Calling for political and constitutional reform is as historic as can be in timeline of the establishment of the state of Bahrain. It was not birthed in this year's February 14th uprising in Bahrain as the world might view it.
Bahrain was a British colony before its independence in 1971 and in that era the current royal kingship has established its dominance, role and values of "accepted" citizenship. The country's freedom was not one that many worried about or understood at the time, all that mattered is seeing Ian Henderson leave the soils of Bahrain and torture and torturers punished for their crimes under that phase of "State of Emergency" laws.
Ian Henderson was the notorious British head of stat security in Bahrain who is also known as the "Butcher of Bahrain" for claims of torture and crimes in the prisons of Bahrain since the 1970s. Allegations of torture against the said "Butcher" have been denied by both Henderson himself and the Bahraini government who in its tun also denied any involvement in any torture, something that we see today.
The irony in this is not that the government denies and protects this notorious abuser of human rights, as seen during his experience in Kenya, but is that the Bahraini government has been accused of many human rights violations, power abuses and oppression almost since the dawn of the twentieth century, a time when all other nations enjoyed the evolvement of human rights and emancipation from all sorts that promoted such countries into leading pioneers in the respect of international as well as humanitarian laws.
The State of emergency of the 1960s and 1970s, that which came to terminated the 14th of February revolution this year and those to come in the future, stand as historic stains in the history of Bahrain where the youth were determined to secure change, the same patterns of government prevails, the same victims are arbitrarily silenced, and the same revolution to seemingly be put into sleep. Nonetheless, the significance of each resonates as the earlier one was victorious despite its failure to achieve the change set and the many who were lost, people were much more aware of the value of self-sacrifice and the power that one can bring into a society, and secterianism never devided us as it did today. When today's revolution will not last long if we continue to allow the government's sectarian brainwash to take over our lives, do not share a common reasonable respect for change, unite under the umbrella of peaceful protest and go the extra mile to guarante that the dawn of our tomorrow comes with a sun bright enough to awaken the souls of the past.
Many youth have a great respect to the heritage and history of beloved Bahrain, are hurt by the divisive society that the government is all so responsible for, and want to grab freedom by the horns until it is tamed to the love of Bahrain that it never leaves. However, the first step to see liberation for Bahrain is when we are able to throw the books out of the window, the Quraan, the Bible, the Torah, the failing Bahraini Constitution and use our minds. WE have read those books, lovingly ro not, we have made sure as intellectual youth to appreciate the values or the lack of there is to liberate our souls from social conformity and have then set our minds to mold our futures with our own hands. That major step is what we need in order to appreciate the ups and downs that this glorious country has undergone in 4 decades only, thus, reviving hope in the giving hearts that seem to be slipping away.
The ties that have been broken; kinship, friendships, or simple acquaintances. The bridges of great activism that seem to be attacked all the time and the lessons of our great teachers who sacrificed their lives for a promise of a better Bahrain, should not go in vain. What do we gain from trashign one another, from dismissing the great theologies one enemy might bring to us, the possibility of a decimle of truth in the heart of an idea pressented by the opposing part to ours, and the sheer genuinity that without our undying love for Bahrain, we would not have been able to maintian such tenssion for so long. Because those who don't care about what you think will not wast a single moment of their lives trying to convince you with what they think.
Today "civil" society in Bahrain is left in the ICU, the streets are far more different from one town to another, today, religious leaders seem to have the upper hand, political activist are mocked, trashed and targetted by everyone and no respect for civil honest dialogue is left. I used to think that dialogue is the best solution for the conflict between two opposing sides and even believed it would mend the situation somehow in my country, not that I believed the National Dialogue of 2011 was of that sort as I cleary stood against it from the very birth of its concept. I also used to think that the need for a guide to live a better life is an essential aspect for a productive life.
What I have always held up high is the reality that in Bahrain nobody needs a book to tell them how to live nor does anyone need a religious, political, ethical or even an intellectual supervisor to control them. We are perfectly capable of constructive destruction in order to see things progress. So, why listen to the government or opposition? Why debate over loyalties? Why not focus on the bigger issues?
The aim of the 14 February revolution is to protest the Bahraini Constitution, revoke the unjust system, call for justice for martyrs of the country's history, and prevent the continuance of human rights violations. It seems the biggest concern today in some of the posts allover social media, local Bahraini media and international media is the sectarian divisions, the social structure and the use of violence, only.
I blame Ian Henderson for all the destruction that has taken over my country's history for the past 40 or so years. Since his time in Bahrain and until today, he played a role in establishing the oppressive system that we live, denied by some citizens. And until he is trialed and punished, reform is initiated by a promising government, and the regime is modified, Bahrainis will remain to celebrate their National Day on December 16th instead of their Independence every August 14th.
Let's not let Ian Henderson and Al-Khalifa control our present and let us all rejoice our past for a future.
Happy Independence Day Bahrain ...<3
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