Understanding the Bahrain Revolution

Political analyst Saeed Shahabi talks about the features of the Bahrain revolution

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) – The prominent political analyst and leading figure of Bahrain Freedom Movement, Dr. Saeed Shahabi (bibliography at the end of the article) talked about different aspects and features of Bahrain’s revolution. He Stated:

As the world continues its silence, Bahrain’s Revolution has frequently shattered the sound barriers imposed by the forces of counter-revolution. It is now clear that what is now known as the “forgotten revolution” is here to stay and that its activists are unlikely to give up the struggle to achieve their main goal’ the right to determine their own destiny and chose a political system of their own. The recent upsurge in activity linked to the Formula1 car race in April is indicative of the fact that the Revolution has been both determined and resilient. With the world-renowned human rights activist, Abdul Hadi Al Khawaja completing his third month on hunger strike the world has been awoken by the cries and pleas of the victims of the joint assault by Alkhalifa, Alsaud, British and American unholy alliance. This has made the Revolution of the people of Bahrain unique in several aspects.

1- Without exaggeration it is the longest running un-interrupted political strife in the Middle East. Ninety years ago the first anti-Alkhalifa uprising erupted to demand an end to servitude adopted against the native Shia Muslims, commonly known as the “Baharna”. It happened after one of them broke free from his Alkhalifa “master” who had enslaved him. The Bahrani man was forced to hold up an umbrella over the head of the Akhalifa enslaver for the whole journey from the capital, Manama to Rifaa, ten kilometers away. The uprising aimed at ending this practice and achieve a degree of freedom for the native Shia Muslims. Since then uprisings continued at every decade. The last major one erupted in December 1994 and continued for five years. No decade had passed without public strife, arrests and serious abuse of human rights. For ninety years the Bahraini political strife has enabled the people to identify with Revolution as a necessary process of change that cannot be abandoned before cleansing the country of the Alkhalifa hereditary dictatorship.

2- Bahrain’s Revolution has been overwhelming with popular percentage participation far exceeding any other revolution in the Middle East. More than half the native Shia Muslim population had participated in one way or another in the struggle to achieve freedom, democracy and the right of self-determination. Starting at the Pearl Roundabout the two days after the first demonstrations had erupted on 14th February 2011, the people had conducted an orderly public protests that had exposed the ruling Alkhalifa lacking popular legitimacy. With the abrogation by the current rule of the 1973 Constitution, the regime had shot itself in the foot. That Constitution is the only document that offered the Alkhalifa public acceptance of their rule in return for poli5idql participation by the people. Without that document the Alkhlaifa have shown total lack of political brickmanship needed for modern day political leadership. In 2002 the present dictator imposed his tailor-made constitution that failed to gain the endorsement by the people. It was the end of the short-lived honeymoon that had followed the uprising of the mid-nineties. Now is the time for the rest of the opposition to put a line in its links with the Alkhalifa clique after the meaningless “constitutional reforms”. That will present a stronger front to the dictatorship and lead to its eventual downfall. …more