Demands for change in Bahrain and recent incidents of violence against those demanding reform is being chronicled by number of bloggers. They present struggle within the country and also how external forces are influencing events. Adding another dimension to the discussion, pro-government and pro-establishment bloggers are also making their side heard online.
Suhail Algosaib [1]i, an author and fitness professional, is a self confessed “fan” of the Bahraini crown prince and praises his efforts to resolve ongoing crisis in the country,
“I applaud your efforts in trying to bring a resolution to the February 14th crisis, which has left a deep wound in our society. Despite the opposition’s arrogance, you’ve persisted in trying to bring a win-win resolution to the crisis. God bless you. In the end they’ve shown their true colours, and no one can fault you for your efforts.”
Algosaibi has also blogged about Bahrain's opposition loosing credibility [2].
Peace Bahrain [3]recently published documents leaked by WikiLeaks, which accuses prominent human rights activists in the country of being paid by Iran.They have also posted a video, claiming that Nabeel Rajab [4]of Bahrain Center for Human Rights, is discriminatory against the expatriate community in Bahrain.
Bahrain Independent [5] has also published several articles questioning credibility of prominent activists, including Abdulhadi Al Khawaja, who is currently under arrest.
“Following his exile due to his contribution in the failed coup and throughout the 1980s, Al Khawaja played a leading role in the IFLB (Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain) cell in Iran and was even involved in military aspects of the organization. He was later granted asylum in the Denmark, in addition to being granted a Danish passport. In the mid-90s he established the Bahrain Human Rights Organization in Denmark, the predecessor to the BCHR, and succeeded to a certain extend in penetrating and infiltrating a number of other legitimate international human rights organizations, in an attempt to grant his (and by default the IFLB’s) activities a more Euro-centric appeal and a legitimate cover.”
In observing pro-government and pro-establishment blogs, there appears to be a pattern of operation. They invariably get down to questioning credibility of the opposition activists and those demanding reform. Most commonly used line is, that the person is aligned to Iran or the West, or person demanding change is doing so for personal benefit. This begs a question, isn't there a better way to debate an issue, without accusing the other side of being a foreign sell out?