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Interview with Muhammad Ali al- Mahfuz, Bahrain Islamic Front
Ahmad Mazhar Sa`du interviews Muhammad Ali al-Mahfuz,
the secretary-general of the Bahrain Islamic Front,
organisation at the forefront of the uprising against the Bahraini regime.
Bahraini Resistence: 'We want a comprehensive political change'
Sa'du: We would like to ask you first about the latest political
developments in Bahrain.
Mahfuz: Now that the popular uprising in Bahrain has overcome
many challenges from the authority, we are in a sensitive stage.
This stage is characterized by the authority's rejection of all the
demands of the uprising. The uprising was launched to demand the
activation of the 1973 constitution and the revitalization of the
parliament and the National Assembly. The popular uprising also
demanded the release of prisoners, the return of political exiles and
those banned from entering Bahrain, and the employment of jobless
people.
We have reached a sensitive stage - the stage of comprehensive
political change - which we are trying to entrench. This means the
implementation of comprehensive democracy. Nobody is above the
law. Therefore, we, together with brothers in the opposition, have
found the way to political change. This political change is
represented by the comprehensive implementation of democracy,
the holding of elections and the establishment of liberties and
political pluralism in Bahrain.
How are the conditions of detainees in Bahrain? Is there hope they
will be released?
Reports from the brothers inside reveal that their conditions are
very tragic. Some detainees have broken jaws and deep wounds and
suffer from very miserable conditions. So far, thousands have been
arrested. Some even say there are 10,000 men, women, children,
clerics and intellectuals in Bahraini jails. We have asked for the
immediate intervention of human rights organizations. However, the
Bahraini authorities are still preventing any responsible
international human rights group to enter Bahrain in an attempt to
conceal the suffering of those detainees.
Are there attempts or is there hope to release the detainees?
On the contrary, the Bahraini authorities continue to arrest
activists. The Bahraini authorities arrested many people 10 days
ago in various parts of Bahrain. We do not believe the government
intends to release political detainees. The issue has reached a
deadlock because the government insists on the security solution.
Have you asked the Arab Organization on Human Rights or
Amnesty International to help in this matter?
We spoke to the Arab Organization on Human Rights and Amnesty
International, as well as the anti-torture organization based in
America and some religious and political figures in Arab and
foreign countries. The Bahraini government, however, turned a deaf
ear to all this and did not want to hear anything about the issue.
Some describe Bahrain's intifadah as a Shi'i intifadah which has
Iranian connections. What is your reply to this?
Perhaps, Shi'is are the overwhelming majority in Bahrain. This,
however, does not mean that the issue is a sectarian one. This is
because the intifadah did not claim the rights of the Shi'is but the
rights of the people in Bahrain. The intifadah also talks about
justice, freedom and equality, not as sectarian demands which only
concern the Shi'is but as issues that concern all the people in
Bahrain whether they are Shi'i or Sunnis.
It is true that the Shi'is are the overwhelming majority in Bahrain?
This, however, is not an issue for the Shi'is in Bahrain; it is an
issue highlighted by the authorities for media consumption to
distract attention from the true events in Bahrain.
The Bahraini opposition is not sectarian and the slogans it raises
are not linked to a certain sect, but to the people. We reject this
accusation now just as we rejected it before. Moreover, we accuse
the government and the authorities of working to foment sectarian
sedition. This attempt at sedition have so far failed, praise be to
God.
What is the level of coordination between the Islamic Front and
other Bahraini opposition factions?
Coordination exists, praise be to God. It, however, needs constant
promotion. The opposition should promote its way of action,
practice and call for changing the existing situation in Bahrain
politically.
I called before, and I still call, on the opposition to rise up to the
level of the challenge we are facing in Bahrain. We are facing a
government which is very far from democracy, which rules through
tribal norms, and which is not willing to make any concessions.
Therefore, I called on the opposition to assume its responsibility
and demand a political change that will secure for all citizens in
Bahrain, whether Sunnis or Shi'is, their full rights within the
framework of democracy and public freedoms.
Courtesy: Friday Journal
Muslimedia - April 1996-August 1996
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