America — Exchange Bahrain for Libya and the Iraq Situation Will Be Clear!

In the latest developments in the region, the invasion by the oppressive Saudi forces and the accompanying international silence and massacres committed in Bahrain — against unarmed and peaceful people — have entwined the U.S. position around the heavily armed Saudi intervention forces, who are armed with the latest deadly weapons and filled with revulsion, hatred, a culture of extremism and a thirst for Shiite blood.

Ultimately, it emerged that a deal occurred behind the scenes between the U.S. and some European countries on the one hand, and a band of murderers, religious extremists in Riyadh and their allies in the Gulf on the other. Parameters of the deal became clear on March 19, 2011, in light of the emergency summit held in Paris by a number of world leaders who discussed the crisis. Upon the decision to militarily attack Libya with NATO forces, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that Bahrain had the “sovereign right” to summon security help from its Gulf neighbors, thereby dispelling any uncertainty about America’s stance and revealing the administration’s true colors. This means that America gave the green light to the brutal Saudi troops to invade Bahrain. Not only does this ensure the legitimacy of the invasion and military intervention, but it secures the Saudi regime’s position and its cowardly allies in the Gulf with regard to Libya, which is considered one of the most important and strategic interests of the West and America. The fact that Libya is on the front lines of European security and ranks fourth or fifth globally in oil reserves is well-known and tantalizes the West more than a small country like Bahrain, which lacks such appeal. Furthermore, security issues due to the prospects of al-Qaida and Salafis disseminating terrorism and extremism beyond the Libyan shore fundamentally threaten Western interests.

Of course, this does not mean that there is no hope of changing the U.S. position in the future, nor does it mean that we should be silent on America’s non-humanitarian position simply because Bahrain is not Libya. The small people of Bahrain are besieged by a score of wild, bloodthirsty wolves who have historically been engaged in terrorist operations and embraced terrorists and schools of religious extremism. Oil problems pose the least threat. These schools injected a culture of murder and genocide into the world. The U.S. position is truly shameful and a disgrace to both the advocates of democracy and of self-determination. Its position is immoral, for it is unconscionable to bargain with state sponsors of terrorism, who are notorious for threatening global security, peace and democracy and using the people of Bahrain as victims of their perceived right to commit horrendous crimes as an invading force. They crush the principles of human rights under the monstrous tanks and shoes of their soldiers.

The people of Bahrain were peaceful in their demands and did not resort to violence. They did not so much as raise a single extremist slogan suggesting that they were inclined to violence or that they were impelled by Iran. Furthermore, the racial and sectarian local Arab media would resolve this situation by adopting propaganda and lies spread by the state media in Bahrain, completely under the will of Bahrain’s guilty tyrant, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and his corrupt family. In fact, the media shrinks from portraying Hillary Clinton’s statement concerning Bahrain’s right to summon GCC troops to maintain its security as a message of encouragement to Al Khalifa to continue his crimes against the people of Bahrain, meaning more blood and martyrs by an iron-fisted system and Saudi occupation forces.

There are some legal quarters and even political observers who have voiced their concern over these contradictory positions in U.S. policy. Conventional wisdom requires that the U.S. administration be very careful in its official statements concerning the political scene in Bahrain. Otherwise, the U.S. would seemingly sanction the pretext of the brutal Saudi occupational forces and Al Khalifa to expand a system and policy of suppression and oppression against peaceful civilians and defenseless people. America could also complicate the situation more and thereby increase repression and murder. Clinton’s statement concerning the maintenance of security illustrates the prejudice and injustice against a defenseless people who protest civilly, peacefully and politely. Their slogans and their rational and mature unity are not invoked without consideration. It was incumbent upon them to not rush into anything, especially since these regimes are sufficiently cowardly and there is no need to woo their own destruction to satisfy murderers and dictators.

The official and popular Iraqi position proves especially critical to the situation regarding religious authority, particularly in reference to Imam al-Sistani, who tactfully positioned himself a thousand times for the U.S. administration. Americans know that Iraq is in an economically and politically strategic location that is more important than the Saudi sponsors of terrorism. And that Sistani — may God preserve him — is a peaceful and moderate visionary. He has had a major influence on the Iraqi political scene, played a major role in restoring stability and security in Iraq and saved it from sectarian and civil wars. Even his relationship with the U.S. administration was neither hostile nor extremist, but continuously put the interests of Iraq at the forefront. Therefore, to his credit, he did not issue fatwas or use any means of violence against Americans or any other force.

But this does not mean that the Imam will tolerate mistakes and crimes that affect the security of Iraq and its people. They spread throughout the region and affect the people of Bahrain, who are linked with the Iraqis beyond normal frameworks, for the people of Bahrain are considered an extension of the people of Iraq in terms of history, culture and religious features. Discrimination toward Bahrain is discrimination toward Iraq’s very existence. This is neither known nor realized by Americans. Therefore, one cannot silence the referendum concerning the intervention in Bahrain by the Saudi army which is fraught with rancor and sectarian hatred. It is a seizure of a country by an occupying army and that denies the popular majority its agenda. The regime that summoned the Saudi army lacks legitimacy and will continue to do so until the Saudi army withdraws. So how can a regime lose popular legitimacy through formidable and huge marches and crowds amounting to more than 500,000 Bahraini people? Did it call for a foreign power to invade the country? And then Clinton claims that Bahrain or any regime has a right to summon foreign troops to maintain security?!

This contradicts what is occurring with some revolutions and popular uprisings in the region. So now a madman like Gadhafi, for example, can summon forces from Russia or Venezuela or any country into Libya in order to maintain security in a regime that has lost its popularity?! Bahrain should be considered in the same position as Iraq, for Bahrain neighbors Iraq despite borders through Saudi Arabia that separate them. Any discrimination against Bahrain is discrimination against Iraq and its neighbors. Also, we see that the role of religious authority pressing upon Americans proves to be decisive and influential. This was demonstrated as the media publicized the U.S. administration’s position toward the people of Bahrain and the concern about whether its stance regarding the two countries is consistent.

It is necessary to pressure the U.S. administration. Even though it practically begged to intervene in the Libyan situation, this does not justify the continued Saudi occupation in Bahrain, the killing of our defenseless brothers and the genocide of their children, especially with the steady inflow of news about the army’s initiation of Wahabi brutality, demolition and desecration of mosques and bloodshed in this small, peaceful country subjected to the oppression and tyranny of Al Khalifa. It is necessary to prompt the U.S. administration to immediately request the withdrawal of the occupying Saudi forces from Bahrain and the repression and massacres committed by the regime against its oppressed people without any consideration of the region.