August 2004

return to contents

The Misguided Policy We Have Followed Post 9/11: A View from Bahrain
by J. Kristen Urban

(Dr. J. Kristen Urban, an ICPJ Board member, spent the spring semester of 2004 as a Fulbright scholar in Bahrain, where she wrote this article.)

I came from my home in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania as a Fulbright Scholar to teach in the American Studies Program at the University of Bahrain this past semester. Bahrain is America’s best friend in the region, at a time when the list is growing shorter by the day. Even considering the rest of the neighborhood, I have been surprised to discover how unique a place it is.

Nestled between Qatar and the mainland of Saudi Arabia, this tiny island–reputed to be the biblical Garden of Eden–has been a center of commerce and trade for over 4,000 years, a history that has predisposed it to the celebration of a cultural diversity of which it is exceptionally proud. It is perhaps this rich tradition that has led it towards the successful transition from absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy that provides for an appointed Consultative Council, an elected Chamber of Deputies, the participation of both men and women in voting and politics, an independent Judiciary, and procedures for amending the Constitution.

It is within this dynamic context that I am teaching a course on “Peacebuilding, Faith, and Pluralism.” And who are my students? The University of Bahrain is the only public coeducational institution in the Gulf, so my class consists of both men and women, who represent the next generation of Bahraini social and political leadership. Bright, warm, and generous, they are completely at home with American pedagogy and interactive discourse. Focusing on morality politics in America, we have examined the way that Americans deal with divisive moral issues, conversations that often spill over to issues within Bahrain as well. Our aim is to explore the mechanisms by which diverse societies resolve such conflict through political means. As American Studies students, these young men and women are acquainted with the American blueprint of democracy, the place George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and the Civil Rights Movement have occupied in our history, and the fact that the American Dream won out over Communism. They hope to see much of this dream realized within their own country.

Over the past two months, however, things have begun to change. We open our class each day with a review of one of Bahrain’s daily newspapers, and events since April have begun to derail my lesson plans. For two months we have endured daily assaults with front-page stories: about Abu Ghraib, with graphic pictures of torture, testimonies of prisoners, mothers waiting fearfully outside the prison gate; about “collateral damage” and the seeming disregard for Iraqi life; about an attack that has come to be called locally the “desert wedding massacre” and the bodies of small children being buried in its aftermath; about military incursions into Shiite holy sites and blood-spattered mosques.

These and many other news stories have left them asking why they should care about American ideals. One student challenged, “We expected the dictators in our region to run an Abu Ghraib– we never thought America would.” “And why did they show the pictures???” demanded another. “How does anyone expect these men to go back to their families and their villages, now that everyone knows?” “And what did they mean, ‘Nobody goes out into the desert to have a wedding?’” another asked. “We are from the desert: that’s who we are!”

Nor do the challenges end in my classroom. Since I arrived, I have found nothing but generosity and kindness in my interactions with the people of Bahrain. But this past week, while I was shopping in a local hypermarket, a ten-year old boy strode up to me and threatened me with his fists, sending a torrent of words my way. Even with my limited Arabic, it was clear what he meant. His mother grabbed him immediately, but gave me an icy stare: no mother-to-mother “I’m sorry he’s such a nuisance” shrug, just the stare. Then yesterday, driving out of my compound, I attracted two twelve-year old boys on bicycles, who raced up to my car, shook their fists at my windows, and shouted at me vehemently. These are children, but their rage is real.

“The Bahrain-US Free Trade Deal is Sealed” read the recent headline. It’s a deal that requires the implementation of liberal, democratic values. Implicit in this is a vibrant citizenry who ask questions and demand political accountability. The citizens of Bahrain are watching, listening, and not afraid to question. In fact, last weekend more than 4,000 people, both young and old, turned out in the capital city of Manama to demand the withdrawal of US forces from Iraqi Shiite holy sites and protest the treatment of Iraqi prisoners. It is worth noting that two-thirds of Bahrainis are Shiite, a fact that carries some weight now in a democratic kingdom. This is a young, fragile democracy.

As an American who believes that her country has, in the past, eventually gotten a lot of things right, the realization that the misguided policy we have followed post 9/11 has cost us the moral high ground is painful to accept. What do we stand for now? I fear it is going to be a long time before American “condemnations” will again ring with authority. This is bad for our position as Superpower–it is devastating for a world in need of direction and reassurance.

back to top | return to contents

Last updated August 15, 2004

Interfaith Center for Peace and Justice
©2007 All Rights Reserved
Contact the webmaster.