Crowd control in Bahrain

'Police shoot an apparently unarmed man at point-blank range while driving out anti-government protesters occupying Pearl Square in Bahrain’s capital Manama. At least six people were killed, according to witnesses and officials.'

Thanks to Harry's Place for the spot.

What has been happening in Bahrain?

Only watch this video if you have a strong stomach, as it shows Bahraini protestors being shot in cold-blood by the Bahraini military. I wonder which Western power supplied the guns and bullets that shot these protesters? If supplied by the UK, which government approved the sale?




The whole Middle East and Arab North Africa looks like a power keg starting to blow; this is not going to end at all well.

The warmongering Israel

The BBC narrative of the Middle Wast is that of a warmongering Israel being the threat to peace in the area. I wonder how they will report the Wikileaks revelations that it has been the representatives of Saudi Arabia who  have called upon the the United States to “cut off the head of the snake” by launching military strikes to destroy Iran’s nuclear program. Meanwhile Jordan and Bahrain have been 'openly' calling for Iran’s nuclear program to be stopped by any means, including military and the UAE & Egypt have called Iran “evil,” and an “existential threat” which “is going to take us to war.”

Those pesky Israelis...

The United Nations and Israel again

The Sixty-fifth General Assembly's Fourth Committee has been discussing Israel again. Here's a list of the countries who spoke: Egypt, Qatar, Tunisia, Malaysia, Morocco, Sudan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Iran, Jordan, Libya, UAE, Algeria, Lebanon, Yemen, Nigeria, Tanzania, the Palestinian Authority and oh yes, Israel. Apart from pointing out that the Palestinian Authority is not a country but is allowed, nay encouraged, to speak as one at the United Nations, it is interesting to note the majority religion of each of the other countries:
Egypt - Islam
Qatar - Islam
Tunisia - Islam
Malaysia - Islam
Morocco - Islam
Sudan - Islam
Bangladesh - Islam
Bahrain - Islam
Iran - Islam
Jordan - Islam
Libya - Islam
UAE - Islam
Algeria - Islam
Lebanon - Islam
Yemen - Islam
Nigeria - around 50:50 Islam & Christian
Tanzania - no figures for over 40 years - suggested at 40:40:20 Islam:Christian:Others
Palestinian Authority - Islam
Israel - Judaism

Yes it's inexplicable why the Sixty-fifth General Assembly's Fourth Committee is so anti-Israel...

A very surprising story

Al Jazeera English language News report that:

"Bahrain has appointed a Jewish woman as an ambassador, believed to be the Arab world's first Jewish envoy.

The selection of Houda Nonoo was made by decree on Wednesday and reported by local media in the Gulf Arab kingdom on Friday.

The decree, published by the official Bahraini News Agency, did not state which nation Nonoo would be appointed to but media reports have said that the US is her likely destination.

Nonoo, 43, said she would undertake the role "first of all as a Bahraini" and that she was not chosen because of her religion.

Bahraini media had speculated over Nonoo's selection for the past few months.

Nonoo, a businesswoman and mother of two children, has served as a legislator in Bahrain's all-appointed 40-member Shura Council for three years.

Nonoo lives in both Bahrain and London and is the first Jewish woman to head a local rights organisation, the Bahrain Human Rights Watch.

She is Bahrain's third woman ambassador – the first being appointed to France in 2000 and the second to China.

Bahrain is a predominately Shia Muslim state but has Sunni rulers who are allied to the US.

About 40 Jews live in Bahrain, where there is one synagogue.

The authorities in Bahrain are currently planning to grant full citizenship rights to Jewish returnees, according to local reports."

Fascinating and surprising, but before anyone thinks that maybe this could be the start of something good in Bahrain with regard to recognising the state of Israel do remember that it was only last year that Bahrain stripped Mushir Salem Jawher (the former Kenyan runner) for competing in Israel (he won the Tiberias Marathon). At the time Bahrain's Athletic Union said in a statement that it had received the news that a Bahraini national competed in Israel with "shock and regret." "The union deeply regrets what the athlete has done," the statement said. A committee of sport and government authorities decided to strike Jawher's name off the sport union records and strip him of his Bahraini nationality, the statement said. It said Jawher had entered Israel with his Kenyan passport and added that the runner's Bahraini citizenship was revoked because he had "violated the laws of Bahrain."