Bahrain
Is Quietly Becoming One Of The Arab Spring's Most Violent Uprisings
After
nearly two years of frustration, the Arab Spring uprising against
Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa al Khalifa, a key US ally, is growing
increasingly tense.
13
December, 2012
Following
a series of brutal government crackdowns, young protesters who say
they have little choice are taking a more militant approach, and in
some cases, resorting to violence.
In
late October, Bahrain’s conservative monarchy banned all
demonstrations, but human rights activists estimate that at least 100
illegal protests have been held since then.
At
7 p.m. sharp on a recent night here in Muhazza, a small village just
outside the capital, residents gathered for one such show of
discontent. The scene appeared peaceful: old men in long, white robes
stood calmly next to children wearing jeans, T-shirts and baseball
caps. Women completely covered in black hijab sat nearby, shouting
slogans against the all-powerful Bahraini monarch.
But
for the traditional opposition, there was a troubling new contingent
of young men, their faces covered in checkered headscarves. They
circled the outskirts of the rally, disdainful of their elders
entreaties to remain peaceful. This night they did not engage in
violence. But in other villages, youth have hurled rocks and Molotov
cocktails at police.
Activists
say this more militant trend is gaining support as nonviolent tactics
fail to yield results.
“They
are a real force in the movement now,” said Ali Salman, leader of
the Al Wefaq Islamic Society, the largest opposition group in
Bahrain. “We tell them to remain nonviolent, but some don’t
listen.”
In
most countries, the low-key Muhazza protest would barely interest law
enforcement. Here, in less than 10 minutes, police fired tear gas.
The crowd fled into nearby stores and apartments. Children and
seniors stayed indoors. But within a few minutes, everyone else
poured back into the streets, shouting “Allah Akbar” (God is
Great).
This
night’s action repeats itself frequently in Muhazza. Villagers say
they have been under siege for six weeks. Police set up checkpoints
in Muhazza during the day, and conduct raids at night.
Many
Bahrainis want a change in the country’s authoritarian government.
This small island nation — next door to Saudi Arabia and home to
the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet — has had the same unelected prime
minister for 41 years. The parliament has little real power. The
government arbitrarily arrests dissenters, deprives some of
citizenship, and has tortured several to death, according to the
Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry.
Inspired
by the Arab Spring, traditional opposition parties have been
peacefully gathering in the streets to call for reform for almost two
years. But these days, the mood is changing. One young Muhazza
protester named Ahmed, who gave only his first name, called for
direct confrontation against the regime.
“King
Hamad is a criminal,” he said. “He’s responsible for killing
people. He and his family control the whole country and its wealth.”
Opposition
leaders acknowledge that a growing number of youth are turning to
more militant tactics. In one incident, the government says
demonstrators killed a policeman.
In
another, five bombs went off in Manama, the capital, killing two
migrant workers. The government blamed the incidents on
demonstrators, but Al Wefaq’s Salman questioned whether they were
actually responsible for those deaths. He noted that the government
has not allowed an independent investigation.
Even
if there are isolated incidents, he said, the government exaggerates
the violence to justify more repression. Salman said his organization
continue to advocate non-violence.
“We
are against the violence from the community or the police,” he
said. He noted that a large majority of people “demand peaceful
demonstrations.”
Analysts
say the opposition movement is highly unlikely to turn to armed
struggle as happened in Libya and Syria. Bahrain has strict gun
control laws and smuggling arms to the island nation isn’t easy.
However, the young militants do pose a political problem for the
traditional leadership, according to Fred Wehrey, a senior associate
in the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for
International Peace.
“The
youth-driven violence has already been used by the regime to tar and
discredit the opposition as a whole,” he said in an email
interview. “It is also putting pressure on Al Wefaq to be more
maximalist in its demands with the regime.”
Salman
admits that his group is feeling that pressure. Al Wefaq held its
first open defiance of the demonstration ban with a Dec. 7 rally that
attracted thousands. The demonstration was held away from downtown
Manama so as not to unduly provoke the government. But it was still
attacked by security forces.
Abdul-Aziz
al Khalifa, a government spokesperson, argued that violent protests
have become the norm, and that’s why authorities banned all
demonstrations.
“Instead
of letting things spiral out of control and have total anarchy on the
street,” he said, the government implemented “a temporary
suspension of these marches and protests.”
Opposition
leaders point out that the “temporary” demonstration ban has no
expiration date.
Al
Khalifa noted that Bahrain has an important, strategic alliance with
the United States. The headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet is
stationed here to protect oil shipping lanes and assert US presence
in the region. The Fifth Fleet was used during the first Gulf War,
the Iraq War and the Afghanistan War. It would also play a key role
in any military attack on Iran. Given the base’s critical command
and control functions, relocating elsewhere would be quite difficult,
according to Wehrey.
Now,
however, some opposition activists question the headquarters’
presence, accusing the United States of a double standard. While the
administration of US President Barack Obama imposes strong economic
sanctions on Syria’s dictatorship, they say, it only verbally
criticizes Bahrain’s monarchy.
“Unfortunately
the UK and US only think about a barrel of oil, not human rights,”
said Ebrahim Karimi, an opposition leader who recently had his
citizenship revoked by the government.
Karimi
said activists are rethinking the traditional support for the US Navy
because “the US government supports the Bahrain government, selling
arms. That is something we can’t accept.”
In
September last year, the Obama administration suspended delivery of a
$53 million arms package to the military, objecting to Bahrain’s
human rights violations. However, the administration resumed the arms
sales in May 2012, claiming progress on the human rights front and
that the arms would be used only for external defense.
Opposition
leaders point out that the United States supplied Humvees to the
military, and some were used to suppress demonstrations last year,
along with tear gas.
Salman,
the leader of the Al Wefaq opposition group, said the United States
should back the opening of a UN Human Rights office in Manama. It
could impose “banking sanctions against the government,” as they
do against Syria. “They can do a lot more,” he said.
Back
at the Muhazza rally, Ahmed said activists are now also questioning
whether the US Fifth Fleet should pull out.
“We
want them to leave because the US supports the dictatorship,” he
said. “If they don’t support the dictatorship, they are welcome.”
The
younger militants are more critical of US policy, while the older,
more moderate leaders tend to be supportive. The outcome of the Arab
Spring uprising in Bahrain is by no means certain. But if the
opposition comes to power, they will want to see a democratically
elected parliament vote on the presence of the Fifth Fleet in their
country.
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