Bahrain’s victorious Shiites look to reassure Sunnis
by Mohammad Fadhel
Mon Nov 27, 7:30 AM ET
Bahrain’s Shiite opposition, which made a spectacular entry into the Gulf state’s parliament, will initially tread cautiously in order to reassure Sunnis and promote dialogue with the Sunni-led regime, analyists said.
The Islamic National Accord Association (INAA), the main formation of the Shiite majority, clinched 16 seats in the 40-member parliament in Saturday’s polls and seems assured of winning at least one more in a second round on December 2.
But the INAA will “not raise explosive issues liable to create tensions with the government in the first three months” of the new chamber’s term, said Abdul Hussein al-Metqawie, one of the 16 new INAA lawmakers.
Bahrain’s victorious Shiites look to reassure Sunnis
by Mohammad Fadhel
Mon Nov 27, 7:30 AM ET
Bahrain’s Shiite opposition, which made a spectacular entry into the Gulf state’s parliament, will initially tread cautiously in order to reassure Sunnis and promote dialogue with the Sunni-led regime, analyists said.
The Islamic National Accord Association (INAA), the main formation of the Shiite majority, clinched 16 seats in the 40-member parliament in Saturday’s polls and seems assured of winning at least one more in a second round on December 2.
But the INAA will “not raise explosive issues liable to create tensions with the government in the first three months” of the new chamber’s term, said Abdul Hussein al-Metqawie, one of the 16 new INAA lawmakers.
“We will delay these files until a later stage and begin by addressing the citizens’ pressing needs,” he said.
A leader of the Shiite-led opposition group Haq, the main political force which boycotted the legislative elections, concurred.
“The INAA will initially avoid raising thorny issues such as amendments to the constitution or discrimination (of which the Shiites complain) so as not to be accused of thwarting the (democratic) experiment,” Abdul Jalil al-Sanqiss told AFP.
The INAA, which had boycotted the last legislative elections in 2002, will instead “seek to find common ground with Sunni Islamist MPs on matters pertaining to the standard of living or tourism, because it will face fierce opposition from Islamist and pro-government lawmakers if it raises divisive issues,” he said.
This will probably arouse criticism from INAA’s grass roots, prompting the group to seek ways of communication with the government outside parliament to try to tackle some of the problems of the Shiites, who make up some 60 percent of the native population, Sanqiss added.
Bahrainis comprise roughly two-thirds of the 700,000-plus population of the tiny Gulf kingdom, which is ruled by King Hamad’s Sunni al-Khalifa dynasty.
Mansur al-Jamri, editor of the independent daily Al-Wasat and a former spokesman for the Shiite opposition, said the INAA is certain to “try to reassure the government, but if injustices (against Shiites) persist, it will come under pressure from grass roots and might be forced to harden its position inside the parliament.”
However, he added, “I think the king will not allow” the reform process he launched five years ago to fail.
An activist from the Arab Islamic Center Association, known as Al-Wasat, which groups Nasserists and Sunni Islamists, said however that the INAA should worry more about reassuring Sunnis than the government.
“The Sunni community is nervous, and for good reason, given the situation in Iraq,” where the Sunni Arab former elite feels threatened by the ruling Shiite majority amid a wave of tit-for-tat sectarian killings, said Ibrahim Jamaan.
But INAA chief Sheikh Ali Salman sought to allay Sunni fears.
“Our dialogue with Sunni Islamists never stopped. We share the same concerns about day-to-day problems and economic issues,” said the young cleric.
A Manama-based Western diplomat also downplayed any parallel with Iraq.
“One should not exacerbate the atmosphere in Bahrain by exaggerating worries about what’s going on in Iraq. INAA lawmakers will be moderate in parliament,” he said.
