The Strategic Battle for the Persian Gulf Island Of Bahrain Begins!
Bahraini revolt is a battle twixt disciples of two versions of Mahdi,
Based On Islamic Traditional Teachings After Muhammad’s Death,
Countless Muslims Have Died In Historical Battles Twixt The Two!
Both sects believe in the same Allah and in the messianic Mahdi
Only deeper hatred for Israel can bond them together for War.
Losing Bahrain to Shiite majority would be a strategic Horror.
March 26, 2011
http://www.tribulationperiod.com/
U.S. MILITARY INSTALLATIONS AT BAHRAIN MAKES IT MUCH MORE VALUABLE TO OUR MIDDLE EAST INTERESTS THAN LIBYA.
The different beliefs on the Islamic versions of their Messiah the Mahdi, between the clay and iron Sunni and Shiite Muslims, have contributed to many bloody conflicts in the Middle East between them.
Since achieving independence in 1971, Bahrain has pursued a policy of close consultation with neighboring states. Bahrain became a member of the United Nations and the Arab League in 1971. In 1981 it joined its five neighbors–Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, the U.A.E. and Qatar–to form the strategic Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Bahrain has complied with GCC efforts steps to coordinate economic development and defense and security planning. In December 1994, for example, Bahrain concurred with the GCC decision to drop secondary and tertiary boycotts against Israel. Bahrain also responded positively to Kuwait’s request to deploy the GCC collective defense force, “Peninsula Shield,” during the buildup and execution of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) in 2003.
In addition to maintaining strong relations with its largest financial backers, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the U.A.E., Bahrain has worked to improve its relations with Qatar and has proper, but not warm, relations with Iran. Bahrain-Iran relations have been strained since the discovery in 1981 of an Iran-sponsored coup plot in Bahrain.
Bahraini suspicions of the Iranian role in local unrest in the mid-1990s remain. On March 16, 2001, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced its judgment on the long-standing maritime delimitation and territorial dispute between Bahrain and Qatar. The binding judgment awarded sovereignty over the Hawar Islands and Qit’at Jaradah to Bahrain and sovereignty over Zubarah (part of the Qatar Peninsula), Janan Island and Fasht ad Dibal to Qatar. The peaceful settlement of this dispute has allowed for renewed co-operation, including plans to construct a causeway between the two countries.
Bahrain’s strategic partnership with the U.S. has intensified since 1991. Bahraini pilots flew strikes in Iraq during the 1991 Gulf War, and the country was used as a base for military operations in the Gulf.
Bahrain also provided logistical and basing support to international Maritime Interdiction efforts to enforce UN sanctions and prevent illegal smuggling of oil from Iraq in the 1990s. Bahrain also provided extensive basing and overflight clearances for a multitude of U.S. aircraft operating in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Bahra in also deployed forces
in support of coalition operations during both OEF and OIF. Bahrain has delivered humanitarian support and technical training to support the reconstruction of the Iraqi banking sector, and has offered support for each stage of Iraq’s political transformation. Bahrain has also cooperated effectively on criminal investigation issues in support of the campaign on terrorism; the Bahrain Monetary Agency (which became the Central Bank of Bahrain in September 2006) moved quickly to restrict terrorists’ ability to transfer funds through Bahrain’s financial system. In October 2006, Bahrain joined the U.S. and 23 other countries in a Proliferation Security Initiative interdiction exercise in the Persian Gulf.
The American Mission Hospital, affiliated with the National Evangelical Church, has operated continuously in Bahrain for more than a century. Bahrain has also been a base for U.S. naval activity in the Gulf since 1947. When Bahrain became independent, the U.S.-Bahrain relationship was formalized with the establishment of diplomatic relations. The U.S. embassy at Manama was opened September 21, 1971, and a resident ambassador was sent in 1974. The Bahra ini embassy
in Washington, DC, opened in 1977. In October 1991, Amir Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa made a state visit to Washington.
In 2001, Amir Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa made his first visit to the U.S. after succeeding his father in 1999. He returned to Washington on an official visit in January 2003. King Hamad made an official visit to Washington in November 2004 to meet with President George W. Bush and cabinet-level officials. In January 2008, President Bush made the first visit by a sitting President to Bahrain.
King Hamad visited Washington in March 2008.
Bahrain and the United States signed a Defense Cooperation Agreement in October 1991 granting U.S. forces access to Bahraini facilities and ensuring the right to pre-position material for future crises.
Bahrain is the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet. The U.S. designated Bahrain a Major Non-NATO Ally in October 2001. Bahrain and the United States signed a Free Trade Agreement in 2004.
Begin Excerpt from MEMRI
Middle East Media Research Institute
Clip No. 2871
March 18, 2011
Shiite Bahraini Cleric to Demonstrators: Our Revolution Will Lead to a State of the Mahdi
Following are excerpts from a Shiite Bahraini cleric delivering a speech before demonstrators, which aired on the Internet on March 18, 2011:
Bahraini cleric: There are two matters in our Bahrain that I cannot explain. The first matter is the growing stupidity, which is gnawing the ideology of the Khalifa family down to the marrow. The Arabic language has failed to come up with a term to describe the stupidity of that corrupt family.
You, the people of Bahrain, the sons of Ali and Fatima, are the second thing that cannot be explained. Now, I know full well that you do not really want to topple the regime, because one cannot topple something that has already fallen. What you say is: “Leave!”
Crowds: Leave!
Bahraini cleric: Leave!
Crowds: Leave!
Bahraini cleric: The people want the regime to leave.
Crowds: The people want the regime to leave.
Bahraini cleric: Brothers and sisters, we are standing today at an historic juncture – to be or to cease to be. We do not place our trust in any earthly entity. We place our trust in the promise of Allah.
We are believers, the sons of Karbala, the sons of the blood of Hussein.
We have learned from the land of blood, the land of martyrdom. Our women are the daughters of Al-Zahra [Fatima] and Zaynab.
We set out from our faith in the promise of Allah. “Oh believers, if you support Allah, He will support you, and will plant your feet firmly [on the ground].” These events are the only thing that separates us from the state of the Imam. Allah willing, following these events, we will all be under the banner of the justice of the Mahdi.
Now, shout at the top of your lungs and from the bottom of your hearts: Oh Hussein!
Crowds: Oh Hussein!
Bahraini cleric: Oh Hussein!
Crowds: Oh Hussein!
Bahraini cleric: Oh Hussein!
Begin Excerpt from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Battle for Bahrain: Is the island kingdom next for an overthrow?
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The big question for the Middle East now is, will other countries follow the path of radical reform of Tunisia and Egypt, and, if so, which ones?
Demonstrations of varying sizes have occurred in Algeria, Bahrain, Iran, Jordan, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen and even Iraq. To gauge the chances of which might be next requires a close look at the grievances and fortitude of the opposition, and at the vigor of the government in power.
For several days the Persian Gulf island kingdom of Bahrain has been in the spotlight. Its future is of special interest since it has been the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet since 1991. The United States has put hundreds of millions of dollars into Bahrain to build facilities for the fleet and has trained and equipped Bahrain’s security forces. Those forces have killed two protesters and so far have not been able to bring under control the thousands in Pearl Square in the capital, Manama.
Several factors are fueling the demonstrations. The basic one is that Bahrain is ruled by a royal dynasty, in power since 1783.
The king has been in charge since 1999; the prime minister is his uncle and has headed the government for 40 years.
In other words, democratic rule is absent.
Second, the population, less than a half-million, is 70 percent Shiite Muslim, but the ruling families are Sunni Muslims. The Shiites claim that discrimination runs against them in every field, including employment. The protesters do not claim to want to overthrow the monarchy, but the reforms they seek would overturn the structure of rule in the country.
Bahrain presents a complicated policy problem for the United States. If America favors the spread of democracy in the region, big changes would be due in Bahrain. There is also the question of the Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters.
The advent of majority rule in Bahrain would mean rule by Shiites, the branch of Islam that governs near-neighbor Iran, Iraq and Lebanon. So far, America’s leaders have urged the king not to let his forces shoot any more demonstrators. But where this will end, no one knows.
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