Middle East Focus: Blood Diamonds of the Gulf: from Bahrain to Britain…………..

Arabia Deserta

Blood Diamonds of the Gulf: from Bahrain to Britain…………..

Rattlesnake Ridge

BFF

“The countess, 46, was given the gifts during a recent official visit to the country. She was given one set by Bahrain’s king and a second set by the country’s prime minister, Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa. Her husband, the earl, received a pen and a watch. Critics said the countess should sell the gems and give the proceeds to political protesters in Bahrain. Denis MacShane, a former Foreign Office minister, said: “Given the appalling suffering and repression of the Bahraini people, it would be a fitting gesture for the Countess of Wessex to auction these trinkets and distribute the proceeds to the victims of the regime.”……….”

Whichever way one looks at it, these gifts (jewelry and watches) are stained with the blood of the Bahraini people. They are also stained with the sweat and tears of the people of Bahrain. Taken, stolen by the ruling al-Khalifa clan of Apartheid to give to their Western friends and protectors. They rightfully belong to the people, as do all the expropriated public properties on my Gulf, from Manama through Abu Dhabi to Riyadh, and beyond.

Cheers
mhg

m.h.ghuloum@gmail.com