Analysis on Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Zuhayyan’s “What the World Should Tell Bahraini Opposition Groups”

A Brief Analysis on Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Zuhayyan’s “What the World Should Tell Bahraini Opposition Groups” [1]
by Um Aisha – 23 August, 2012

I thought that the article would raise a few valid points about the Bahraini uprising until I got halfway through it. Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Zuhayyan, of course, exaggerated a few facts. It is hard to imagine that “millions” of people visited Bahrain as tourists each year.

In the beginning, Dr Al-Zuhayyan tried to show the nature of the Shi’a community in Bahrain and Saudi. He first portrayed them as a less conservative community and stated that they have “less restrictive religious traditions that permits both sexes to socialize and communicate to Westerners”. By doing so, I assumed that he does not believe that the protests in Bahrain had a sectarian drive. So what does this “Affinity with Iran” concern? Why does he then make note of a Shi’a Bahraini-Irani relation if what binds them together (religious sect) is not a strong force anymore?

What’s more, shortly after explaining how Shi’as are more socially advanced, Dr. Al-Zuhayyan accuses them of “hampering” the development of the “country”. In my opinion, this contradiction is not accidental but carefully thought. He is either trying to seem friendly and objective towards the shi’a community or trying to use their own argument against them.

If the primary intention was to develop public services and not only private businesses, the government would welcome drawing comparisons between Bahrain and its neighboring Arab countries. I have encountered other Bahraini’s that made a similar argument and insisted that “there is no need for protests in Bahrain if we are not starving like the Egyptians.” I reply that the world would be a giant zoo if our only purpose was to end hunger.

During the Bahraini uprising, when the tents were set up around the Pearl Roundabout, Wa’ad (The National Democratic Action Society) gave a lecture on Constitutional Monarchies. This lecture was followed by a discussion where the participants could take part in accurately defining a constitutional monarchy and what they would like the structure of their country’s government to be. I witnessed that almost all participants agreed that Bahrain was, in fact, not a Constitutional Monarchy.  If we were able to participate in the political decision-making process of our affairs as Dr. Al-Zahyyan puts it, we would now be in the process of voting for a new prime minister and I would be able to publish what I am writing in one of our local newspapers without fear.

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[1] Al-Zuhayyan, Abdulrahman. “What the World Should Tell Bahraini Opposition Groups.” Equities.com-Global Financial Network. Al Bawaba Ltd, n.d. Web. 5 Aug. 2012. <http://www.equities.com/news/headline-story?dt=2012-08-04&val=345839&cat=energy>.