t deserve the time of day. Especially considering that all the recent protests in the Middle East have highlighted that the more people die and the more bloody the conflict, the more ardent the protesters get to achieve their goals and the more courageous and far-reaching their- demand’s get. But common sense doesn’t seem to be an important thought process in his eyes.. he likes to take a more Gaddafi-esque approach.. he’s all for the latest trends and apparently this is all the rage.

Which then moves me onto the small protests in Saudi. The reasons why the protests haven’t really gotten off have been due to heavy police presence on the roads and citizens being warned explicitly that if they protest they will simply be jailed. This has already occurred with the few brave protesters who have managed to hit the streets. The King has also done what he does best and made it rain dollar dollar bills to try and appease some of the population and keep them content and complacent.  Not only that but to show how seriously the monarchy fears the whole unraveling of a protest type movement they have even wheeled out the tried and tested ‘religion’ card…oh yes…they have ‘consulted’ *aka basically told them they better back them up one way or another, proof or no proof, or they can say hello to spending the rest of their lives in the god dam clinker* with the ‘scholars’ and have issued a fatwa *religious ruling* banning protests…. Yes…how ‘convenient’.

It just astounds me how BLATENLTY the monarchy can flaunt the fact it can use and twist religion to suit its own selfish ends and to secure its seat of power….this IS a case of a country turning into a ruler-ship cult where everything that matters revolves around the monarchy.

Out of all countries I think Saudi is the one that grinds my gears the most, not only are the ruling family a bunch of self-proclaimed hypocrites, but they wrongly claim to embody an ‘islamic’ kingdom…so not only tarnishing the lives of its people, but also tainting the name of the religion in the eyes of people around the world.

Unfortunately this blog post is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Saudi but to save this from turning into a book this is the most I could really put in. But for all those wanting to read roughly more about the protests in Bahrain consult *how formal am I.. I’d fit right in with the Queen* my previous blog post on Bahrain. It sketches out things briefly.

Till Next Time,

 

Ripple Effect: Bahrain

I meant to post this a while back but then the events in Libya started to unfold so never really got the chance to finish this up. So sorry about lateness.

So this post is going to deal with the current turmoil we see occurring in Bahrain. Hopefully to those who don’t know much about what’s exactly going on this might help to shed some light on the situation as I know the situation is one that is albeit a bit more complicated.

The revolutionary mood that has struck Bahrain has caught many people off guard for the simple reason that it was always seen economically speaking as better off than its Middle Eastern partners. The situation in Bahrain is tinged with a slightly different problem then we have seen voiced previously within Egypt and Tunisia, though the concerns and demands of the people remain just as legitimate.

The dilemma in Bahrain has an element of discrimination in it which wasn’t generally present in the previous countries. Bahrain is ruled by a Sunni monarchical family which has been in power since the inception of Bahrain. It, like every other Middle Eastern country, claims a monopoly on power and the exercise of power. The country is ruled by the Al-Khalifa family who are of course the unelected heads of Bahrain. The ‘problem’ with Bahrain is the fact that its majority population is 60-70% Shia and this fact doesn’t sit well with the paranoid ruling class. And unfortunately, this percentage of the population faces discrimination by those in power because of their general numbers. For example, many high level or senior positions are reserved solely for Sunni’s.  It’s also gotten to the point where the people in power constantly grant Bahraini citizenship to Sunni’s around the Middle East to help balance the figures in their favour.

Once again we see the interests of the powerful eclipsing that of the people. Rather than disregard the religious identity of the people in its country it chooses to make an issue out of it, go figure. This is a constant issue I have with many leaders in the Middle East, they take the mantra of ‘divide and rule’ to heart. We have seen this in Egypt where Mubarak went on a rant and rave about how he was the only man standing between Egypt and an Extremist Al-Qaeda led take-over of Egypt. Well, looking at Egypt today, I think we can all rightfully call Bull**** on his rabid claims.

The Bahrani government has of course also followed suit in the same vein though adding its own take on who the ‘enemy’ is. It has claimed that these protesters are simply proxies of Iran and if it wasn’t for their brave stance against the protesters we would have a mini-me Iran on our hands. I find this pathetic excuse which is insulting to everyone’s level of intelligence and intellect.

It’s this simple –minded view that ‘oh they are Shia, and Iran is Shia’ THEREFORE they MUST support each other and be one and the same. There apparently is NO divergence of opinion. Really? Because if that’s true then that means every Sunni I know *me included* should be waving and extolling the virtues of Saudi Arabia just because it’s corrupt, extremist-and-distorted Wahabist outlook has some sort of Sunni strand in it. But the truth is, THAT isn’t the case. I’m no fan or supporter of what’s going on in Saudi regardless of what they claim to be religiously. And the same goes for Iran. Iran itself is facing protests over its rule from within its population a fact Bahrain should take note off.

I’m not a blind human who overlooks injustice simply because of how it’s packaged and presented, and for the Bahrani government to claim the same kind of thing about the protesters legitimate demands is an INSULT and a DISGRACE. Don’t belittle your people’s legitimate concerns just to fit your political agenda. It’s especially disrespectful to the protesters you have gunned down and slain in your efforts to quell the protests.

But having said that i must reinforce that this is not simply a Shia protest, Sunni’s have also laid a stake in this movement and are protesting side by side with the Shia’s demanding their rights to freedom, equality and a demand for real democracy. One of the main claims being spearheaded by the protests is that the ruling family should replicate the monarchy in Britain, by simply being no more than a figurehead of state and taking an apolitical back seat. It’s a claim which ‘shock horror’ has no religious connotations to it. What frustrates me is that this so called divide between Sunni and Shia is constantly perpetrated and reinforced by those in power and therefore magnified to preposterous levels. At the end of the day Sunni or Shia, we are all Muslims.

Let us not fall into the trap laid by our power-hungry and corrupt leaders and show them that regardless of colour, creed, religious outlook and gender, we are all human and deserve to be treated as such with dignity and not as cheap pawns in their petty power-driven-selfish-ego-tistical games.

Till Next Time,