Poetry written by members of the Ruling family reveals hatred and sectarian discrimination against the majority Shi’a in Bahrain

A Background of the ongoing “Bandargate Scandal”: Published and translated by: The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights October 2006 The first poem is written by Shaikh Ahmed Bin Mohamed Al-Khalifa (a prominent poet and member of the ruling family), while the second poem is a response written by Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa, who is now Minister of the Royal Court.

A Background of the ongoing “Bandargate Scandal”: Published and translated by: The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights October 2006 The first poem is written by Shaikh Ahmed Bin Mohamed Al-Khalifa (a prominent poet and member of the ruling family), while the second poem is a response written by Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa, who is now Minister of the Royal Court. The second poem, that contains deeply hateful and defamatory remarks, reveals the policy which was practiced during the nineties towards the local Shi’a uprising (killing and forced exile), and the current secret policy (marginalization in politics and society) which has been uncovered, documented and leaked last month by a British consultant to the government, Dr. Salah Al-Bander.

The first poem: Written by Shaikh Ahmed Bin Mohamed Al-Khalifa (a prominent member of the ruling family)

What this rumpus is about that The Sons of Marhoon & Shubber (the Shi’a) are making On a daily basis, villages are engulfed with fires with no fear from the police nor the regime Oh Shaik! if they were after the rule On us, it would be the biggest blows The rule won’t fit them no matter how they cry We’ll fight them with our mercenaries when hardship demands We lived with them years and centuries long But they never aided us in battles and grieves Our soldiers are coming from abroad And assist us with vessels and convoys And we see no help from the sons of Shubber And our hope in them life long was false When difficulties crumbled on them, they get terrified Non of them will stand wars We went to the far lands of Arabs seeking help As we only knew them but not our neighbors The Al-Ajam (Persians) stepped on them, they continued beseeching And none of them raised a voice of objection Portuguese (during Portuguese possession of Bahrain 1512-1621) made their women to be pregnant By hunting and raping their women in desolated places With ignominy, they still walk about And for the said reasons their eyes are greened Those under utter mortification would kneel down And live their world as humbled and unsuccessful Show them the intensity and always beware Don’t let your country be plundered They all came swimming from Jesha (name of a village in Saudi Arabia) And from Qateef (name of a town in Saudi Arabia) and from every desolated places. All of them are foreigners who came (to Bahrain) begging from us, The house of Al-Otoob (Al-Khalifa’s root) who are the people of generosity and bestowals Their history is known by all And you are against and petrified in the war days

This second poetry is a response written by Khalid bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa, Minister of the Royal Court:

I possess the remedy of the sons of Shobber & Marhoon (the Shi’a) Oh, Abo-Mohamed, oh the provider of good news to his beloved ones We shall deport them to Howar, Jenan and Noon islands As to their earnings, they fit for fishing With a shining and sharp sward We spill their bloods until they all die They carry no value and they won’t boost irrespective to their numbers They are busters who would strive for cunning and blows We’ll stop their annual processions in the streets As their poems throws us insults We must remove them from every sensitive position As the days showed us their weird actions They want to rule this country for being majority Their excessive numbers hopefully is exploited to looting They never in all life ruled nor thought of it too Only served as a farmer and riding donkeys They never in all life defended damned enemy (Qatar & Bahrain issue) As they were cowered and losers They never in all life dived with those diving In deep blue seas full of difficulties Once they reached positions, at which they looked down on others And once they tasted the essence of power they sought to be insolent Oh, our victorious Shaikh, we self-sacrifice, but don’t be with them easy It wouldn’t add any value once they reached their goals You have standing by vicious strong warriors That you only need to order them for the wars