The Crackdown in Bahrain

I haven't been posting about the ongoing crackdown on the Shi‘ite opposition in Bahrain in preparation for Parliamentary elections in October, but it seems to be time to note it; now that government has sought to dissolve the Bahrain Human Rights Society's Board "for failing to represent all segments of society" (that is, for being Shi‘ite oriented), it has drawn demands from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch that it rescind the order. Over the pasr several weeks at least 250 people have been charged with involvement in a terrorist network, including the head of the al-Haq opposition movement (essentially the a major Shi‘ite political party grouping), prominent bloggers, and Shi‘ite activists. The government has implied that Iran is behind the alleged network. The GCC Foreign Ministers have asked Britain to expel Bahraini activists on the grounds they support terrorism.

Tensions between Bahrain's Shi‘ite majority and the Sunni-dominated government have been simmering for years, but the current tensions in Bahrain are unusually high, and seem to be relating to an overall increase in sectarian tensions in the Gulf, perhaps related to tensions with Iran but, in the Bahraini case, by fears of Shi‘ite gains in the October elections. It deserves watching as there is a potential for more serious confrontations.