Bahrain Mirror: The al-Khalifa ruling regime's decision to strip Sheikh Isa Qasim of his Bahraini citizenship on a trumped-up and patently false charge is yet another example of the ruling family's deepening repression, said Emile Nakhle in an article published on the Lobelog, Foreign Policy website.

"This respected Shia cleric has always called for non-violent resistance and has abhorred the confrontational tactics that some hotheaded protesters have employed in the past. It is time for the United States, Britain, and the international community to demand that the Bahraini government halt these draconian and arbitrary measures," stressed the Middle East political analyst.

Nakhle further noted that the ludicrous "justification" that the al-Khalifa run Ministry of Interior gave for taking away Sheikh Isa Qasim's citizenship was that he used his position to communicate with "hostile foreign organizations and parties" and "to serve foreign interests." He was also accused of creating an "extremist sectarian environment" and of "violating the constitution." The Ministry of Interior did not explain the charges or explain how the accused violated the constitution. The statement was written under the cynical banner "Ramadan Mubarak" or "Blessed Ramadan."

"Since the Bahraini uprising in February 2011, the Sunni regime has promoted sectarianism in order to delegitimize the pro-reform movement," said the Research Professor at the University of New Mexico, adding that "the regime has been in sync with the Saudi ruling family to promote the intolerant, backward-looking Wahhabi Salafi ideology, which emanated principally from Saudi Arabia, to demonize Shia Muslims, whether in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, or the United Arab Emirates. Sheikh Isa Qasim is the latest victim of this regime-driven "extremist sectarianism.""

Shia Support of Moderation

Reading the charges in the government's citizenship revocation statement is baffling to those who have followed Sheikh Isa Qasim's peaceful activism on behalf of human rights, democracy, and inclusion. He has always promoted reconciliation between the Shia majority and the Sunni minority under the al-Khalifa rule. He has consistently called for a return to the constitution, which was promulgated by King Hamad's father and the former ruler of Bahrain in 1973, highlighted Nakhle.

He further stated that "this revocation of the citizenship was not done in a vacuum. Nor was it an isolated incident. This illegal action followed the sentencing of Sheikh Ali Salman to nine years in prison, the suspension of al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, and the re-arrest of the Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab."

Pointing out Sheikh Qasim's legitimate right to Bahraini citizenship, Nakhle said: "What is tragically ironic about the decision is that the Shia have lived in the Bahraini archipelago as farmers and pearl divers centuries before the al-Khalifa tribe invaded the island from the mainland in the latter part of the 18th century. Sheikh Isa Qasim and other Shia have a more legitimate right to Bahraini citizenship than the al-Khalifa Sunni invaders."

Despite having more legitimate right to Bahraini nationality than the ruling al-Khalifa family, "Sheikh Isa Qasim and his colleagues in al-Wefaq have consistently stated publically that they would be willing to work with the ruling family so long as the rights of the majority to free speech, assembly, and employment opportunity are guaranteed under the rule of law. I heard these statements directly from the Shia members of parliament during the constitutional debates in the Constituent Assembly and National Assembly over 40 years ago."

Regime Sense of Empowerment

In the past five years and especially after Saudi troops entered the country, Riyadh has emboldened the Bahraini regime in its autocratic and illegal actions against the Shia majority, The intriguing question is how much support would the Bahraini regime expect and get from the rising leader of Saudi Arabia, Muhammad bin Salman, now that he is busy charting a new future for his country, wondered Nakhle.

The political analyst stressed that "Washington and London have also arguably strengthened the Bahraini regime by tolerating its repressive measures against Bahrainis and accepting the regime's shallow claims that it was committed to fighting both terrorism and political reform. In reality, both claims are bogus."

"The Bahraini government has supported radical Sunni groups in Syria, and several radical Bahraini Sunni "jihadists" fought and were killed in Syria. The regime has rejected all demands for political reform and has yet to implement the key recommendations from the 2011 Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry report. A feverish, slick, and well-financed public relations campaign to show the Bahraini government in a favorable light has been on prominent display in both London and Washington," he added.

"The al-Khalifa regime has spread its message in London and Washington through business people, chambers of commerce, retired diplomats and military officers, pliant journalists and newspapers and magazines, and academics who are welcomed by the regime and encouraged to interview regime supporters and propagandists in Bahrain. Of course, some policymakers honestly believe that supporting the Bahraini regime serves the economic and security interests of the United States and Britain. As recent history has shown, however, cozying up to autocrats might serve American and British interests in the short term but has dubious value in the long run," said Nakhle.

Potential Threats

Emile Nakhle noted that "the citizenship revocation and possible deportation of Sheikh Isa from Bahrain will leave many of his followers disheartened and angry."

"Many of them have already given up on the utility of reconciliation with the regime and instead are calling for dismantling the al-Khalifa family rule. Many Shia, and even some pro-reform Sunnis, already blame the United States and England for the repressive conditions in Bahrain. They point to the British and US origin of the weapons used by the regime against its people as evidence of British and American complicity in the regime's repressive measures," he noted.

"If this situation continues, some angry youth may well begin to target American and British facilities and personnel in Bahrain. Washington and London should take this threat seriously even though the regime seems to have quashed the dissent movement in the country. Internationally known opposition figures have fled the country, but many angry Shia youth remain in the country. Under the al-Khalifa rule, Bahrain is no longer a tolerant, open, and inclusive society."

According to the Council on Foreign Relations member, "before independence, senior British officials, including Charles Belgrave and Ian Henderson, served as senior and powerful advisors to the ruling family and ran the country's internal security service and police. Now, Britain is contributing to the securitization of the regime and the deepening chasm between the rulers and the indigenous society."

Bahrainis-Sunnis and Shia-have always wanted to live in peace and dignity, but also in freedom, stressed Nakhle.

"It's a shame that the ruling family has been unable to share power and enhance its legitimacy in the eyes of its own people. The al-Khalifa rulers have yet to learn the lesson that repression is never the answer to civic peace and social harmony. Depriving Sheikh Isa Qasim of his rightful citizenship is another sign that Bahrain is heading toward disaster. If we are interested in protecting our facilities and personnel in Bahrain, we should have the moral courage to tell al-Khalifa, "Enough already!""

Arabic Version