1990s Uprising in Bahrain
Encyclopedia
The 1990s Uprising in Bahrain or 1990s Intifada was an uprising
in Bahrain
between 1994 and 2000 in which leftists
, liberals
and Islamists
joined forces. The uprising resulted in approximately forty deaths and ended after Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa became the Emir of Bahrain in 1999 and a referendum on 14–15 February 2001 massively supported the National Action Charter
.
, liberals
and Islamists
joined forces on a common ground calling for restoration of the dissolved parliament and suspended constitution.
Although attempts were made to portray a totalitarian nature of an Islamic fundamentalist ideology, the events and the moderate discourse of their leaders attracted support from all human rights organizations (such as Amnesty International
, Human Rights Watch
, Article 19
, UN Human Rights Sub-Commission, etc) as well as from members of parliament in the UK, France, USA and the EU. The final aim of the uprising was the reinstatement of the 1973 constitution and respect of human rights in Bahrain, while preserving plurality of opinions in society.
The uprising was characterized by extreme forms of suppression, riots, stoning and bomb attacks. Over forty people were killed, mostly by the security forces. Most of the events of the Uprising took place in the villages and towns of the Baharna
population. There was a strong religious component in the violence, with the security forces targeting Shiite areas, and many of those being targeted by bomb and arson attacks third world immigrants. The rhetoric of the pro-government quarters attempted to stain the image of the uprising, but at the end, the situation had to improve following the longest ever uprising in the history of Bahrain.
was overwhelmingly approved by Bahrainis, with 98.4% in favour.
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
in Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
between 1994 and 2000 in which leftists
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
, liberals
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
and Islamists
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
joined forces. The uprising resulted in approximately forty deaths and ended after Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa became the Emir of Bahrain in 1999 and a referendum on 14–15 February 2001 massively supported the National Action Charter
National Action Charter of Bahrain
The National Action Charter of Bahrain is a document put forward by King Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifah of Bahrain in 2001 in order to end the popular 1990s Uprising and return the country to constitutional rule. It was approved in a national referendum in 2001, in which 98.4% of the voters voted in...
.
Aims
Like other uprisings during the 1990s, the Bahrain intifada's stated aims were for democratic reform, and it was considered as the first movement in the Arab world where leftistsLeft-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
, liberals
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
and Islamists
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
joined forces on a common ground calling for restoration of the dissolved parliament and suspended constitution.
Although attempts were made to portray a totalitarian nature of an Islamic fundamentalist ideology, the events and the moderate discourse of their leaders attracted support from all human rights organizations (such as Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
, Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
, Article 19
ARTICLE 19
ARTICLE 19 is a London-based human rights organisation with a specific mandate and focus on the defence and promotion of freedom of expression and freedom of information worldwide...
, UN Human Rights Sub-Commission, etc) as well as from members of parliament in the UK, France, USA and the EU. The final aim of the uprising was the reinstatement of the 1973 constitution and respect of human rights in Bahrain, while preserving plurality of opinions in society.
Main events
The uprising began with a picket by unemployed people in front of the ministry of labour in June 1994. Later on, the security forces used an event where stoning of a leading team (SAAD Track Club) took place in November 1994 in the Bahrain Marathon Relay race after they ran along a road alongside a conservative village, to launch attacks on the Shia community of Bahrain. This had been an attempt to stain the image of the pro-democracy uprising and to divert attention from the core issues.The uprising was characterized by extreme forms of suppression, riots, stoning and bomb attacks. Over forty people were killed, mostly by the security forces. Most of the events of the Uprising took place in the villages and towns of the Baharna
Baharna
The Bahrani are the indigenous Shi'a inhabitants of the archipelago of Bahrain and the oasis of Qatif on the Persian Gulf coast of Saudi Arabia . The term is sometimes also extended to the Shi'a inhabitants of the al-Hasa oasis. They are all Arabic speaking, and some claim descent from Arab tribes...
population. There was a strong religious component in the violence, with the security forces targeting Shiite areas, and many of those being targeted by bomb and arson attacks third world immigrants. The rhetoric of the pro-government quarters attempted to stain the image of the uprising, but at the end, the situation had to improve following the longest ever uprising in the history of Bahrain.
Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the National Action Charter
The violence generally subsided after King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa carried out political reforms after he ascended to the throne in 1999. On 14 and 15 February 2001, the National Action CharterNational Action Charter of Bahrain
The National Action Charter of Bahrain is a document put forward by King Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifah of Bahrain in 2001 in order to end the popular 1990s Uprising and return the country to constitutional rule. It was approved in a national referendum in 2001, in which 98.4% of the voters voted in...
was overwhelmingly approved by Bahrainis, with 98.4% in favour.
Deaths
| Name | Age | From | Date of Death | Cause of Death |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanni Abbas Khamis | 24 | Sanabis | 17 December 1994 | shot dead |
| Hani Ahmad Al-Wasti | 22 | Jedhafs | 17 December 1994 | shot dead |
| Haji Mirza Ali abdul Redha | 70 | Qadam | 20 Dec 1994 | Beaten to death by security forces |
| Abdul Qadir Al-Fatlawi | 18 | Duraz | 12 January 1995 | shot dead |
| Mohammed Redha Manssor | 34 | Bani Jamra | 25 January 1995 | shot dead |
| Hussain Ali Al-Safi | 26 | Sitra | 26 January 1995 | shot dead |
| Aqeel Salman Al-Saffar | 1 year | Bilad Al-Qadeem | 8 February 95 | inhaled tear gas for prolonged period |
| Hussain Ma'atooq | 12 | Daih | 8 March 1995 | died after a holicopter flew low above the house. He was on top of the house. |
| Hamid Abdulla Qasim | 17 | Duraz | 26 March 1995 | shot dead |
| Mohammed Ali Abdul Razzaq | 48 | Bani Jamra | 1 April 1995 | shot dead |
| Mohammed Yousif Atteya | 28 | Bani Jamra | 1 April 1995 | shot dead |
| Hussain Abdulla Al-Asheeri | 17 | Dair | 19 April 1995 | shot dead |
| Nidal Habib Al-Nashaba | 18 | Duraz | 4 May 1995 | shot dead |
| Saeed Al-Eskafi | 16 | Sanabis | 8 July 1995 | died under torture |
| Mohammed Shehab Fardan | 10 | Karzakkan | 25 May 1995 | died after an explosion during clashes |
| Hassan Jasim Al-Hasawi | 70 | Nuaim | 7 Jan 1996 | inhaled tear gas for prolonged period |
| Mohammed Hassan Taher | 22 | Jedhafs | 6 March 1996 | died in mysterious circumstances |
| Isa Hassan Qambar | 29 | Nuweidrat | 26 March 1996 | executed |
| Fadhil Abbas Marhoon | 25 | Karzakkan | 6 May 1996 | Shot dead by a special military unit |
| Salman Al-Taitoon | 28 | Adel Flaifel Adel Flaifel Colonel Adel Jassim Flaifel is a former colonel in the State Security and Intelligence Service of Bahrain. He is accused of committing, or overseeing, acts of physical and psychological torture on Bahraini citizens from 1980s until 1997... summoned two persons and told them that Sheikh Al-Nachas is now dead. Sheikh Ali Al-Nachas was detained in January 1996 and sentenced for one-year accused of delivering political sermons in mosques. Released in February 1997 only to be re-detained a short time later accused of delivering similar sermons in a local mosque. For 2-3 months he had been ill-treated in detention and reports have spoken of his health deterioration as a result of this ill-treatment. Two weeks prior to his death, his house was ransacked by the security forces and his wife was beaten severely inside her bedroom. |
||
| Abd Ali Jasim Isa Yousif | 45 | Nu'iam | 8 August 1997 | died in Salmanya Hospital as a result of the deterioration of his health in jail. Mr. Yousif was detained a year ago. He became ill with hepatitis and the prison authorities prevented him from receiving the appropriate medical attention. In mid June, at a late stage, he was transferred to the Military Hospital and then o Saalmanya Hospital Wards 11 and 62 until his death on 8 August 1997. |
| Yaser Ibrahim Ali Sdaif | 22 | Wadyan, Sitra | 22 September 1997 | Yaser was detained in early 1995 and had suffered extreme forms of torture. One type of torture caused bleeding and resulted in the deterioration of his health. It was the insertion of a bottle in his back passage. He later developed cancer. His conditions became very serious two months ago. His death brings to mind the horrific treatment of prisoners under the hands of the merciless torture-officers headed by Ian Henderson Ian Henderson Ian Henderson may refer to:*Ian Henderson , Australian news presenter*Ian Henderson , British former Director of Intelligence in Bahrain*Ian Henderson , English football player... . |
| Nooh Khalil Abdulla Al-Nooh | 22 | N\A | 21 July 1998 | was arrested in a raid on his parent’s house in Nuaim district (Manama) on Saturday 18 July. Few days later, the interior ministry telephoned the family of the martyr and ordered them to collect the dead body of their son from the mortuary. As the family went to receive the body of their dear son, the foreign security forces had already encircled the district of Nuaim. Nevertheless, the citizens penetrated the siege and about 1500 people attended the burial and funeral of the young man. The people photographed his body. It was full of torture, the kind of which is applied to all citizens taken into custody for interrogation. The tortured body carried signs of electric shocks, sever beating and drilling-penetrations. The people chanted for the freedom of the nation and called for the punishment of torturers. |
| Mohammed Al-Sayyah | 28 | Wadyan, Sitra | 30 September 1998 | For more than three years, Mr. Al-Sayyah had been in hospital suffering from incrementally increasing pain that ended with his death in Salmaya Hospital. Mr. Al-Sayyah, a university graduate, was initially arrested on 5 April 1995 and tortured severely by a Jordanian officer named Mahmood Al-Akkori (so-called Abo-Fakhri) until 12 July 1995. His condition had deteriorated following the session of torture under Al-Akkori. He had been subjected to electric shocks and was severely beaten on sensitive parts of his body. He was then stripped naked and forced to sit on a bottle which caused him to suffer immensely after his release. Months later, he developed cancer and the pains continued with him until his death. |
| Haj Ali Karim | 60 | Sanabis | 12 February 1999 | passed away after three years of suffering. Mr. Karim died in Salmania Hospital as a result of injuries he suffered when the security forces attacked a peaceful procession to commemoration of the Martyr Issa Qambar in March 1996. |
See also
- 2011 Bahraini protests
- History of BahrainHistory of BahrainBahrain is a island country in the Persian Gulf. Although Bahrain became an independent country in 1971, the history of these islands starts from ancient times...
- Torture in BahrainTorture in BahrainTorture in Bahrain refers to the violation of Bahrain’s obligations as a state party to the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and other international treaties and disregard for the prohibition of torture enshrined in Bahraini...
- Human rights in BahrainHuman rights in BahrainBahrain's record on human rights has been described by Human Rights Watch as "dismal", and having "deteriorated sharply in the latter half of 2010"....
- Bahrain Freedom MovementBahrain Freedom MovementBahrain Freedom Movement is a London based Bahraini opposition group which has its headquarters in a north London mosque...
Further reading
- Khalaf, AbdulhadiAbdulhadi KhalafAbdulhadi Khalaf is a Bahrani leftist political activist and academic. He received his primary and secondary education in Bahrain, then went abroad for college. He obtained a doctorate in sociology from Sweden's University of Lund in 1972...
(1998). Contentious politics in Bahrain: From ethnic to national and vice versa. University of Lund. - Fakhro, Munira A. 1997. “The Uprising in Bahrain: An Assessment.” In The Persian Gulf at the Millennium: Essays in Politics, Economy, Security, and Religion, eds. Gary G. Sick and Lawrence G. Potter: 167–188. New York: St. Martin’s Press. ISBN 0-312-17567-1
- Bahry, Louay. The Socioeconomic Foundations of the Shiite Opposition in Bahrain. Mediterranean Quarterly 11.3 (2000) 129–143.
- Al-Mdaires, Falah. Shi'ism and Political Protest in Bahrain. Domes. Milwaukee: Spring 2002. Vol. 11, Iss. 1; pg. 20
- Wiktorowicz, Quintan ed Islamic Activism, A Social Theory Approach Indiana University Press, 2004
External links
- Carlton TV documentary about Bahrain Uprising
- Channel 4 video of Bahrain Uprising
- Video: Bahrain — The Story of Constitutional Uprising
- Rebellion in Bahrain, Middle East Review of International AffairsMiddle East Review of International AffairsMiddle East Review of International Affairs is a quarterly journal on Middle East issues edited by Barry Rubin and published by the Global Research in International Affairs Center of the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel, which he also owns and directs.The GLORIA Center also publishes...
, March 1999 - List of terrorist incidents in Bahrain MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base
- Amnesty International: A human rights crisis (Sep 25, 1995)
- Human Rights Watch: Routine Abuse, Routine Denial: Civil Rights and the Political Crisis in Bahrain (June 1997)
- Voice of Bahrain (mouthpiece of Bahrain Freedom MovementBahrain Freedom MovementBahrain Freedom Movement is a London based Bahraini opposition group which has its headquarters in a north London mosque...
) - 'Ali RabeaAli RabeaAli Qasim Rabea is a leftist political activist in Bahrain, currently a leader of the Haq Movement. Before joining Haq he was part of Wa'ad. Rabea was elected to the 1973 National Assembly before it was dissolved. He has been an opposition activist calling for the restoration of democracy in Bahrain...
Discusses the Nineties', Alwaqt newspaper: Parts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, last - The Winds of Change in Bahrain — A History of the 1990s uprising by Ghassan Qasim Al Mulla