Three issues occupied Bahraini public opinion during the past week, intersecting with each other in some aspects and differing in others. The tyrant, Al-Khulaifi, and his gang sought to turn it around in his favor, although in its entirety it reveals his failure and confirms his great distance from the homeland and the people and their concerns. At the forefront of these issues is the return of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the Inter-Parliamentary Union conference in Bahrain and the interactions of the Bahraini issue at home, in prison and at the level of international organizations, especially with the advent of the twelfth anniversary of the Saudi-Emirati occupation of the country. Each of them can be addressed as follows:
First: There is no doubt that the restoration of relations between the two main poles in the region represents an important development in terms of inter-relationships and would affect the local and regional disturbances taking place in the region. This event gains its importance from many things: the first is that it was not expected to happen with the speed with which it took place, despite the fact that Iraq had started the negotiation and rapprochement circles between the two countries more than two years ago. Second: It represents an example of what external interference can lead to on the part of countries with common interests with the region and its countries. It can be repeated in the future. Third: It is a complex event about which visions and analyzes differ greatly, which makes it outside the normal frameworks of the usual relations between countries. Fourth: Its relationship to the project of normalization with the Israeli occupation is not clear, although some were quick to reach the conclusion that it would prevent Saudi Arabia from proceeding with the project of normalization, and this is not certain. Fifth: Relationships are also linked to the dynamic of popular movements in the Arab region, especially at the level of Saudi Arabia’s relations with what is happening in Bahrain and the eastern region. Sixth: The motives of the two parties to do so are not equally clear to analysts outside the official frameworks of both countries. Among the Saudi motives for opening the door to relations with Iran are the silent crises within the Gulf entity known as the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf. The agreement cannot be separated from the struggle for influence between the UAE and Saudi Arabia on the one hand, and between Saudi Arabia and Qatar on the other hand, and between Qatar and the UAE on the third. All of them are relations that move on a cauldron of fire, and they have come to haunt the Saudi house on a large scale.
In light of these factors, how can the relationship between the agreement and the Caliphate policies be considered? The two parties to the agreement must have discussed the issue of Bahrain, as each of them has an interest in resolving the intractable crisis that has been going on for a hundred years. It is certain that they differ on that, as Saudi Arabia was committed to the principle of Nayef, which only calls for the people to return to their homes, while Iran believes that it is necessary to do justice to the overwhelming majority of the people. Tehran knows that the Bahraini people have just demands that the Al-Khalifa regime cannot meet, foremost of which is the democratic transition that ends the Al-Khalifa domination of political life. Therefore, it is not excluded that, in light of the Bahraini people’s adherence to their political cause and their insistence on the unconditional release of political prisoners, that the Bahraini situation could be a cause for tension in relations between the two parties again after a while. The Al-Khalifas rushed to open dialogue with Iran, and Tehran’s position is supposed to be tough, especially in light of Al-Khalifa’s betrayal of the first central issue of Arabs and Muslims and their normalization with the Zionist occupation forces. The Bahraini national struggle is not confined to the file of political prisoners, which is considered a result of the struggle for political change. It is expected that the tyrant will be forced to drink the cup of poison again, to release political prisoners unconditionally, and to abandon his two failed projects, which he called: alternative sentences and open prisons. What is certain for the people is that their struggle to achieve radical political change will continue and will never stop with the help of God Almighty.
The second issue is the international parliamentary conference held in Bahrain last week, which the al-Khalifa gang sought to promote as an indicator of the success of its policies as well as their legitimacy. While the Bahrainis viewed it as an administrative decision that was discussed by the Inter-Parliamentary Union itself, and that it did not affect the lost Al-Khalifa legitimacy. The activists had relied on the conference to become costly for the Khalifas. And they succeeded. A number of international parliamentarians who embarrassed the tyrant and his gang in the field of human rights deliberated on the platform of speeches, as they clearly focused on the black human rights file and clearly demanded the release of political prisoners, and Mr. against them. The Al-Khalifaites made a huge mistake when they withdrew the visas they granted to officials of Human Rights Watch. This was enough to reveal the true face of the failed repressive regime. That decision was enough to convince many of those present of the repressive nature of Al-Khalifi’s rule, and the decades-old suffering of Bahrainis. Thus, the conference in which the tyrant and his gang spent the looted money of the people in order to convene it turned into a media and public relations disaster, so that this would be true to the noble verse: “They will spend it, then it will be anguish for them, then they will be defeated.”
As for the third issue, it is the continued oppression and persecution of the Bahraini people through arrests, unfair trials, and systematic religious and cultural targeting, as well as the Saudi-Emirati role after the forces of this evil coalition occupied the pure land of Bahrain on such days 12 years ago. Is there a greater target than imposing a policy of cultural and historical change on a country that embraced Islam only a few years after the prophetic mission? Arrests are still continuing, and it is sufficient to refer to the arrest of dozens in recent weeks, prior to the meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, as well as before the “Formula 1” car race. It is certain that bringing the Zionists into the country represents the most cultural, moral, religious and political challenge to the country and its people. This land and those on it belong to the Arab and Islamic nations and embrace Palestine and its people and its cause at the top of their priorities. And when the Khalifian tyrants normalized their relations with the usurping entity, citizens rushed to protest and distance themselves from the unjust decision. The Khalifahs base their future security policies on a firm foundation: They cannot coexist with the Bahrainis who always feel darkness and consider their land occupied as it is the land of Palestine. Accordingly, there is no common ground between the two sides for the continuation of a stable relationship based on mutual recognition and respect. Therefore, it is expected that security and political tension will escalate, especially since all Bahraini religious scholars rejected normalization and considered it high treason. This includes considering the Caliphs as enemies of the nation who occupied part of its lands and threaten the archaeological sites of Palestine and Al-Aqsa Mosque in particular.
These three issues represent a real crisis that cannot be overcome at all, just as it can never be resolved because it represents a struggle between two poles that do not meet, but rather stand on opposite sides. That is, the dispute is no longer confined to limited political aspects and legitimate national demands, but rather goes beyond that to relate to a serious strategic issue: Does Bahrain stand with Palestine or with the occupying Zionists? There is no doubt that Al-Khalifa’s step towards normalization contributed to an unprecedented political, cultural and intellectual polarization. The hope is that the sectors of the people that have remained immune to the internal conflict until now will rise up, and raise their voices against normalization and those who carry it out, so that the breach does not widen and penetrates the nation’s constants, and the assault on our land and our people continues through the criminal ruling gang and its allies in Tel Aviv.
Oh God, have mercy on our righteous martyrs, and make for them a foothold of truth with You, and release the chains of our captives, O Lord of the worlds
Bahrain Islamic Free Movement
March 17, 2023
