World Tribune.com

Shi'ites seek majority rule, plan
major protest in Bahrain

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Friday, March 25, 2005

ABU DHABI — Bahrain has braced for the prospect of massive anti-regime protests.

Bahraini opposition groups plans to stage a series of demonstrations to demand constitutional changes, Middle East Newsline reported. The groups have been dominated by Shi'ites, who have sought equal rights in the Sunni-led kingdom.

Opposition sources said the demonstrations would be led by the Shi'ite-dominated Islamic Wefaq Society, the largest opposition group and accused by authorities of being linked to Iran. They said the first protests would be launched in the Shi'ite-populated island of Sitra in western Bahrain on Friday.

"The idea is to unite all the opposition groups in demonstrations that would reflect the protests in Egypt and Lebanon," an opposition source said.

The rally in Sitra was expected to draw at least 20,000 people, the sources said. They raised the prospect that authorities would ban the protest.

The protest campaign would seek to pressure the kingdom to issue a new constitution that would guarantee majority rule. The campaign would seek to bolster the authority of parliament and limit the Shura Council to an advisory role.

At the same time, Wefaq planned to send delegations to the West to call for equal rights between Shi'ites and Sunnis. But opposition sources said the campaign would not try to divide the kingdom along sectarian lines.


Copyright © 2005 East West Services, Inc.

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