BAHRAIN – If you think the “War on Porn” is heating up in the United States, try the political climate in Bahrain, one of the Gulf States considered a key ally in the so-called “War on Terror.”Bahraini Council of Representatives member Abdullah Al Dossari has introduced a bill that would mandate imprisonment of one year for any person who uses the internet to “download, possess, host, publish or distribute pornographic material,” according to a report published on GulfNews.com.
“We have noted an alarming surge in cyber crimes resulting from impressive technological developments, but the perpetrators are not always punished,” Al Doassari stated in the motion submitted to the council. “I am submitting this bill to deter anyone who wants to steal money or disseminate destructive ideas or spread vice.”
Bahrain is among the most “connected” of the Gulf States, in terms of promoting the development of internet infrastructure and services. Many Islamists have complained that authorities in the kingdom have not done enough to block access to sexually explicit material – a charge that the Ministry of Information has repeatedly denied, according to GulfNews.com.
Porn is hardly the only material that Al Dossari seeks to suppress through his bill, which also takes aim at political dissidents in the kingdom, both those who dissent violently and those who voice their dissent through speech alone.
Ostensibly in furtherance of deterring terrorism, Al Dossari’s bill calls for a prison term of up to 10 years for those who either download or publish information about making explosives or who publish threats aimed at members of the armed forces, security personnel, members of parliament, and ministry officials.
Of greater potential concern to free speech advocates, and presumably of greater concern to those that express a desire to “democratize” the Gulf region and/or greater Middle East, Al Dossari’s bill would punish “denigration of religious precepts” and “defamation of national figures” with up to three months in jail and a fine of $1,000 Bahraini dinar (the equivalent of approximately $2750 US dollars).
News of the Dossari’s introduction of the bill comes following the controversial arrests of three Bahraini political activists last Friday, all of whom are alleged to have harshly criticized the Bahraini government and monarchy.
Friday’s arrests included Hassan Meshema, leader of the Haq Movement of Liberties and Democracy, and Abdul Hadi Al Khawaja, former head of the recently-dissolved Bahrain Centre for Human Rights.
According to GulfNews.com, six groups that constitute the “spine of the opposition” to the Bahraini monarchy issued a joint statement condemning the arrests.
“The detention of political activists will escalate tensions and will lead to serious security issues,” said the joint statement issued by the groups Al Wefaq, the National Democratic Action (Waad), the Islamic Action, the Nationalist Rally, the Democratic Tribune and the National Accord. “This is a huge and unprecedented setback to reforms that will have ominous implications domestically and internationally.”
Ebrahim Shareef, the head of Waad, added that “the government is back to square one by dealing with political issues through a security mindset.”
Although labeled as dissenting or opposition groups, the organizations that signed the letter are not exactly “fringe” elements. Al Wefaq comprises the largest political block in the lower house of Bahraini parliament, holding 17 of the 40 seats in that body.
Other officials, including Salah Ali, head of the second largest political block in the lower house (Al Menbar), denounced Al Wefaq’s support of the dissidents, arguing that they had incited hatred of the ruling regime, and acted against the “spirit of patriotism and allegiance to the kingdom,” according to the GulfNews.com.
“We are shocked by the deputies who condemned the detention of the saboteurs, but said nothing about the nature of the charges,” said another parliamentarian, Jassem Al Saeedi. “We have a small group of people with malicious intentions who want to apply the Iraqi or Lebanese examples here.”
