Height of Hypocrisy

By: Kayhan Int’l

In what could be called the height of hypocrisy, a repressive regime which is not at peace with the people it rules against their will, is projecting itself abroad as an ambassador of peace.
Shortly after shocking Palestinians and all Muslims worldwide by sending a high level delegation to the occupied Islamic city of Bayt al-Moqaddas, not for a pilgrimage to the al-Aqsa Mosque or the Dome of the Rock, but for joining Jewish Rabbis to desecrate the sacred Buraq Wall in the name of peace with the Zionists, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Aal-e Khalifa dispatched some senior members of his minority regime to Brazil, to announce ‘promotion of peace’.
On December 16, in Brasilia in the presence of the quixotic Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, a document by the sheikh who styles himself as king, was read for promoting in Latin America the principles of peace, freedom and faith – all three principles which brutally trampled under feet in Manama by the regime.
It could be called the joke of the year. If the press release made public by Bahrain’s embassy in Brazil is to be believed, the declaration aims to promote peace between nations and a healthy coexistence between people of different religions and beliefs.
It went on to say that "Ignorance is the enemy of peace. Therefore, it is our duty to learn to share and live together by the principles of faith, in a spirit of love and mutual respect.”
Nothing could be far from the truth. As a matter of fact, it was a mockery of peace, spirit of love, respect for religious freedom, and the democracy, in view of the worsening human rights situation in Bahrain.
In Bahrain, human rights abuses and state repression are the order of the day, as many dissidents and opposition leaders languish in prison, are tortured, and even executed, while others are forced into exile and their citizenship is revoked.
It should be noted that since 2016, Bahrain’s main oppositionist party al-Wefaq, representing the country’s long-suppressed majority, remains dissolved, while hundreds of Bahraini nationals have had their citizenship revoked by the regime, rendering most of them stateless.
It is quite a task in keeping up to date on human rights and Bahraini civil society, especially when a typical cursory online news search on Bahrain tends to yield the pathetic situation of the people of the Persian Gulf island state.
Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim, the popular religious leader of the Bahrain people, who has been forced into exile, points out: "There is a great divergence between the rulers and the ruled of Bahrain in thought, mind, aims, and interests.”
Another prominent Bahraini activist, Seyyed Abbas Shubar al-Mousawi, echoed similar sentiments by pointing out that the people of Bahrain have always been supporters of the Palestinian cause and expressed doubt that the regime’s normalization with Israel can succeed on a large scale.
In other words, it is incredible to think that the ruling family can achieve peace with its neighbours when there is no justice for its people.
To sum up, the Aal-Khalifas may have normalized ties with Israel, and are attending Jewish festivals like Hanukkah by desecrating the sacred precincts of the al-Aqsa Mosque, but they have not achieved peace, mutual respect, and co-existence with the people of Bahrain at home who have been deprived of all basic democratic freedoms.