It is good that the Bahraini opposition has come out and condemned the killing of three policemen. However, it should recognize that the terrorists who perpetrated these acts are the seeds of its own creation.
Bahrain has undergone three years of political unrest: Three years when youths in the protest hotspots have been politicized, radicalized and encouraged to commit acts of violence.
The killing of several policemen in a terrorist explosion is an act that groups like Al-Wefaq won’t publically condone; but the opposition’s tactics over the past years have made such atrocities inevitable.
The opposition has routinely demonized the police to their supporters. In opposition rhetoric the police are “mercenaries”, “forces of oppression” and “regime thugs”. Is Al-Wefaq surprised when some of their supporters have taken this rhetoric seriously and engaged in deadly attacks; after their incitement and propaganda?
We would not be surprised to find that many of these brainwashed youths are confused when the opposition issues a statement opposing the murder of police: “Haven’t you spent the last three years telling us that the security forces are evil, brutal oppressors who should be confronted?”
When opposition leaders proclaim individuals who blew themselves up with their own explosives to be “martyrs”: When Al-Wefaq summons their supporters to the streets to mark the funeral of a “martyr” who died attacking the police during a weapons smuggling operation: Should Al-Wefaq be surprised when their own supporters convince themselves that they are fulfilling a sacred duty in using explosives to murder police on patrol?
The situation has already gone too far: Thirteen policemen have now been killed by opposition militants and over 2,500 have been seriously injured in attacks by rioters and militants. Why have Al-Wefaq Islamic Society only just woken up and realized that attacking police is wrong?
This rabid opposition propaganda against the police hides some highly significant facts:
Bahrain’s authorities recognized that the police in the early days of the unrest struggled to handle the extensive civil disorder and that some abuses occurred. However, since then there has been an extensive period of retraining, overseen by international experts; an entirely new Code of Conduct and root and branch reform of the security and justice sectors.
The result of this is that despite escalating levels of violence from protesters and rioters; this civil disorder has mostly been managed with restraint and minimal use of force. The result has been that in direct confrontations the level of police fatalities over the past two years have been higher than the fatalities among rioters. This is not something you’ll ever hear Amnesty International acknowledging.
The record of any national police force is never without flaw. However, it is clear from this that the Bahraini police force deserve serious credit for transforming their performance during a period of national crisis.
Instead we are in the situation we’re in today, where three years of opposition incitement against the police has given rise to brainwashed individuals who will today be considering the deaths of three police officers as a major success – not a national catastrophe.
We should also draw attention to the proven role of Iran in arming and funding these terrorists; as recent impounded shipments of explosives and weapons from Iran attest to.
It is not enough for Al-Wefaq to issue smooth words of denial and condemnation; they must actively shoulder their share of the responsibility in dealing with the problem of these radicalized youngsters acting in their name.
We have ten and twelve year-olds with no grasp of politics who have been taught to chant slogans calling for the deaths and forcible removal of Bahrain’s leaders. These children have never been given a chance to decide for themselves what they think about their political system. Rather they have been told from an early age that their leaders are evil and should be fought.
Today we are faced with the consequences of this terrible exploitation and radicalization of a segment of Bahrain’s youth.
Rather than seeking to distance themselves; the opposition’s political and religious leadership must begin reaching out to these segments of society and instilling a clear sense of wrong and right; while renouncing these hateful narratives which are tearing Bahrain apart.