We Have A Right
Encyclopedia
We Have A Right is a political campaign launched to protect personal freedoms in Bahrain
by the society of liberal intellectuals, Al Muntada
, on 22 November 2005.
The aim of the We Have A Right campaign is to counter the threat to civil liberties posed by religious extremist parties that dominate the political space opened up by the extensive reforms of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa since 1999. Both Sunni and Shia Islamist parties have used their new freedom to operate to try to curtail individual rights by seeking to pass legislation to force gender segregation at the University of Bahrain, ban consumption of alcohol and introduce Sharia Law.
According to an Al Muntada spokesman, We Have A Right was launched "to decry threats to Bahrain's civil society and individual freedom by waves of extremism, fanaticism, intolerance and intellectual terrorism." http://search.gulfnews.com/articles/05/11/23/194191.html Adel Fakhro, the chairman of the Al Muntada, said at the first meeting: “What we fear is that the Bahraini citizen would lose his right to live in peace in a tolerant society in which every individual would respect the other.”
Bahraini liberals have argued that the principle of respect for personal freedoms is a guarantee of social stability, a favourable business environment, employment opportunities as well as protection from fanaticism.
The liberal socieites behind We Have A Right have been criticised for their failure to gain the support of left wing parties, National Democratic Action
and Nationalist Democratic Rally Society
; both parties support the objectives but have felt that Al Muntada was too close to the government. Opponents of the campaign have suggested that it is mainly concerned with the right to consume alcohol and sought to portray it as ‘unIslamic’, dubbing it 'We have a right...to drink alcohol'.
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...
by the society of liberal intellectuals, Al Muntada
Al Muntada
Al Muntada is a Bahrain society set up by academics, journalists and businessmen to promote liberalism in the Kingdom.It was established in 2001 to provide a place for liberals to debate how they could meet the challenge of religious extremist domination of political life, which has been a...
, on 22 November 2005.
The aim of the We Have A Right campaign is to counter the threat to civil liberties posed by religious extremist parties that dominate the political space opened up by the extensive reforms of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa since 1999. Both Sunni and Shia Islamist parties have used their new freedom to operate to try to curtail individual rights by seeking to pass legislation to force gender segregation at the University of Bahrain, ban consumption of alcohol and introduce Sharia Law.
According to an Al Muntada spokesman, We Have A Right was launched "to decry threats to Bahrain's civil society and individual freedom by waves of extremism, fanaticism, intolerance and intellectual terrorism." http://search.gulfnews.com/articles/05/11/23/194191.html Adel Fakhro, the chairman of the Al Muntada, said at the first meeting: “What we fear is that the Bahraini citizen would lose his right to live in peace in a tolerant society in which every individual would respect the other.”
Bahraini liberals have argued that the principle of respect for personal freedoms is a guarantee of social stability, a favourable business environment, employment opportunities as well as protection from fanaticism.
The liberal socieites behind We Have A Right have been criticised for their failure to gain the support of left wing parties, National Democratic Action
National Democratic Action
The National Democratic Action Society - Wa'ad is Bahrain's largest leftist political party. It emerged out of the Popular Front, a radical clandestine opposition movement of Maoist, socialist and Arab nationalist orientation...
and Nationalist Democratic Rally Society
Nationalist Democratic Rally Society
Nationalist Democratic Assembly , a political group attached to the Baghdad-based Ba'ath Party in Bahrain. The organization is led by Rasul al-Jishi....
; both parties support the objectives but have felt that Al Muntada was too close to the government. Opponents of the campaign have suggested that it is mainly concerned with the right to consume alcohol and sought to portray it as ‘unIslamic’, dubbing it 'We have a right...to drink alcohol'.
External links
- Campaign to protect freedoms, Gulf Daily News, 21 February 2006
- 'Civil liberties are under threat', Bahrain Tribune, July 19, 2006
- Liberals celebrate first anniversary of 'union', Gulf News, August 2, 2006