By John Galt
December 17, 2011 – 23:45 ET
When the nation of Saudi Arabia insisted the GCC invade Bahrain to crush the Shiite protests, the West went back to sleep and assumed the discontent was pacified or stifled and this strategic tiny nation in the Persian Gulf would not reappear in the news cycle. Unfortunately for the House of Saud, that is not the case as this story from Al-Jazeera explains:
‘Several injured’ in Bahrain clashes
Excerpt:
Bahraini police have clashed with anti-government protesters, a day after rights activists said a demonstrator was run over and killed as he fled security forces chasing protesters near the capital, Manama.
Police fired tear gas and sound grenades to disperse rallies in different Shia villages outside Manama, Matar Matar, a member of the Shia opposition bloc al-Wefaq, said.
Several people were injured in the clashes which went on for several hours on Friday, he told Reuters news agency.
“Many were injured because of excessive force,” Matar said. “Many have head injuries which indicates there is an intention to hurt them.”
The Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) said demonstrator Ali-Ahmed al-Qassab died on Thursday after he was hit by a speeding car while trying to flee intelligence officers during clashes between protesters and riot police.
Witnesses said he was killed by a police vehicle.
Bahrain’s interior ministry denied police were responsible for the man’s death. In a statement late on Thursday, the ministry said a pedestrian was fatally injured in a traffic accident that involved a civilian vehicle. Its driver is in custody, the statement said.
(Click on title above to read article in full)
So much for the “hope and change’ of the so-called “Arab Spring” which is devolving into an Islamist Winter to be followed by major domestic civil and religious wars along with probable international conflicts in the region.
The good news is that government of Bahrain apparently listens to the citizens of the tiny nation as this report from the Gulf Daily News (Bahrain) on Sunday December 18th illustrates:
Residents ‘fed up with protesters’
The article highlights the local’s frustrations with the situation, thus supporting the government’s heavy hand:
PEOPLE living near the Budaiya Highway yesterday called for an end to disruption after protesters again tried to occupy the busy road, prompting police to respond with tear gas.
It follows a similar attempt on Thursday, when police closed the highway altogether – leading to major tailbacks.
One expat living there, who wished to remain anonymous, said yesterday that the constant upheaval of protests, roadblocks and tear gas had convinced her to leave Bahrain altogether.
“I have felt scared a few times, especially during March when a lot of people left Bahrain and we were on lockdown in the compound,” she told the GDN.
“About two weeks ago, I heard the loudest bang I have ever heard followed by another one 30 seconds later, which caused the house to shake.
“Living like this is not normal, I get woken up by helicopters every morning and the other day came face to face with what looked like a tank and a machine gun in Riffa.
“We have been forced to go inside in the evenings because of the tear gas. This should not be part of our normal lives.”
(Click on title above to read article in full)
If anyone thinks the Shiites and Iranians have given up on creating mistrust and instability in this tiny nation, that individual has not been paying attention to world history nor the desire by both Sunni and Shiite fundamentalists to recreate the great Caliphate to unify the Muslim people.
Stay tuned as while America celebrates and essentially shuts down for the holidays, it would appear matters are progressively getting worse in the MENA region.
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