I went to Bahrain to see for myself, and reassure myself, after the wave of sit-ins, unrest and revolutions in the Arab world reached the shores of this Gulf country. I found reasons to be re-assured, and other reasons to be anxious, while in London I hadn't realized the full extent of their implications. The crown prince, Prince Salman bin Hamad and the deputy prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Mubarak, talked to me about dialogue as a way out of the crisis, and about consensus solutions. The demand for dialogue and consensus dominated the proceedings at the majlis of King Hamad bin Isa, as affirmed by the prime minister, Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman; the monarch told his visitors that dividing power on a national basis was acceptable, but not on a sectarian one. Nonetheless, sectarianism has been obvious in the split between pro- and anti-government camps, and in the chants I heard at Pearl Square. It has been even clearer in the sit-ins and demonstrations in front of the Shura Council and this or that ministry, and has reached teachers and students; I read about a clash between female students and the use of cold weapons. Some people are color-blind, while I am religion-blind. Every religious dispute scares me, and I am scared by birth. I know that throughout history, religious wars have been the worst kinds of wars; I have seen the experience of Iraq after the occupation and can recall the Lebanese civil war, and I call on a gracious God to spare Bahrain and its people this experience. Finally, I curse the foreign parties that are inciting a minority that does not represent the majority of Shiites or Sunnis in Bahrain. Bahrain is where I went when I became an adult. I entered the profession of journalism there by complete coincidence, and I have been in this profession all my life. If I consider Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestine to be one country, and to be my main country, then they are immediately followed by Egypt and Bahrain. I visited Sheikha May Khalifa, the minister of culture, at her office next to the National Museum, to catch up with this dear person, whom I admire very much. I found her anxious about her country and its people. She wants a rapid solution, through dialogue and consensus, before the country's economy suffers and a solution for cost-of-living problems (a demand of the opposition) becomes more difficult to achieve. I told Sheikha May that her mother must love her very much, as she left the Information Ministry before the crisis and relieved herself of the burden of this infamous post. The minister of information stands accused, even when speaking the truth. Perhaps readers will find it hard to believe if I said that I know an honest Arab information minister or two, although I confess that most of them resemble what readers think of the state media. I do not need to hear the warnings of bankers, financiers and businessmen that if the crisis continues, it will lead to a calamity that strikes at the country's economy. I know capital is simply a coward, and the first to flee during a crisis; the Bahraini opposition should be aware of this, but it is jeopardizing the country's future. We often say that those in the country know best, and the people of Bahrain are the most aware of their country's problems. I was lucky enough to be hosted by friends from Bahrain for a dinner in which I was served (along with the food that we almost forgot amid the discussion) the ongoing crisis, and ways to solve it. The discussion was led by Dr. Ibrahim al-Janahi, the president of the University of Bahrain, and there were around 20 of us around the table. These included Mounes al-Maradi, the editor of al-Bilad; Issa al-Shayiji, the editor of al-Ayyam; Adel Marzouq, an editor and writer with al-Bilad; friends and colleagues Issa Abdel-Rahman from the Development Council; Mohammed al-Arab, the director of Al-Arabiya's office in Bahrain; and Ahmad Salameh, the media advisor in the crown prince's royal court. I was happy to see active participation in the debate by Maryam al-Bardali from external media, Dina Kasrawi from Mumtalakat holding company, and Nof al-Qahtani, representing the young generation. There was a consensus among the participants (something the street lacks, and which is required for the coming dialogue) that some of the demands that are just can be achieved quickly, and that other demands are just but require a time-line for implementation. Moreover, some parties raise the ceiling of their demands as if they are haggling in the bazaar, to get what they really want in the end. Everyone agreed about the necessity of ending the crisis quickly, before Bahrain's economy is hurt, rendering the implementation of the possible difficult, or even impossible. I will not speak decisively here, since my overwhelming anxiety will color my expectations; thus, I will wait, and remain optimistic about the good things we hope to see in the future. [email protected]
