*(Top image: Bahrain Airlines (Gulf Air) in Oman’s Muscat canceled tickets of 76 Bahraini passengers traveling at a personal cost from Mashhad to Bahrain.)
Hundreds of Bahrainis visit Iran every year as the Islamic republic, in the recent years, has made a comeback on the travel scene being listed as one of the hot spot destinations with religious, cultural, medical, educational, commercial specificities.
On February 19, Iran publicly confirmed the coronavirus outbreak. Hence, about 2,130 Bahrainis were stranded in the holy city of Mashed, according to a statement issued by Al-Wefaq, the largest now-outlawed opposition bloc.
Shockingly, the government has exploited the crisis to stoke political and sectarian squabble with Iran through abandoning and putting the lives of hundreds of its citizens at considerable risk. Instead of evacuating its indigenous citizens, the government went to accuse Iran of biological warfare. At least seven citizens have passed away so far since the beginning of the crisis, as Manama and in cold blood impedes efforts to bring them home.
Besides, Bahrain's so-called House of Representatives, which has neither legislative powers nor opposition representation, voted not to allow return the stranded citizens trapped in Iran.
Since the government has opted to politicize this crisis, its loyalists, who are plagued by sectarian hatred and grudges, have not stopped ridiculing the Shiites religious beliefs, calling their compatriots trapped in Iran traitors, urging the authorities not to allow them to return and to revoke their citizenship. It is noteworthy to mention that Bahrain has no diplomatic relationship with Iran and airlines do not usually fly directly between the two countries. Whatsoever, many countries were quick to send planes to evacuate their nationals and put them under observation. For instance, Canada, which had strained relations with China, opened direct channels of communication with the Chinese authorities to ensure the evacuation of its nationals.
Human rights activists accuse Bahrain of capriciousness and untrustworthiness after subsequent evacuation attempts were reported to have been abruptly canceled or obstructed.
They express their criticism via twitter under the Arabic hashtag #أعيدوا_العالقين_البحرينيين, which means "Bring the stranded Bahrainis back home" which has been seen trending for several weeks.
On March 6th, Bahrain's ruler directed the Jaffaria Endowments Directorate to bear the expenses of the Bahraini nationals stranded abroad, which means nothing but that he deems Bahrain's Shiite community, who constitutes 70% of the population, as non-citizens.
After more than one month one can understand why those marginalized peaceful citizens have been revolting since February in 2011 and how this brutal government denies the people's suffering and miseries. The ruler has cast the burden and responsibility on the shoulders of the Jaafari endowments, which means that the Shiite issues are not a national Bahraini affair. Again, it means that the sectarian rhetoric against the Bahrainis trapped in Mashhad is launched on behalf of the ruler and his despotic government.
Now world have u realized why the Bahrainis kicked off to the streets in Feb 2011?? Have you realized how blatantly the government discriminates against them and merely regard them as non-citizens!!
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