Bahrain defends naturalisation policy
http://archive.gulfnews.com/region/Bahrain/10127504.html
05/25/2007 12:15 AM | By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief
Manama: Bahrain has granted the kingdom’s nationality to 6,323 people in the last four years, said the Interior Minister.
According to Shaikh Rashid Bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, 52 per cent of those who were naturalised were born in Bahrain.
But the minister, who was answering a question from Al Wefaq deputy Hasan Sultan about the status and figures of naturalisation in Bahrain in the last four years, refused to divulge the names of the newly-naturalised Bahrainis.
Bahrain defends naturalisation policy
http://archive.gulfnews.com/region/Bahrain/10127504.html
05/25/2007 12:15 AM | By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief
Manama: Bahrain has granted the kingdom’s nationality to 6,323 people in the last four years, said the Interior Minister.
According to Shaikh Rashid Bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, 52 per cent of those who were naturalised were born in Bahrain.
But the minister, who was answering a question from Al Wefaq deputy Hasan Sultan about the status and figures of naturalisation in Bahrain in the last four years, refused to divulge the names of the newly-naturalised Bahrainis.
‘Balancing demography’
“Publishing the names, nationalities at birth and any other personal information about the naturalised Bahrainis would be a violation of their privacy. It would also be wrong to give out information that could be used to harm national security and public order,” Shaikh Rashid said.
The naturalisation issue has been at the centre of deep divergences between the authorities and the opposition amid charges that it was being promoted for political purposes.
According to the opposition, the authorities were actively encouraging the naturalisation of thousands of Asians, mainly Pakistanis, and Arabs, mainly from Jordan, Syria and Egypt, to tilt the demographic balance in their favour and win new supporters.
The opposition has also claimed that the naturalised Bahrainis were taking up jobs needed by the locals and taking advantage of government services, mainly housing and healthcare.
But Shaikh Rashid yesterday defended the naturalisation policy, saying that all those who were granted citizenship already had jobs in the private and public sectors. He also ruled out competition with the locals for housing, education and health services.
Services
“Most of them already have houses and benefit from the services provided by the government,” the minister said. “And I do not think they represent a security threat because anyone who wants the citizenship of Bahrain will always behave according to the highest moral standards,” Shaikh Rashid said.
Earlier this year, Bahrain was rife with rumours that up to 30,000 Iraqi former Baathists fleeing the war-torn country were being offered Bahraini nationality. The claim was dismissed as “lacking credibility” by senior interior ministry officials.
