Moderates are always viewed by the media as the ones with the least interesting stories to tell, as their opinions tend to be more balanced and nuanced. A moderate will never give you an outrageous soundbite; make an outrageous and provocative statement for the sake of it; or write off all their opponents as traitors.
Yet in reality, it is the moderates who tend to be most pragmatic about achieving results, as well as being the only segment of society capable of setting out a unified vision for taking the entire nation forward; as opposed to simply serving one narrow agenda or ideology.
In Bahrain, the story of the moderates remains untold or misinterpreted in most cases. They are either viewed as being opposition or pro-government and so often go unrecognized as a significant demographic. What many of us fail to understand is that besides their affiliations, moderates remain as moderates who are willing to work for a better future within the Bahraini context. They may disagree with their opponents, but they can at least comprehend alternative viewpoints and recognize their legitimacy.
During the past five years, moderates have unfortunately failed to build a strong presence on the social and political scene; yet they represent a huge segment of the Bahraini society.
“If moderates remain passive, this paves the way for extremist voices to get louder”
Below are a few of the main reasons why moderates should engage with each other and work together to make themselves heard:
- Bahrainis of different generations are used to being raised in a tolerant and secular society that respects the beliefs of others. Our country is diverse in nature, with Sunni and Shia Muslims representing the majority of Bahrainis, along with Christians, Jews and Bahais. Over half of our population are expats who we grew up with, went to school with, worked with and befriended for generations. We have lived side by side for decades in peace and today we face the great danger of extremism, which is facing the whole region and the world.
- We need to engage in order to understand our differences and build the understanding that in a mature society, people can criticize each other’s political stances. Yet moderates, despite their political ideologies, must unite to silence radical and extremist voices. If moderates remain passive, this paves the way for extremist voices to get louder.
- Moderate are required to engage at a time when extremism is on the rise and those with hardline agendas seek to impose their religious ideologies on the rest of the society, hence depriving the rest of the society of their personal freedoms if empowered.
- Extremists and hardliners are always the most vocal voices. Moderates and liberals in most cases choose to be passive and inactive in civil society work. Their presence is a requirement as they are the only ones who can actually carry out a civilized dialogue with each other with respect, even while there is disagreement over each other’s political views.
- We are not in a position to fight each other. We should jointly challenge external radicals elements who aim at ruining our country, the region and the world as a whole.
- Moderates voices should come together to find a realistic approach to finding solutions to end the social, economic and political crisis in Bahrain. We have a shared responsibility towards our nation, whether as individuals, civil society movements, businessmen, private sector, government institutions etc.
- Engagement is important for coming up with initiatives that can help mend the wounds of the past five years, following the unrest period. Moderates can bridge the sectarian gap. If the Government and opposition fail to reach a political agreement, then this doesn’t mean that the whole society should stand still and wait for a solution on the higher level.
Civil society movements can take a leading role in bridging the gap, silencing extremists, promoting moderates from different sides and working closely with each to find common grounds. They can help institute a more productive political and social climate where constructive criticism helps stimulate progress, reform and respect across all of society.
We hope that in the near future, moderates within different segments of the Bahraini society will realize that their voices need to be heard and that they need to work closely with each other. Moderates need to understand that they are the only ones that can hold this country together and that the future lies in their hands.
The 2011 unrest period effectively killed off moderate voices as a coherent and influential element of the national dialogue. Now is the moment to reclaim that voice.