Don’t force us down the path of Egypt and rule by the military, Islamists in the Parliament and investors and tourists taking flight.

I don’t want to class fellow countrymen as Shi’i and Sunni. All should have equal opportunities. The growing sectarianism and extremism from both sides is alien to Bahrain. Many of my best friends are Shi’i, but committed to supporting our constitutional monarchy. The media is contributing to the sectarian divide every time it falls into the trap of describing the situation as Sunni against Shi’i.

Our government has made mistakes, but this doesn’t justify the opposition’s call for “Death to Al Khalifah”. There has been huge progress by the authorities over the last year; look at how the Bahraini security forces managed the 14 February 2012 protests with minimal force and no serious casualties, despite being attacked by Molotovs and makeshift weapons. The opposition has used abuses by the security forces to justify its own increasingly violent tactics. This is hypocrisy.

Judge Bahrain on its own terms. Not by the standards of other dysfunctional dictatorships in the region.

• We have a constitutional monarchy committed to reform.
• We have a liberal, pluralist and open society.
• We can criticize our Government openly, but we love our King and trust his vision for reform and a prosperous Bahrain.

Bahrain is a tiny island of tolerance, democratic values and progressive aspirations, in a region submerged in dictatorship, religious extremism and intolerance. If you listen to the opposition’s calls to boycott and stigmatize Bahrain, then you risk stifling this vibrant country and letting loose the forces of anarchy, backwardness and extremism in our beautiful country.