Islands in the Persian Gulf Sun, Greed and Need Trump Heritage
“But with graves she confronts not only the existential push and pull of building versus preservation, but also the challenge of vested interests. In essence, it boils down to this: Bahrain’s most disenfranchised have been asked to bear most of the burden of preservation, local officials said, because the rich and connected have often been allowed to build on their lands.
“Even those who support preservation acknowledge that it has made it hard to convince lower-income communities of the value of such graves when they see, right next door, the houses of the rich and connected rise where graves once stood.....
“ “There are all these signs that say ‘You cannot do this, you cannot do that,’ and all of a sudden the signs are taken down and the mounds are taken out. These were government lands given to connected people who sold them.” Mr. Bouri represents the village of Bouri, about 10 miles from the capital. Directly across a modern highway is another village, A’ali. Both are majority Shiite villages and both are bordered by large fields of graves that remain untouched.....
“The issue of the graves adds to the perception among Shiites that they are second-class citizens, discriminated against by the ruling Sunni elite. “They say it’s historic, and that we can’t remove them. But in other places, where there are people with power, they can remove them,” said Abbas Hamid Ali..... the rich who want to sell their land, and the poor who need to build on their land.......” N Y Times (Mihael Slackman)
In summary: a small island, limited land, burgeoning population, greedy oligarchs, privileged elite minority, disenfranchised majority, a ‘minister of culture and information’ who is a daughter of the said greedy oligarchy…..
As for the original majority Shi'a population (70%+ of the total), they are treated at best as second class citizens by the minority that rules and their flunkies. It is an unfortunate fact.
( BTW: What does culture have to do with information, or vice versa?)
Cheers
mhg
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