ABU DHABI Ñ The pro-government press in Bahrain as started a national debate over new laws that
increase restrictions on Muslims and could end the reputation of its capital city Manama as the tourist mecca of the Persian Gulf.
The debate pits liberals against conservatives in the aftermath of the
victory of Islamic fundamentalist groups in Bahrain's parliamentary
elections. The elections were followed by a government ban on the Muslim
purchase of alcohol, Middle East Newsline reported.
At this point, the new restrictions do not directly affect the large
expatriate community in Bahrain. But Western diplomatic sources said they
expect Islamic parliamentarians to soon press for the closure of nightclubs
and other places of entertainment frequented by U.S. and British soldiers in
Manama.
Abdul Munim Ibrahim, the editor of the pro-government Akhbar Al Khaleej,
warned that Bahrain could undergo the same process of Islamic radicalization
as Egypt. In an editorial, Ibrahim cited Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, who
courted the Muslim Brotherhood in the early 1970s only to be assassinated by
elements aligned with the group in 1981.
"Why should the government repeat the mistakes of others, who paid
catastrophic prices for them," Ibrahim wrote. "Finally, when the religious
genie came out of the bottle, Sadat was its first victim."
[Over the weekend, hundreds of Bahraini demonstrators launched what the
media termed an unprecedented series of protests in a demand for the
reinstatment of two ministers replaced in the current Cabinet reshuffle. The
protests called for the return of the ousted education minister and labor
minister.]
Diplomatic sources and several Bahraini analysts said King Hamad Bin
Jassam Al Thani appears to have decided on adopting the Islamic movement in
an attempt to shore up his regime amid rising anti-Western feelings in the
country. Earlier this year, Manama was rocked by anti-U.S. riots and calls
for the expulsion of the U.S. Fifth Fleet from Bahrain.
Analysts have asserted that the Islamic parliamentarians want to stop
Bahrain from being a tourist center for Westerners. Manama is regarded as
the most liberal city in the Persian Gulf.
"These groups are using their political clout to suffocate the
freedoms, enjoyed by Bahrainis for decades," Ibrahim said. "These freedoms
have always been protected by the government."
