Loyalty Should Not Be Divided

By Ahmed Al-Jarallah - Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times
This commentary was published in The Arab Times on 19/03/2011

NATIONAL allegiance cannot be divided into two. Loyalty to the nation entails disregarding other factors like sectarianism, tribalism, religious sentiments and factions. Bahrainis must decide whether to pledge allegiance to their country or to those with foreign agendas, because they cannot be loyal to both.

This fact is enshrined in the Bahraini Constitution, which everybody has accepted, including the Shiites, Sunnis, tribes and factions. Whoever accepts an article in the Constitution must recognize the whole social contract. It is inconceivable for a citizen in Bahrain or other GCC countries not to pledge allegiance to his country and the GCC institutions.

Neglecting the safety of a nation is tantamount to abandoning it. Therefore, no stones should be left unturned in protecting our countries, regardless of the challenges we might face. We must not also allow the political minority to practice dictatorship to control the decision-making process or determine the fate of the nation by raising slogans of injustice and calling for reforms. The minority group should not impose its will on the entire nation by holding street protests. In case this happens, the group will not only destroy the country but it will also implement the ‘law of the jungle’ to achieve personal goals, similar to the current situation in Lebanon.

If we take a closer look at Lebanon, we will realize that a political group has been hiding under the cover of resistance to amass weapons and become stronger than any other political group or movement. The group controls everything including the decisions of various sectors in the country.

The suffering of Bahrain now is a clear example of what befalls a nation that allows some political blocs to enmesh themselves in foreign games and agendas, while raising sectarian and political slogans. The same applies to Iraq, which is drowning in the blood of its own people due to the sectarian crisis.

The inability of some blocs in Bahrain to feel shame may have led them to think that they are capable of using the country as a tool in their experiment to actualize the expansionism goal of Iran in GCC countries and instigate chaos in the region. These blocs seem oblivious to the fact that they have committed a grave mistake when they put themselves in the hands of outsiders to be used as tools for implementing foreign agendas, so they became mercenaries in their own country. They also went as far as pretending to call for justice and reform just to convince the people. They have forgotten that they can deceive some people for some time but they cannot deceive everybody all the time.

The foul play must be exposed, as well as its foreign connections. There will be no mercy for people who sell their country in exchange for fake silver. The fortitude of the Bahraini leader is not only a national necessity. It is also important for the Arab and Gulf nations, because we cannot allow chaos to reign in the region. We don’t want the entire region to be subject to the whims of Tehran.