Introduction
Bahrain is a small monarchy with a population of slightly over one million as of 2007 statistics. Members of the Sunni minority are the rulers of the monarchy; the present king is Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and he has held the office since 1999. The prime minister of the country Khalifa Ibn Sulman Al Khalifa, is the king’s paternal uncle. Though the country is a monarchy, there is a parliament which passes the laws by which the country is governed.
Human Rights Issues in Bahrain as Represented in the Western Mass Media
The Western mass media is in love with sensationalism. There are incidences where news reports are exaggerated and blown out of proportion to make them more appealing to the viewers or to perpetuate misconceptions of places and peoples that might not be necessarily accurate.
The human rights concerns in Bahrain are one such case. There are so many developments and advancements in the Bahrain that the Western mass media totally ignores.
Human Rights Watch Groups have accused the government of injustices such as capturing and torturing political prisoners, and going to the extent of getting prisoners to confess to crimes when under torture. Such accusations are false and ungrounded.
The allegations made by the Western mass media are that Shiite Muslims are discriminated against in terms of gender, employment, housing, in politics and education because of the laws that are in place.1 Bahrain is an equal opportunity country, no matter the race or religion of an individual. This is illustrated by the fact that only fifty percent of people living in Bahrain are Bahraini born and the other fifty are immigrants.
The western media has made allegations that the government uses unnecessary force in quelling protests, by groups that the government purposely labels as being extremists and fundamentalists so as to justify the force used.
One of the main proponents against human rights abuse is Erick Sottas who is the president of the World Organization against Torture. He states that Bahrain has remained adamant against investigating allegations of torture, opting instead to cover up issues, and discouraging external investigations. However, Mr. Sottas does not have evidence to back up his claim.
There are very many positive steps that have been taken by the Bahraini government towards achieving equity between the two major religious sects and the several minority groups in the country. These positive actions are the ones which are downplayed by the western media.
The United Nations has acknowledged that King Ahmad is a leader of reforms, who has taken positive steps towards integrating the people of Bahrain. One of these was presenting the motion to the Bahraini parliament that the country should join the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
Though there was initially hesitation by the parliament to approve this motion, it was only because it would go against some Islamic sharia laws by which the country is governed. In September 2006, Bahrain became a member of the ICCPR after being given the green-light by the United Nations.
International civil societies such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have acknowledged Bahrain’s effort in promoting human rights, especially the rights of women, who are now even allowed to vote and participate actively in politics.
One incident which illustrates the government’s stand on sectarianism is the response to the Banda Gate Scandal, which led to the deportation of Sheikh Ahmed bin Ateyatalla Al Khalifa -a member of the royal family and former minister of Cabinet affairs- in September 2006.
The Sheikh had been accused of spying on Shiite Muslims, and spreading propaganda that encouraged sectarianism. Upon prosecution, he was deported to the United Kingdom. The King does not tolerate or condone sectarianism as wrongly represented in the Western mass media.
It was through the efforts of King Hamad that women were granted the right to vote, and be granted the right to equal participation in politics despite opposition from the women themselves. Thus, in 2002, women in Bahrain cast the ballot for the first time in the country’s history.
Bahrain is also the country with one of the strongest freedom of speech in the Middle East with only Jordan and Kuwait ranking higher. There is minimal state control of the press -1.39%. There are eight major daily newspapers which, unlike other Middle Eastern countries, run with minimal government interference.
The king has also proposed that the country ratify the Rome Statute and become one of the countries under the International Criminal Court (ICC), and talks with confidence of their ratification because the country has nothing to hide in terms of human rights abuse.
What the Western mass media fails to appropriately highlight are the steps and measures being taken by the king and his government to create a democratic and fully cohesive Bahraini state. There has been much progress ever since the first elections of 1992, and Bahrain remains a benchmark for surrounding Islamic states in the region in positive and tolerant governance.
Conclusion
The accusations of human rights abuse in the Kingdom of Bahrain have been sensationally blown out of proportion by the Western mass media.. Bahrain is an equal opportunity state, and this is reflected all the way from political office, to the workplace. The identity that is trumped supreme in Bahrain is not that of being Shiite, or Sunni, Arab or Indian, but rather of belonging to one nation- being a citizen of Bahrain.
Works Cited
AljazeeraEnglish. Bahrian Sh’ia Muslims Claim Discrimination 2009. Web.
Bahraincenter. Al Alam TV News Human Rights Watch Says Bahrain Torturing Opposition, Violating Human Rights. Web.
Manana Caroline. Braving the Bullets in Bahrain. 2011. Web.