Formula1 VS people of Bahrain.... place your bets !!! ( Archived) (54)

Class5: Let me put this to you. What would be gained by the race being withdrawn from Bahrain? How would that help anyone?
The F1 will bring a massive cash injection to the local economy and the eyes of the world will be on the country. The nation will be full of western journalists, which, by their very presence would help to calm the situation.

Conrad73: Bahrain paid forty Million to have the Race there!

patmac: So much for your "let's keep this poll, PEACEFUL "Nice to see you keep your own rules.

einodis: I am here, in Bahrain. Anyone actually interested in what it is truly like? You all sit in your homes in Australia, Canada, Europe, etc., watching news reports and yet not really know what the real situation. is.

First of all, no one is starving or going to bed hungry. The Shia majority are protesting about civil rights, about not having access to better jobs and roles in the government. The situation is similar to aparthied or the civil rights movement in American, yet the Shia people here are in no way treated anywhere nearly as badly as the blacks were in South Africa. It is not about a brutal, viscious dictator. The monarchy here has been ruling Bahrain for over 250 years.

Yes, the king is hardline and the police put down protests in a harsh and sometimes brutal fashion. But the protests generally take place in the villages surrounding Manama, not in the city center itself. The protests are relatively small. I read somewhere were "tens of thousands" of protesters were gathering. That appears to have been a gross exaggeration. One thing that is telling is that most protests that take place take place "after work." The Shia people have jobs; they protest in the evening after they get home from work.

I don't suggest it is a situation that is okay and should stay as it it. Not any more than I would say aparthied in South Africa or segregation in the US should continue to exist. But it is not the same situaiton as Egypt, Lybia or Syria. It is a Shia-Sunni problem, and a problem with an out dated absolute ruler philosophy by the current king. His son, the future king, wants to make changes. The current king does not. He's an old man.

einodis: And one more thing:they support in the Middle East the Shia majority here get is from Iran. If they had their way, Bahrain would become another Iran. Which has, as we know, a great record for human rights and allowing its people to protest the ruling party.

einodis: And one more thing:they support in the Middle East the Shia majority here get is from Iran. If they had their way, Bahrain would become another Iran. Which has, as we know, a great record for human rights and allowing its people to protest the ruling party.

cloud747: I am here, in Bahrain. Anyone actually interested in what it is truly like? You all sit in your homes in Australia, Canada, Europe, etc., watching news reports and yet not really know what the real situation. is.

First of all, no one is starving or going to bed hungry. The Shia majority are protesting about civil rights, about not having access to better jobs and roles in the government. The situation is similar to aparthied or the civil rights movement in American, yet the Shia people here are in no way treated anywhere nearly as badly as the blacks were in South Africa. It is not about a brutal, viscious dictator. The monarchy here has been ruling Bahrain for over 250 years.

wrong...for your info, Bahrain was part of Iran. UK cheaated Iran and without referendum, declared independence, just 36 years ago..

and..
u r not a bahreini.. u r a foreigner and u don't see the hungry people..u dont see the people who are being tortured in prosions etc..

but u have seen demonstration in streets, and people's desire to ban formula one..they just don't like it..if sheik has extra 40 million dollars, he can donate it to poor children around the world, instead of paying for a flashy race.and that;s people's choice

]

Conrad73: That is basically what it boils down to!
To become a Showcase and hopefully attract Commerce in the future.

patmac: Thanks for your post. I have been to Bahrain a couple of times and have seen so many changes.

All for the good I may add. And yes I understand the situation perfectly well. It has grown so much in the past 30/40 years and the rulers have kept the country trouble free for a long time.

I wish the folk there a peaceful and continued growth.

Not sure how it will go if the Sunni rulers get ousted by the Shia majority.
Might not be as tolerant and as expansive if they do...

Ijust hope it calms down. Too much trouble in the region at this time.

einodis: I have a hard time seeing the protesters overthrowing the government. The only 'weapons' they seem to have are molatov (sp)cocktails. Though they are supported in spirit by Iran, Iran can't really do anything for them. Bahrain's closest neighbor is Saudi, who have and will again send in troops if it seems necessary. Also, the largest American base in this area of the world is stationed here in Manama. Can't see a huge insurection happening with the Americans here and they do support the current rulers who have, as you state, led the country in growth and stability for many years, and who cooperate with the West.

cloud747: ..

stability???!!! yess..at gun point...

cloud747: Bahrain was part of Iran till 1971.as i said..search googlr..
the sheikwas just te ruler of a tribe there..

patmac: You do push some rubbish......So much for a peaceful thread....And it is as normal you who is stirring it.Read the history fully.

In response to: Independent BahrainAfter World War II, Bahrain became the centre for British administration of the lower Persian Gulf. In 1968, when the British Government announced its decision to end the treaty relationships with the Persian Gulf sheikdoms, Bahrain joined with Qatar and the seven Trucial States (which now form the United Arab Emirates) under British protection in an effort to form a union of Arab emirates. By mid-1971, however, the nine sheikhdoms still had not agreed on the terms of union. Accordingly, Bahrain sought independence as a separate entity declaring independence on August 15, 1971, and becoming formally independent as the State of Bahrain on December 16, 1971.

At independence, the permanent Royal Navy presence in Bahrain ended and the United States Navy moved onto the 10 acres (40,000 m2) previously occupied by British operations. The installation later grew into Naval Support Activity Bahrain, headquarters for the United States Fifth Fleet.

The emirate emerged just as the price of oil sky rocketed after the 1973 Arab-Israeli war; while Bahrain's own reserves were being depleted the high oil price meant there was massive capitalisation in the Kingdom's neighbours. The Kingdom was able to exploit the situation thanks to another war in the Levant in 1975: the Lebanese Civil War. Beirut had long been the financial centre of the Arab world, but the outbreak of hostilities in the country had an immediate impact on the banking industry. Bahrain offered a new location at the centre of the booming Persian Gulf with a large educated indigenous workforce and sound fiscal regulations. Realizing the opportunity to become a financial centre resulted in growth in other industry in the country.

This bolstered the development of the middle class and gives Bahrain a very different class structure from its tribal dominated neighbours. Although there had long been a large Indian presence in Bahrain, it was at this time that mass migration to the Kingdom began to take off with subsequent consequences for the Kingdom's demographics, as large numbers of third world immigrants from countries such as the Philippines, Pakistan, Egypt and Iran were attracted by better salaries than at home.

The constitutional experimentMain article: Politics of Bahrain
Based on its new constitution, Bahraini men elected its first National Assembly in 1973 (although Article 43 of the 1973 Constitution states that the Assembly is to be elected by "universal suffrage", the conditional clause "in accordance with the provisions of the electoral law" allowed the regime to prevent women from participating). Although the Assembly and the then emir Isa ibn Salman al-Khalifa quarreled over a number of issues: foreign policy; the U.S. naval presence, and the budget, the biggest clash came over the State Security Law (SSL). The Assembly refused to ratify the government-sponsored law, which allowed, among other things, the arrest and detention of people for up to three years, (renewable) without a trial. The legislative stalemate over this act created a public crisis, and on August 25, 1975, the emir dissolved the Assembly. The emir then ratified the State Security Law by decree, and suspended those articles in the constitution dealing with the legislative powers of the Assembly. In that same year, the emir established the State Security Court, whose judgments were not subject to appeal.