Today I stumbled upon an article on the Al-Jazeera website which concerned me: Bahrain bans protests and gatherings. This headline speaks for itself but the article's first paragraph also provides a useful summary: "Bahrain has imposed a ban on all protest gatherings and is threatening legal action against groups considered backing escalating demonstrations and clashes". The Bahraini government maintains that this is not "an outright ban" on political demonstrations, but rather an opportunity for the country to re-group and regain its strength from a national security perspective after months of Shia-led demonstrations against the country's Sunni leadership.
Banning protests and gatherings is a bold step. Arguably maintaining control in a country torn by sectarianism requires a firm hand...but not like this. In my view, this action is a defensive knee-jerk retaliation from a Sunni government who feels it is losing control rather than a considered response from an authority confident in its ability to maintain order in a complex sectarian environment. The Bahraini government needs to realise that its future success lies not in suppressing the opposition, but in forging a meaningful, sustainable partnership.
Before this ban on protests and gatherings, Bahrain's Shias felt they lacked a voice and representation hence why they started to demonstrate. Preventing them from demonstrating may result in a short-term period of calm, but under the surface the pressure cooker will reach explosion-point. This decision should be reversed. If not, the Bahraini government should beware of the almost-certain backlash.
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