Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): Mr. Mahdi Abudeeb wrote a letter to the King of Bahrain Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa advising him either to be the ruler who prevails for his nation or the ruler who prevails over his nation before being the ruler whose nation has prevailed over.

From inside his prison Abudeeb urged the King to take reform measures to resolve the crisis without delay, warning him that: “Seeking leverage from foreign powers, inciting a sect against the other or seeking help from foreign mercenaries and perverts will not make you any good.”
Abudeeb warns the King that the unserious reform measures have no benefit, adding: “You brought what you called ‘The Royal Commission of Inquiry’ to avoid the United Nations sending their Commission of Inquiry to expose the unjust practices that the people suffered in the period of what you called ‘National Security Law’ [Martial Law] ”
Abodeeb who is sentenced for 10 years in prison said: “We are hostages”, explaining: “We are here as far as you want us to be captives to negotiate with the Opposition and the people over our release”. Here is his letter.

To King Hamad Bin Isa,

I am writing advising you as “Religion is to consult”, which I seek only reform out of it, a real reform, not reform promises that you vowed for the people without seeing any of them. Real reform avoids our beloved country any injustice, inequity, discrimination and plunder of wealth. I demand the Constitutional Monarchy that you asked for. You acquired the Monarchy while the people have not gained the ‘Constitutional’.
We, the people, have got weary of what we are suffering of deterioration of the standards of living, our constitutional rights and our political freedom. We took to the streets sincerely and faithfully demanding reform, in a peaceful and civilised manner that the world has not seen to the date. What did you do? You repressed who supposedly were your people; do you consider us your people?
You declared a period of the ‘National Security Law’ which was a period of ‘Regret’, when the people’s privacy and sanctity were violated, mosques were demolished, houses were demolished, you saw that and blessed it. Some were killed, some were wounded, and others were jailed. You did not respect a baby, an old man, a woman or young men. If you say you were not responsible for all of that, you cannot deny you were aware of it. What did you do to stop the bleeding of this nation? In all respects you are responsible before us and before Allah for all what happened and happening in your kingdom. Is not it, “Every one of you is a shepherd and everyone is responsible for their flock” [A saying for Prophet Mohammed].


Plays of Reform

You sought to exonerate yourself after the whole world slammed you, so you played the fiasco of the “National Dialogue”, and since it was weird, naïve, poorly managed and had poor output; it is not worth discussing it with you.

You brought what you named initially “The Royal Commission for Inquiry” to avoid the United Nations sending a Commission of Inquiry to expose the unjust practices that the people suffered during what you called the “National Security Law”. You chose to do it yourself rather than be exposed by the others. You chose the commissioners and it started its work among suspicion and withdrawals, and despite the commission results condemned your practices and highlighted many of the grievances that the people suffered; the soft language of the report was not able to obscure the atrocities that your army and security forces committed. You formed a committee to implement the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry which the whole world declared that committee had not implemented anything worth mentioning of the recommendations. You declared along with your mouthpieces that that executive committee had been successful in implementing the recommendations.

I say it time and again: “We are Hostages” and so are we. We have not been imprisoned because we are criminals. We are not going to be released because your judges will suddenly discover we are innocent. We will stay in prison as far as you want us to be captives to negotiate with the Opposition and the people over our release. When you reach a compromise with the Opposition that you think may solve your problems and maintain your gains then you would order releasing us. However, you have to know that prison gates will open by Allah’s wills, not by Allah’s people no matter how important or futile they were. We do not allow anyone to compromise our people’s demands. Every moment passes in our prison will make your standing before Allah in the hereafter longer. So choose for yourself what you may.

Are We Guilty?

If our crime was that we demanded living in dignity and freedom, then I would say it for myself and on the behalf of the others: “Yes, we are guilty”. If our crime was that we demanded to be citizens in our homeland without discrimination on any basis whether ethnic, religious, sectarian, tribal, familial, or class, then “We are guilty”. If our crime was that we demanded reform in our homeland and demanded stopping the waste of wealth and holding accountable the country thieves, the murderers and oppressors, then “We are guilty”. If our crime that we demanded security for ourselves, for our children, for our relatives, for our houses, for our mosques, for our towns and villages, then “We are guilty”. If your laws cannot tolerate freedom of expression, why do not you announce it, do not be ashamed with it, and say it to the world. You cannot hide that anymore.

However, accusing us of false crimes and of things we have not committed which you and your entourage know well that those accusations had no relation whatsoever to reality. That will not contribute to resolving the crisis whose solution is in your hands to avoid the country its prolonged duration and to stop bleeding of the wealth and sanctity which is increasing day after day.

You announced a day for national reconciliation; we have not seen any reconciliation. You announced another day of tolerance but we have not seen tolerance. You declared your commitment to dialogue and reform, however, the towns and villages are still being violated, and sanctity is being violated. Money is escaping and investments are evaporating, drums of war are being drummed by evil religious leaders, parliamentarians of negligence, aggravating advisers, and the ministers of the extra time. Murder, bloodshed, and imprisonment of innocents are still ongoing and even growing. Where is the dialogue? Where are reform and tolerance? How long will the throne be more important than the homeland and those sitting over it more important than the citizen?

Opening up to the People

I sincerely urge you to speed up - from your responsible position before Allah, the homeland, the citizen and history - to resolve the crisis without any delay. Enough of what we have lost. Every moment that passes makes the crisis harder to resolve that crisis stormed our homeland and dug deep wounds in every one that are difficult to heal, and created rifts in the society will not be easy to bridge. Seeking leverage from foreign powers, inciting a sect against the other or seeking help from foreign mercenaries and perverts will not make you any good.

Attempt to open up to this great and creative nation whom any fair regime would be proud to deal with. Attempt to be part of them, attempt responding to their just demands. Attempt to understand them. Attempt to go along with this nation not against it. Be assured that it is in your best interest before being the interest of the people as it is the people’s era not the rulers’ age. It is the time of change not stagnancy. What was valid for the eighties and nineties is not valid anymore. The movements of the society and the clock are always in one direction.

Finally, choose to be the ruler who prevails for his nation or the ruler who prevails over his nation before being the ruler whose nation has prevailed over.

• Link to the Arabic copy