tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-153901922011-04-21T22:26:59.631+03:00MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.comBlogger961100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-45851607620152775852009-01-26T23:32:00.004+03:002009-01-27T00:49:29.738+03:00

On behalf of the Overlords, To all Forces of Order, It appears that:1. Hassan Ali Mushaima2. Abdul Jalil Abdulla Al-Singace3. Mohammed Habib al-Meqdad Have committed the crime of: ___ Walking, talking and acting like free men ___ , in violation of the laws of this Kingdom. You are therefore commanded to arrest forthwith the above named and bring them before one of our courts/underlings. This

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-77809611244137218352008-09-16T16:14:00.003+03:002008-09-16T16:28:49.294+03:00

هذا البلد حزبان، حزب طويلي العمر، وحزب قصيري العمروالحكم فيه رهان.رهان طويلي العمر على قصر عمر قصار العمر. قهرا أو سهوا.ولا يزال الرهان ناجحا.يزداد طويلو العمر في العمر طولا، ويغادر قصار العمر قبل أوانهم مبكرين.ربما لعدل سماوي. فطول العمر في كفة هنا، والنبل في كفة هناك.. . . . . . . . . .يهل رمضان هذا العام حزينا على مائدة أكثر من عائلة في هذا البلد الحزين. لوعة الغياب تدلف

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-21714399859472476442008-04-12T15:28:00.003+03:002008-04-12T15:50:09.296+03:00

في 14 فبراير الماضي، أعلن رسميا عن "مولد البحرين الجديدة". ماجد أصغر علي بخش، 26 سنة، من القوة الخاصة، هو أول شهدائها. ماجد (أم مجيد؟) أصغر علي بخش لم يذهب إلى قدره الأليم مختارا. هو إبن لعائلة فقيرة، من منطقة فقيرة، جاء إلى هذه الجزيرة رضيعا، ونشأ فيها شابا يتطلع إلى لقمة عيش مستقرة له ولأسرته. على خطى من هم أكبر سنا في عائلته ومنطقته، كان في الخدمة العسكرية والبزة العسكرية

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-47043911937946963852008-04-01T22:04:00.009+03:002008-04-03T19:23:15.914+03:00

كان باسقا،كنخلة من أوال. وسامقا، كنشيد جمهوري. كان شاهدا على عصر. وكان محظوظا. فقد عاش في زمن النخيل والنشيد. ولكن حسن جواد الجشي ذهب صامتا. كنخلة، نخسرها مرتين. عاش في المنفى 14 عاما، في أعقاب حل الهيئة، حتى عودته في 1971. ولكنه عندما عاد، عاد إلى وطن لم يزل حينها وطنا. لم تزل به بقية من نخيل. وإلى عاصمة لم تزل آهلة بأهلها، ومأهولة بالنشيد. بلغ النشيد أوجه في 7 ديسمبر 1973.

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-91818363532505745242007-10-22T21:04:00.000+03:002007-10-22T22:57:44.451+03:00

Ahmed Al-Omran is no more. The larger than life education minister of the 60’s and 70’s passed away this weekend. A more than lamentable reminder of where this country was and where it is now. I’m not grieving, just trying to figure out the shape of the unlearning curve leading to the current education minister. Not an edifying contrast. Back then, Hassan Jawad Al-Jishi was a speaker.

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-11938437894198464332007-10-19T16:18:00.000+03:002007-10-19T16:22:04.925+03:00

نحن لسنا خاضعين لإحتلال. صحيح أن الممارسات متشابهة، إلى حد التطابق، لكننا بالقطع لسنا تحت الإحتلال. الإحتلال غير تافه، أو بائس، أو بمعدل ذكاء تعدّه على أصابع القدمين. آخر ممارسات هذا الذي يشبه الإحتلال، ما حدث لطالبة في عمر الزهور في الثانوية العامة تقبع حاليا في سجن الحوض الجاف. الطالبة أحضرت لزميلتها في المدرسة ورقة من تلك الوريقات التي تباع في إيران ك"سوفنير" والتي هي على نمط أوراق

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-32827079726056744192007-10-17T17:15:00.000+03:002007-10-19T00:31:06.288+03:00

عيد الفطر السعيد هلّ مبكرا هذا العام على وزارة الخارجية، فعيّدت وأفطرت قبلنا جميعا... ففي بيان توضيحي سبق سائر هيئات الرؤية الشرعية، أكدت الوزارة الموقرة ثبوت رؤية هلال الواقع السياسي الجديد، وبالتالي فإن " لقاء الشيخ خالد بن احمد بن محمد ال خليفة وزير الخارجية بوزيرة الخارجية الإسرائيلية تسيبى ليفنى على هامش انعقاد الدورة الثانية والستين للجمعية العامة للأمم المتحدة قد تم بالفعل"....

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-32400081292541780842007-09-10T20:16:00.001+03:002007-09-10T20:31:51.525+03:00

تؤجل أصدقاءك ريثما ترسو إلى يابسة.. لكن أشرعة رحيلهم الأخير إلى الغروب لا تنتظر... فتفجع – وسط تلاطمك- مرتين... . . . . . . "كأن سحب الأقدار لم تعد تهطل إلا بالفاجع فيمن نحب، من أولئك الرائعين الذين يعطون للوطن معنى وظلا، واحدا بعد آخر. كأن السيارة البيضاء التي كانت تسابق الوقت ولهيب القيظ للعودة للأهل والبيت بعد نهاية يوم عمل،

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-59072049467685223452007-07-01T23:43:00.000+03:002007-07-03T23:57:06.898+03:00

إنما أهلك الذين من قبلكم أنهم كانوا إذا خان فيهم الشريف تركوه، وإذا خان فيهم الضعيف أقاموا عليه الحدّ. (ليس حديثا شريفا) لم تكن بالقطع أشرف موتة (السقوط من شرفة). لم تكن أشرف آخر الإتصالات (لموعد مع "مؤرخ" "إسرائيلي"). لم تكن أشرف مهنة حرة (تاجر سلاح). ليس أشرف الأسئلة: المهنة غير الحرة السابقة لأشرف مروان، هل كانت: عميل مفرد أم عميل مزدوج؟ تحتاج لأن نعرف شيئا عن الرجل أو عن

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-36298603764162830412007-06-17T23:14:00.000+03:002007-06-18T22:23:41.773+03:00

نسخة طبق الأصل (مع حذف الأسماء وتصحيح بعض الأخطاء الإملائية والنحوية فقط) 12 يونيو 2007 السيد الفاضل نائب الأمين العام للجمعية البحرينية لحقوق الإنسان يطيب لنا أن نبعث لكم خالص التحية والتقدير، ونود الإفادة بأنه قد بلغنا بأن الجمعية تعتزم إقامة ورشة تشاورية لمناقشة ما يسمى بقضية المتضررين من الحقبة السابقة بعنوان" مشروع الحقيقة والإنصاف والمصالحة في البحرين" بتنظيم من لجنة التنسيق للانصاف

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-71236954041239441462007-06-13T23:37:00.000+03:002007-06-17T23:42:26.704+03:00

Another day, another heroic act by victorious Sunni Supremacists in Iraq, to the delight of friends and sympathizers everywhere. A high and holy symbol of abominable Shia polytheism has been razed to the ground. A far holier act, on a far holier front, than razing 100 world trade centres anywhere, twin-towered or otherwise. Their joy must have multiplied by seeing and reading the reactions of

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-51016773900480533852007-06-09T18:28:00.000+03:002007-06-09T18:32:57.537+03:00

By default, a constitutional, absolute monarchy is absolutely fault- free, unless royally decreed otherwise. So, a gentle public service reminder to fellow commoners of this faultfreeocracy: Next time you want to open your mouth to complain about key thing or turn your accusatory finger at key person, you better double lock your facts first. Chances are (at a regal 98.4%) that the fault may lie

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-30079367077229783812007-05-22T18:50:00.000+03:002007-05-22T19:19:59.365+03:00

الصفحة الأولى لعدد اليوم من جريدة "الوطن" حملت عنوان: النواب: تفعيل قانون مكافحة الإرهاب ضرورة. الصفحة الأخيرة لأخبار الخليج وفي عمود "صباح الخير" لعلي سيار لهذا اليوم حملت الرأي المخالف التالي لأحد المواطنين: الأستاذ الفاضل علي سيار المحترم تحية طيبة وبعد لقد عجبت جدا عند قراءتي لعمودك «أخيار وأشرار« فأنا أحد أولياء الأمور الذين اتهم أولادهم في حادثة (التهديد الكاذب) والتي أعقبتها حملة

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-57289563307837388922007-05-20T20:30:00.000+03:002007-05-20T20:40:29.638+03:00

ليلة أمس، لم تفعل وزارة الداخلية سوى القيام بواجبها في فرض القانون وفض ندوة غير مرخصة. كان الله في عونها، فالمهمة ليست سهلة ولا يسيرة مع شعب بندوات غير مرخصة، وتجمعات غير مرخصة، وأنشطة غير مرخصة، ونشرات غير مرخصة، وجماعات غير مرخصة، وأحزاب سرية غير مرخصة، وثقافة غير مرخصة، وخيال غير مرخص، ومشاعر غير مرخصة، وأسئلة غير مرخصة، وأحلام غير مرخصة، وأحزان غير مرخصة، ونكات غير مرخصة، وأغنيات غير مرخصة،

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-39188811311286257322007-05-19T17:14:00.000+03:002007-05-19T17:29:23.136+03:00

الوطن "كنت سعيدة بزياراتكم لنا في الغربة، فقد كسرتم حاجز المسافات، ورنين جرس البيت كان يؤكد لنا التواصل مع أبناء الوطن والحرية على رغم الأميال التي تبعدنا عن المكان.... كان المنزل يحوي أربع غرف وصالة، تمتلئ عن بكرة أبيها، نرابط في غرفة واحدة بمودة وحب من دون أدنى انزعاج". مريم عيسى النعيمي ، قرينة المناضل الكبير عبدالرحمن النعيمي. رسالة نشرت في الصحف المحلية ( باستثناء أخبار الخليج)، 17

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-34380953735576546872007-05-09T23:01:00.000+03:002007-05-09T23:23:28.367+03:00

ِِ Three apologies are in order. In ascending order of gravity. First one is to M. Sarkozy. I never thought La France would go so low. But 53% of the French seem happy with a Clintonesque processed cheese a la Reaganite for president. So we’ll have to wait and see next five years of neo-liberte, inegalite, and anything but fraternite (except with l’etat hebreu that is). Speaking of

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-21674084421788224212007-05-01T23:10:00.001+03:002007-05-01T23:10:44.812+03:00

"عمرة عيد العمال المغادرة 30 إبريل " عنوان بديع لملصق لإحدى حملات المسير للديار المقدسة على جدران المخابز القريبة، ويحمل إسم الحملة وصاحبها وهواتف الإتصال. الأجر والثواب مقابل 40 دينار للطبقة العاملة. "لنتضامن معا من أجل أجور عادلة. شارك معنا في مسيرة الأول من مايو" عنوان متفائل لملصق صادر عن الإتحاد العام لنقابات عمال البحرين يوزعه عامل فري فيزا عند تقاطع الخريطة، ويحمل مكان وموعد

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-23119439361018667562007-04-14T23:30:00.000+03:002007-04-14T23:46:01.688+03:00

It was the penultimate insult. It took six years to spew out but it was finally hurled, for and behalf of the ruling circles of the land, by Khalifa al-Dhahrani, their favourite chum. The head of the minority-takes-more-seats-than-majority House of Deputies is proposing to compensate proprietors for properties affected during the Trouble years of the 90’s. It was a strong enough jolt to

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-53517034023780825172007-04-11T00:28:00.000+03:002007-04-11T00:41:24.017+03:00

يمه ما أريدك تونين أو تعتبين يمه كل أعمارنا فدوة للحسين تظل معلوقة بحزن شمعة شبابي أبد ما تطفى وتظل تضوي بغيابي صبري يايمة على لوعة مصابي ولا تلكمين القلب لما تونين Abbas is not a hapless victim of an ill-fated incident. Abbas is the name of the rose of the poignant cause of a vanquished nation. which, like every vanquished nation, fails to see itself as one.

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-78346233698829467392007-04-01T16:56:00.000+03:002007-04-01T17:25:35.397+03:00

Whatever the exact circumstance which triggered the bullet which rendered young Abbas brain-dead, that fateful bullet was anything but ill-fated. A rural Egyptian killed under Khidevi Egypt, or a black man murdered in Rhodesian times, are not called incidents. These are a logical, bullet proof conclusion of systemic state's policy. Ill fate didn't corner and take aim at young Abbas that

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-58403809310860687072007-03-18T21:46:00.000+03:002007-03-18T22:04:31.545+03:00

When one of Al-Ghatams speaks, we got to listen. And if he happens to be Dr. Mohammed Bin Jassim Al-Ghatam, we are sure to have the fully-blooded royal mind trickling down the royally half-blooded wits. Here is his bespoken thought in today’s Akhbar Alkhaleej on the lone positive development of the last decade: " الملمح الثالث: الاتجاه نحو الصفح والعفو عمن أساء في الماضي من خلال سياسة إطلاق سراح

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1170622295715051242007-02-04T23:43:00.000+03:002007-02-05T00:09:38.674+03:00

القاضي المستشار أحمد عبد الخالق، من جمهورية مصر العربية ، قد يكون منح جنسية مملكة البحرين. لم يستغرق النطق بالحكم لديه سوى ثوان. فالقضية واضحة، والقانون لا يحتمل اللبس أو الإبهام، والمتهمان قبض عليهما متلبسين في كمين محكم من قبل أجهزة الأمن. البطل عامل آسيوي، قد يكون منح جنسية مملكة البحرين مؤخرا ، يعمل في مكتبة التربية الحديثة، بادر إلى إخبار الجهات الأمنية المختصة بشكوكه حول شخص بحريني

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1166906925877302232006-12-23T23:45:00.000+03:002006-12-24T17:21:26.030+03:00

“He was a colleague of mine, a friend and a brother”. Worldly statesmen, and long lasting at that, are entitled to a world of privileges of course including the right to out of this world statements. You may opt to be sociological regarding the regal reactions to the death of the Sheikh of the People, or downright an anthropological observer. Or just limit yourself tothe rhetorical tools of

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1166473508870759442006-12-18T23:16:00.000+03:002006-12-18T23:31:05.933+03:00

As if the skies wanted to pour the first tears. To be ahead of the mass funeral in bidding a solemn farewell for a man who rose to be a patriarch and a symbol of an era. And a true man of the people all along. He wasn’t the elite’s hero, but the good folks saw in him a good father, an elder brother who best symbolized their hopes, their virtues and their failings. Like them, he was

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1166185899877395262006-12-15T15:27:00.000+03:002006-12-23T23:53:49.560+03:00

بعد سلسلة من المواقف المهزوزة مؤخرا، حسنا فعلت الوفاق اليوم بمقاطعتها الجلسة الإفتتاحية للمجلس "الوطني"، للتعبير ولو رمزيا عن الإحتجاج على هذا الإستهتار الفلكي بمشاعر الأغلبية الساحقة من الناس. سيكون حسنا منها أيضا لو أكدت بصورة علنية أن المقصود في عبارة "أن أحترم الدستور" الواردة في القسم هو دستور 73 لا غير. وأن الإخلاص للملك لا يسبق الإخلاص للوطن بل يليه. جميل منها تجنيب

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1166022321296885192006-12-13T18:02:00.000+03:002006-12-15T15:54:22.163+03:00

هل تعلم؟ أن مجمع الخالدين، المعروف أيضا بحكومتنا الرشيدة، بات يضم الآن ثلاثة شيوخ خالدين من آل خليفة، بإنضمام خالد آل خليفة وزيرا للعدل والشؤون الإسلامية إلى جانب خالد آل خليفة وزيرا لديوان رئيس الوزراء و خالد آل خليفة وزيرا للخارجية ؟ وأن التشكيلة الجديدة القديمة أصبحت، بحمده تعالى، تضم أيضا محمدين من الأسرة الحاكمة، هما محمد بن مبارك نائبا أقدم لرئيس الوزراء، ومحمد بن

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1165762204386801622006-12-10T17:31:00.001+03:002006-12-11T18:52:01.573+03:00

عزيزي القارئ العروبي، ما هو شعورك القومي الشوفيني وأنت تقرأ في "الوقت" ما يلي: " بلغ أربعة عدائبن عرب هم السعودي حمدان البيشي، الكويتي فوزي دهش الشمري، البحريني براندون سيمسون والعماني محمد الرواحي، أمس نهائي سباق 400 م ضمن دورة الآلعاب الآسيوية الخامسة عشرة"؟ عزيزي المواطن، ما هو شعورك المغرق في الإنعزالية المحلية وأنت تكحل عينيك بالصور البهيجة على صفحة رياضية أولى كاملة بعد "يوم من

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1165592291496284832006-12-08T18:22:00.000+03:002006-12-09T13:05:47.696+03:00

The people have spoken.The Sheikhs, knowing best, had the last word.And the best laugh. A good performance in all. The military band also played in the two intermission: It's gonna be a bright (bright), Sun-Shiny day. We were promised sun-shiny days before. Last Sunday must be one of them. 22 of the sunniest of the sunny were in. So sun-dried, you had to call a

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1164484894635714592006-11-25T22:52:00.000+03:002006-11-25T23:01:34.666+03:00

لماذا تتغاضي دولة عن مزاعم تورط مواطنيها في مخططات طائفية بدولة أخري؟أميرة الطحاوي( نشر في القدس العربي، 23 نوفمبر 2006)رغم مرور نحو شهرين علي نشر محتوي تقـــرير الخبــــير الاستراتيجي د. صلاح البندر ـ سوداني بريطاني الجنسية الذي يقول بوجود (مخطط يرعاه مسؤولون بحرينيون ذوو نفوذ للتأثير علي مجريات العملية السياسية لتهميش تمثيل المواطنين من أصحاب المذهب الشيعي بالبحرين)فإن الحكومة المصرية لم تحرك

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1164463780537325982006-11-25T16:45:00.000+03:002006-11-25T18:52:48.116+03:00

Last night, there were fireworks and a laser show prepared by the High Election Commission. An enlightening demonstration of how the high authorities look at the elections of the day. Down to earth, the stakes are high for 40 seats of the lower chamber of -tenants’- representatives. Unlike common folks, these will be entitled to ask questions, discuss sensible matters and put

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1164232883280713362006-11-23T00:35:00.000+03:002006-11-23T18:06:14.140+03:00

In the country -and flourishing era- of Hamad Bin Issa, Khalifah Bin Salman and Ahemed Bin Ateyatallah, a mother of 3 children refused to curse the dark and lighted a candle. The candle claimed a curtain. The curtain claimed the house. The house claimed the 3 huddled children. No one claimed responsibility. In the country of Al-Wasat, Al-Waqt, and other no time nor nerve to read

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1163869795729013732006-11-18T17:41:00.000+03:002006-11-20T23:49:54.470+03:00

At around noon of Nov. 16, a post on Bahrain-on-line first brings the first part of a position paper written by one opposition figure. Less than 24 hours later, the news are out that Dr. Mohammed Saeed Al-Sahlawi and a friend, Hussain Al-Habshi, were arrested on the charge of spreading seditious material, the very same position paper " Do not bear false witness", by the London-based Dr. Saeed

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1162416378652070402006-11-02T00:07:00.000+03:002006-11-20T23:44:53.563+03:00

This was a hell of a Halloween party. The masks were unique, the costumes impeccable, the theme and atmosphere absolutely fantastic. And it lasted for six years. For six consecutive years, the children of God on this island kept knocking and asking: trick or treat? But they didn’t figure out what they are actually receiving. Were jails empty of political detainees a trick or a treat?

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1162235342220680242006-10-30T21:59:00.000+03:002006-10-30T22:09:02.246+03:00

Mahmood's Den, a blog of a brilliant mix of wit, intelligence and fun of transcontinental proportions, was blocked today by a ministerial order devoid of any of the above. The blog was so fun and pleasure read, that one thought the ruling family, many of whom are world-class pleasure seekers, would never resort to a pleasure-forfeiting move like this. But then, their new-found alliance with

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1162069501945056442006-10-28T23:30:00.000+03:002006-10-29T00:05:05.403+03:00

Our sublime ports are still deafeningly silent on Al-Bandar report. Six weeks on the breakout of the biggest political scandal in this island’s modern history, and the authorities are yet to break their long fast of silence. (To be fair, so are the leaders of those in whose name this whole plan sought to shore up- mainstream Sunni Bahrain). Or in the words of one Italian poet: “Silent as

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1159901382325972792006-10-03T21:44:00.000+03:002006-10-03T23:02:35.540+03:00

The silence has been deafening. A government swift in detaining the guy, confiscating all his belongings, deporting him on first flight and issuing his post-mortem press release, all in one day, suddenly has nothing to say about his report. For a fortnight, the authorities looked like a deer caught in the headlight. Not a single official statement, no reasonable explanation, no nothing. The

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1159112732981734082006-09-24T18:39:00.000+03:002006-09-24T18:45:32.993+03:00

May this most beautiful of months be a cause of bliss and peace to all. Especially to enclosed populations, from Gaza and Jenin to a village nearer to home, and beyond.

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1158419578936641922006-09-16T18:09:00.000+03:002006-09-16T18:12:58.946+03:00

It is the kind of heart wrenching morning news that hard wrench your day. Seven women were killed and two men and two children are fighting for their life, all from one Bahraini family, as a result of a road accident near the Kuwaiti-Saudi border. I can’t think of a more gratuitous, needless death than one in a car accident. It is often man/system made, and it is often man/system preventable

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1158412250541382742006-09-16T15:47:00.000+03:002006-09-16T19:11:39.960+03:00

In the wee hours of last Wednesday, a plane was taking off to London. On board was a British subject of Sudanese origin, being freshly deported. (Lucky him. If it were not for his British passport, no one would have a pass to him for some time to come). The day before, his place was raided; he was arrested and charged – in all seriousness- with attempting to overthrow the regime. You’d think his

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1157183526709906182006-09-02T10:49:00.000+03:002006-09-04T22:32:34.296+03:00

لو قلت عنه أنه فذ، فأنت لا تبالغ. لو قلت بأن قامته الفكرية والأدبية أشبه بالطود الشامخ، فأنت لا تبالغ. لو قلت بأن من حق جزيرة العرب أن تفاخر وتفتخر به، فأنت لا تبالغ. في الشعر، قد لا يكون من فحول الطبقة الأولى، ولكنه لا يبعد كثيرا، في أحيان كثيرة، عنهم. في الرواية، قد لا يضاهي ثلاثية محفوظ أو خماسية منيف، غير أن نسجه الروائي يقرب، أحيانا، من التفرد. أما في موسوعية العقل والفكر

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1156000577308188272006-08-19T18:10:00.000+03:002006-08-19T18:16:17.323+03:00

For someone who works indoors, this Fourteenth of August was anything but a sunny occasion. You may internalise it as a day of independence, but in outer reality the word lost every shredded ray of meaning. In the swoop of one full generation, the country progressed from a half- efficient colonial rule to a highly developed feudal one. The transition was achieved through the most

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1154881032203979732006-08-06T19:13:00.000+03:002006-08-07T22:01:52.826+03:00

The British sense of subtlety is legendary of course. So it was in keeping with that refined upper crust sensibility that the British Embassy here issued its recent missive to local dailies urging them to refrain from publishing first page “horrific” photos of destruction in Lebanon. The esteemed Embassy, for long the seat of esteemed and unsubtle power over the fate of this island and

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1153580157335793912006-07-22T17:54:00.000+03:002006-07-22T22:19:20.676+03:00

Fifty years ago, one Arab leader stood to nationalize and recuperate the Suez canal. Less than three months later, the armies of three countries went into full invasion to seize the Sinai peninsula and bring Nasser’s nose into the mud. The Chosen State had its good reasons. It wanted to put an end to skirmishes with the Egyptian army near and around Gaza. The French had theirs, they wanted to

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1152908362287454032006-07-14T23:17:00.000+03:002006-07-15T06:26:34.376+03:00

If good and bad movies can get a sequel, why not unfinished wars. If “Pirates of the Caribbean” has a sequel, why not release pilots over the Middle East. If the United States of America can revisit Desert Storm, why can’t the Chosen State of Israel make a repeat of Beirut 1982? It is not out of total volition of course. The Chosen State has to resort sometimes to painful options in

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1152558973525369742006-07-10T22:11:00.000+03:002006-07-10T22:16:13.543+03:00

He chose dawn to embark on his quiet journey into sunset. And chose a perfect date too, the eighth day of the seventh month of the sixth year of the new century. A struggle that lasted from the very bottom of the old one is now over. For this distinguished man, peace and easy breathing is finally at hand. I never knew Ahmed Al-Dhawwadi (1938-2006). Like many, one only saw him after he

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1152366987705850552006-07-08T16:53:00.000+03:002006-07-08T16:56:27.723+03:00

A mind may be a terrible thing to waste, but that’s a wasted reminder to the brilliant folks of the Ministry of Education. Next to how it treats its economically disadvantaged, a country is judged by how it treats its intellectually endowed. Sadly, this country gets the red mark on both tests. If you need a certificate of that, then look no further than the plan of scholarships for high school

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1149933167338039072006-06-10T12:21:00.000+03:002006-06-10T12:52:47.413+03:00

The results of final secondary school exams are out, and as always they make for a delicious read. It is not only about catching a glimpse of those smart, indomitable eyes surrounded by their proud parents and siblings. It is beyond one’s own partiality toward the public school, even with its glaring failings, as the best embodiment of what a nation’s texture, character and quest for

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1147614973602573242006-05-14T16:55:00.000+03:002006-06-10T13:16:45.563+03:00

When it comes to acting with complete disregard for the poor, this country is truly world-class. Government and big business alike have so fantastic apathy to the misery of the working poor, they live in a green zone –a la Baghdadi- of their own. Batelco is a prime example of that. This is the company that used to tout a “laptop+internet” bundle as costing nothing more than mere low “BD50

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1146488743709034872006-05-01T16:03:00.000+03:002006-05-01T16:30:06.690+03:00

Happy and -most importantly- restful Labour Day to you. (If you are not happy or restful on this May Day, then you may very well belong to that blue-collared sect, where the u in labour stands for the disproportionate share of the unemployed, underpaid and the underemployed). Thirty years ago, there was a debate by this island’s first and only parliament on declaring May Day a public holiday.

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1145638365095223852006-04-21T19:43:00.000+03:002006-04-21T20:33:28.166+03:00

Today was happy Spring in Kathmandu. The ultimate message by one ultimate messenger was heeded, and the right thing was done. What next, the Nepalese Republic? Only fitting for the nation with the ultimate summit. Agencies Friday April 21, 2006 The Nepalese ruler, King Gyanendra, today promised that "executive power would be returned to the people" following more than two weeks of violence

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1144789350054785222006-04-11T23:59:00.001+03:002006-04-12T00:15:46.456+03:00

One American observer said the degree of ignorance and prejudice of Mubarak latest sortie was mind boggling. If you were an Iranian, you would find it heart throbbing. The Egyptian president, once a co-defender of the “Eastern Gate”, has just moved it way west -to the Mediterranean coast, and enlarged the borders of the Islamic republic to include the oil rich areas from Basra to Qatif,

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1144686048152716282006-04-10T19:14:00.000+03:002006-04-21T16:35:02.386+03:00

Before he went into exile in 1975, he last was a worker in the smelting furnaces of Alba in 1972-1974. By then, the dream of “a free homeland and a happy people” had taken hold of him. And no 965 C of Aluminum “bathroom” would deter the Hammam/Hatab son from that. Abroad, he was a salient voice for the cause of the workers at home. The “Voice of Workers” andpublications and interventions

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1143926918560889332006-04-02T00:17:00.000+03:002006-04-02T18:36:06.430+03:00

Another ferry, another natural disaster. Man-made but natural. This being part of the great non-developing lands, where the safety of one or the few is all that matters, it is inevitably natural for incidents like these to keep befalling incidentals like us, time after time. There may or may not be safety procedures. The ship may or may not be licensed to sail. The captain may or may not

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1143278340181979082006-03-25T12:16:00.000+03:002006-03-25T17:51:25.110+03:00

Another edition of the Arabic Book Fair has folded on yet another sad note of raised and failed expectations. Nothing to do with it being held in once sea-sided Karbabad mind you, as much as that déjà vu sense that the Arabic printed word still lives in a karbabad state of its own. Perhaps it’s only a logical mirror of the situation. If the question was: what sort of intellectual output can we

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1142020934023855732006-03-10T23:00:00.000+03:002006-03-10T23:22:01.306+03:00

This being the world’s most politically correct island, it is idyllically refreshing to come across someone who bares it all in plainspoken, spur of the moment kind of talk on a clouding issue of the day. Especially on a question regarded by many of sectarian bent as the biggest issue facing this small country: the economic inequality of the Shia of the land and the systemic discrimination

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1141567897788891092006-03-05T17:06:00.000+03:002006-03-25T13:09:46.490+03:00

March 5 (1965) was a defining day in the history of this island. An immortal ushering of days of bullets, blood and martyrs, indelible in a nation’s memory, and its cry for dignity and freedom. "كان يوما نابضا من شهر مارس، حين صاحت نخلة حرّى، ظمئنا" March 5 was also the name of a monthly underground publication, which for years set the standards for dissident political journalism in

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1141404023687017432006-03-03T19:25:00.000+03:002006-03-03T19:40:23.703+03:00

Wholesome apologies to the distinguished half dozen members of the cabinet and members of the parallel advisory cabinet, and to the uncabineted VIP’s, and above all to the authorities that ordered these and other cabinets, for the lukewarm and unexcited reaction shown by the mainstream to the new royally ordered fountain. We regret this act of ingratitude to a noble gratuity, as some people

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1141157477029986562006-02-28T23:07:00.000+03:002006-03-01T14:25:22.523+03:00

What’s a new millennium without an atrocity to match up a millennial cause? It’s been a week since that most barbaric of acts in Samarra, but one is yet to find a way to a calm rational word -or temper- about it. Perhaps there is no sane or rational way about all of this. No middle cooled-off ground between the two protagonists. A community in maddening love with some of the finest

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1140164732161647202006-02-17T11:21:00.000+03:002006-02-17T14:26:14.683+03:00

For two small nations of the East, one February fourteen will go in memory as one of the most heartrending days of the calendar; an anniversary of the cruel ending of a pulsating relationship by anti-Cupid's arrow, lanced from within in one instance, and from without in the other. Even for non relationship counselors like us, some underlying problems were plain for all to see. There was

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1139410574978401532006-02-08T17:53:00.000+03:002006-02-08T23:57:23.720+03:00

If you’re lost in the jungle, the adage says, then look for the river. Getting lost in the jungle is all too easy of course. It’s all green and it all looks the same. If you are all alone and rescue is beyond reach, then “pick a direction and walk until you hit a stream. Follow the watercourse downstream until you hit a river. Once you get to a sizeable river, follow it downstream until

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1139058290808107412006-02-04T16:01:00.000+03:002006-02-06T00:19:49.503+03:00

It may be Muharram and all black-draped to you, but the mood is unusually upbeat in whitely but shortly-draped circles around the island. The reason for celebrations? Yet another first for the Kingdom, as the Ministry of Islamic Affairs launches the first of its henceforth annual Call (Daa’wi) Forum, an 11-day event this year, held to propitiously coincide, according to the head of the Sunni

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1138827993934671102006-02-02T00:04:00.000+03:002006-02-02T00:14:02.623+03:00

While our “parliamentarians” were busy entertaining themselves with the news on the Danish front, the very first day of the Hijri year broke a heartbreaking tragedy to a Bahraini family. Their young daughter of 13 years has died electrocuted. Fatima Jaffar, who went to the washroom shortly after midnight on Tuesday night, was found by her mother lying on the floor fifteen minutes later, but was

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1138475971599498992006-01-28T22:16:00.000+03:002006-01-30T22:58:46.460+03:00

What a busy fortnight it was for obituary writers, eulogizing poets and papers-filled advertisers of solace and consolation. missed opportunity It all started on a tragic note by the loss of a young charming prince behind the driving wheel that left his father, the King, deeply shattered. He felt it– as it was reported- partly his fault as he had called shortly before the incident on his son

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1137094207296533112006-01-12T22:03:00.000+03:002006-01-28T23:02:58.103+03:00

My heartfelt condolences to the King and his family on the sudden and tragic loss of a beloved and very young son. May they all find comfort in this time of loss, and may their dear ones, as well as those of every Bahraini family, be saved from harm way, be it accidents of traffic, pilgrimage, opinion or otherwise.May his young soul, and the hundreds who perished while performing the Haj today,

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1136986458534653092006-01-11T16:08:00.000+03:002006-01-28T23:00:13.320+03:00

A very Blessed Eid to all.Esp. to those who are behind bars, beyond ease or seas.

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1136883619311346892006-01-10T11:47:00.000+03:002006-01-10T12:13:40.530+03:00

Year 2005 ended with a bang, and 2006 followed with a rocking start, both as a result of audacious zoning violations by some, and change of zone by noteworthy others, locally and regionally. The island’s airport smashed a world’s first and international acclaim when anti riot forces went in full swing and tear gas gear to clear the airport from a crowd of protesters whose sect and class

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1135683819454384112005-12-27T14:27:00.000+03:002006-01-10T12:20:18.903+03:00

The reactions in the daily press -which is more preoccupied by shattered airport glass than broken citizens' bones- continue. Today’s Alwatan, in a newly differentiated division of ideological labour between the benefactor and the beneficiary, devotes a full page with six photographed knights in bearded armour at its core and centre. One of these, a former president of the

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1135596082290315552005-12-26T14:16:00.000+03:002006-01-10T12:16:07.153+03:00

The country’s international airport is back at its old job as the first interdiction point for rogue citizens. This resumption of duty did not happen without landing yet another global first for us in the annals of international aviation. An early Boxing Day comes to town 7:44 PM Early arrivers were busy looking for a parking near Al-Wefaq headquarter ahead of a meeting on the

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1135503389999841392005-12-25T12:30:00.000+03:002005-12-25T13:35:22.436+03:00

Christmas is here. And with it comes this annual tinge of a southernist envy of Christmas at our neighbours' to the north. For Christmas in northern lands is a celebration by relatively free citizens, who lead their lives in relative peace with their public managers, in harmony with their private religious choice, in safety and relative immunity from the nearest police station, the farthest

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1135250550446915202005-12-22T14:20:00.000+03:002005-12-25T12:50:47.983+03:00

Life is getting prettier by the day on this island. The considerably fortunate are setting up a common charity front to come to the aid of the considerably unfortunate, a move that can only be considerably applauded. Big business is finally assuming its role in sharing the burden alongside the public and social sectors. As the mildly fortunate come increasingly to depend on a system of

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1134831365045200122005-12-17T17:46:00.000+03:002005-12-17T17:56:05.056+03:00

If it were not for his affable, good-natured character, the young man from Sanabis would be inconspicuous enough. But today he looked uncharacteristically preoccupied. Last night, the call went out about a rally planned for this evening. And not being a habitué of organized events or groups, he wasn’t sure what to expect. To be there or not to be there, was the question all day long. Later in

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1133019704724744922005-11-26T18:32:00.000+03:002005-11-26T18:41:44.736+03:00

Praise, all praise, be to Authority, the splendid, the all controlling, the high. May her arm of reach extend, and may her shadow on all expand and last. This most recent act of goodness and mercy by her could not have come at a more opportune time. Just when you were taken by trepidation of an impending new ice age, of being left to the cold abyss and lonely torment of indifference. Just

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1131783753325779892005-11-12T11:04:00.000+03:002005-11-14T23:00:23.130+03:00

The clerics had only to thunder-clap, for the faithful, in their tens of thousands to pour in, to the streets. A massive rally was held in support of the clerics' position on the proposed codification of family law. The crowds, which stretched close to 2 km long, might not be fully briefed on the issues at hand, but they clearly believed that what was good for the clerics was good for the country

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1131291147691086402005-11-06T18:28:00.000+03:002005-11-06T22:12:30.790+03:00

M. Nicolas Sarkozy, Ministre de l'Intérieur et de l'aménagement du territoire.Place Beauvau, Paris,Republique Francaise (Ex. Royaume de France) Cher Monsieur Le Ministre, This memo is written on the directives of a very high authority of the land. He is disturbed by the TV footage of the city of lights turning into a city of flames. He is further disturbed by the call for your resignation by

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1131037063835492242005-11-03T19:55:00.000+03:002005-11-04T14:55:15.820+03:00

To me, the most difficult part about the holy month has less to do with hunger or thirst as much as the loss of freedom. The freedom to do what you wish or need when you wish or need it; to have a semblance of control over your day. Instead, your whole metabolism, mood and nerves sail at the mercy of events, time and waiting, until you reach the promised hour.It's all a self-imposed trip of

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1130268839870423562005-10-25T22:23:00.000+03:002005-10-26T06:47:45.260+03:00

I was hoping to highlight the appearance of Mr. Ibrahim Sharif on Alhurra satellite channel last night. The head of NDAS (or wa3ad as it is now called) was the closest an opposition figure came to arguing the case, forthrightly, non circuitously, and convincingly. A very good performance by all accounts. If you were an opposition sympathizer, you may have gone to bed feeling unusually refreshed.

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1130098177008716282005-10-23T23:08:00.000+03:002005-10-24T17:08:13.206+03:00

The main conclusion of the Mehlis report: “There is probable cause to believe that the decision to assassinate (Hariri) could not have been taken without the approval of top-ranked Syrian security official(s) and could not have been further organized without the collusion of their counterparts in the Lebanese security services," "It is the Commission's view that the assassination on 14

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1129751401936368912005-10-19T22:45:00.000+03:002005-10-19T23:07:22.276+03:00

In ordinary legal cases, justice seen to be done is as crucial as justice being done. And in cases such as the one of today, which belongs to the special and curious category of political justice, perception is everything. For this is not really a case to establish whether Saddam is guilty of ordering hundreds to be tortured or killed in Dujail. Even his ardent supporters concede the

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1129664373522283542005-10-18T22:39:00.000+03:002005-10-19T07:24:47.650+03:00

It happened at one of the country's most exclusive schools. A school where the students’ family names reveal a roll of who’s who of the super powerful, the very rich, and -sparingly- the ultra successful. The recent, now famous incident started in a crowded corridor, when one student apparently got in the way of another. Tempers flared, and swearing and high-pitched insults were traded. A

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1128488090836942522005-10-05T07:33:00.000+03:002005-10-17T23:37:22.436+03:00

Ramadhan Kareem to all, especially to those who are away from home, health or comfort.(15 were reported to have testified of seeing the new noon last night before a grand jury of religious notables of Shia Bahrain. Sunni Bahrain had commenced a day earlier).May it be a month of blessing and peace, everyhere.

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1128177567597592542005-10-01T17:21:00.000+03:002005-10-01T17:39:27.606+03:00

They came, they swore -solemnly-, and they quickly left - to their new ministries. Two were appointed as Deputy PM – both are from the ruling family (FRF), two -FRF- for ministerial portfolios, and a head for the newly established Oil and Gas Authority -not FRF. If you were watching, you will be forgiven if you noticed that the delivery of the solemn swearing was hurried and brisk. There

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1127564767033676932005-09-24T15:21:00.000+03:002005-09-24T18:07:55.056+03:00

Another positive step on the road to constitutionalised monarchy has been taken. His Majesty issued Royal Order 20 for 2005 on Wednesday appointing Board of Trustees for the Institute of Political Development. This new organization is tasked with promoting reform and providing political training for MPs, Shura members and municipal councilors, and conduct studies and research on constitutional

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1127073569047518472005-09-18T22:38:00.000+03:002005-09-18T23:07:13.250+03:00

September 11, 2001 Flight 011 (with 92 passengers) departs at 7:59 am, is hijacked, crashes at 8:45, North Tower collapses at 10:28. Flight 175 (with 65 passengers) departs at 7:58 am, is hijacked, crashes at 9:03, South Tower collapses at 10:05. 2 ½ hours of terror end in the horrific death of under 3000 people. Direct perpetrators: perished all on impact. Planners: many are in

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1126641935751854722005-09-13T21:19:00.000+03:002005-09-14T06:55:54.563+03:00

An item in today's Al-Ayam caused me great concern. A source told a journalist that a ministerial reshuffle was in the offing, and this time it will involve no less than our historic Foreign Minister.At issue is the place and ranking of this country in the record books of the world. At a time when every nation is competing for an entry into immortality, our hard won honours are being

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1126558609021974902005-09-12T23:28:00.000+03:002005-09-13T00:08:00.093+03:00

News wires and Akhbar Al Khaleej were reporting today that Abu Dhabi is pulling out from Gulf Air, which until recent past was the national airline of 4 governments: AbuDhabi, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar. Qatar pulled out first, and Oman was about to follow suit last year, but a last minute intercession by Zayed convinced Qaboos to remain. Now that Abu Dhabi has its own carrier Etihad Airways fully

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1126035032442999262005-09-06T21:56:00.000+03:002005-09-07T18:24:18.420+03:00

As-Sayab on operation shock and awe:I can almost hear Iraq hoarding thunderAnd storing lightning in mountains and plainsSo that when men unleash their sealsThe gales will leave no trace of ThamudIn the valley.And on its aftermath:I can almost hear the palm trees drinking rain,And I hear the villages moaningAnd the migrants battling with sail and oarAgainst the storms of the GulfChanting:Rain,Rain

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1125749367718476382005-09-03T15:07:00.000+03:002005-09-04T15:27:26.333+03:00

Bahrainis are a gouged, squeezed lot. I don't mean vanishing oil revenues, public land and seashore. I'm talking about the internet rates we pay for notre dame de telecommunications.I fork BD 40 (US$ 106) each month for a supposedly broadband line of 256 kbps from Batelco. ( that's in a country where many earn less than BD 200 per month). But if I were living in Jordan, Batelco Jordan (a

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1125520378036586732005-08-31T23:14:00.000+03:002005-09-03T17:33:05.206+03:00

"A Warning Against Unbridled Evil".That was the unusual headline of a half page ad we were treated to in two local newspapers this morning. The signatories were 22 political, religious and charitable societies, all of the "Islamist" Sunni persuasion. The joint statement used strong language to denounce the London seminar, nay, the whole protest movement. It urged the authorities to act forcefully

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1125345540552001652005-08-29T22:58:00.000+03:002005-08-30T16:39:07.090+03:00

It seems the saga of proposals and counter proposals for drafting Iraq's constitution will be dragging along for sometime. The ink of their signatures may not have dried yet, but already some of the "framers" of the document are clamouring for yet more changes. This time from ranking members of the Shia Alliance who wanted more emphasis added on the Arab identity of Iraq. As well as the ongoing

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1125161494221667702005-08-27T19:41:00.000+03:002005-09-07T18:28:48.063+03:00

From 22 October 1974 until 18 February 2001 is the period collectively known as the era of the State Security Law. Anyone could be arbitrarily consigned to prison for up to 3 years without charge or trial, subject only to the satisfaction of the Interior Ministry. Thousands did, some perished, and hundreds were forced into exile. A nation was scarred. Indelibly. A public outing about that

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1124633025622873412005-08-21T16:15:00.000+03:002005-08-21T19:07:33.590+03:00

Not that it matters, but yesterday, Al-Meethaq announced the depart of its editor, the Lebanese Aref Al-Abed, who said he was resigning to join the media staff of the new Lebanese Prime Minister. Al-Abed was with the paper since its inception 20 months ago, but failed to put any professional touch or feel to it, and the paper just lurked at the bottom of the heap, editorially and circulation

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1124548078628053632005-08-20T17:07:00.000+03:002005-08-28T20:38:56.736+03:00

It is ironic that the region which gave the world the concept of monotheism, remains today the world's last bastion of absolute, overarching authoritarianim. (Some argue it might be because of it, but that's another debate). Muslims attribute 99 good names to God, but their ruler - who obviously enjoy 99% popular support, significantly above what God would claim- have done even better. The

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1124433199249978942005-08-19T09:30:00.000+03:002005-08-20T20:01:21.716+03:00

Recently, a bill was enacted governing the activities of political societies, ( parties are not allowed and the word is still a taboo). It was left to the honourable Minister of Justice to issue the detailed regulations. Last Wednesday he did, in a string of 4 orders. Order 4 lists 7 conditions for the authorities to approve a contact between a local political society and a foreign political

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1124290214099214012005-08-17T17:34:00.000+03:002005-08-17T18:05:31.563+03:00

Rumour has it that Dubai’s Gulf News (not to be confused with Bahrain’s Gulf Daily News) will be taking over Bahrain Tribune, the country's distant second English daily which has always suffered from negligible readership, dearth of content, and financial losses.The move, if true, is bound to shake the locally dominant Gulf Daily News, which never faced any real challenge so far. Gulf News (

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1124222348513192552005-08-16T20:28:00.000+03:002005-08-20T19:52:24.113+03:00

And so, in the eleventh hour, a week deferral was granted for the Iraqi constitution writing committe to come up with an agreed draft. The major sticking points are a mix of the hereafter and the here & now: Islam, oil and political power. The Kurdish side, which all along demonstrated better negotiations strategy , PR , and legal edge ( thanks perhaps to the likes of Peter Galbraith) has

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15390192.post-1124038313023568522005-08-14T19:32:00.000+03:002005-08-20T20:16:52.426+03:00

On a mid summer day (14 August 1971), this island was declared independent. The news fast breezed upon the palm trees, which swayed with jubilation. Resolution UNSC 278 of a year earlier has finally come to fruition, and they felt flattered. The timing must have been picked to coincide with the peak of the dates harvest season, they resoned. Some palm trees whispered to the sea that they

MRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151432550132310723noreply@blogger.com4