Bahraini Government Loses Citizen, Mind

Author: Joel (U.S.) - January 7, 2007

A Bahraini athlete who ran and won a marathon in Israel without permission has been stripped of his citizenship.
Bahrain’s sport authorities said Mushir Salem Jawher, who was born in Kenya but moved to Bahrain in 2003, had violated the laws of the country.

Link

Who comes up the idea to do these kinds of things? and in what conflict besides the Arab-Israeli one do such absurd snubs have so much importance?

This committee could just have easily have congratulated him on beating the Israelis as condemned him for competing, and then everyone would have been happy. Maybe what pissed off the committee was the comment that

even though Bahrain has no official diplomatic ties with Israel, it is a “free country”

Apparantly Jawher was in a large part mistaken on that count. More’s the pity.

4 Responses to “Bahraini Government Loses Citizen, Mind”

On 07.01.07 at 10:41 MST

Esra'a Wrote:

To be honest with you, I’m glad he’s been stripped of his citizenship. It is a very grave mistake on our part to give out citizenships like it’s candy to singers and athletes who are being paid to represent the country - but unfairly so. It’s also very unfair to the many migrant workers whose children were born and raised in Bahrain and have lived in the country all their lives to the point where they actually speak the language. Those are the ones that deserve Bahraini citizenship, even though they rarely get them, which is racist in my opinion.

If this athelete isn’t actually Bahraini and probably doesn’t even speak our language, how can we take any pride in having such people represent us? Moving to Bahrain in 2003 doesn’t give him the right to be a citizen, and we certainly don’t have the right to force certain laws upon him.

I’m glad Mr. Jawher won’t have trouble dealing with our silly laws anyways.

It said Mr Jawher entered Israel with his Kenyan passport and that the runner had “violated the laws of Bahrain”.

Believe it or not, I have some Algerian friends in Bahrain with dual citizenships who spent a lot of time in Israel, but why is this a problem if the Crown Prince does want diplomatic ties with Israel to the point where he wants it to be legal for Israelis to visit and vice versa? The story above proves that their pro-Israel statements were false and were just said so that the Bahraini government can appeal to the West.

In any case, I recall a similar incident which took place with a Nigerian athlete who was also given Bahraini citizenship and was later in trouble for running with shorts that were too short by “Islamic standards,” even though she actually won that competition and gained a lot of fame through it. Apparently they would’ve praised her if she had ran and won wearing an Afghani burka.

On 07.01.07 at 14:39 MST

Joel Wrote:

Iâ€™m glad heâ€™s been stripped of his citizenship. It is a very grave mistake on our part to give out citizenships like itâ€™s candy to singers and athletes who are being paid to represent the country

Perhaps, but it is doubly unfair if you’re going to give out citizenship to take it away without just cause.

In any case, I recall a similar incident which took place with a Nigerian athlete who was also given Bahraini citizenship and was later in trouble for running with shorts that were too short by â€œIslamic standards,â€

I laugh even though it is not a joke, what happened in the end?

On 07.01.07 at 14:44 MST

Esra'a Wrote:

Correction, she is apparently Ethiopian.

She applied for multiple citizenship papers before Bahrain granted them to her that same year. Bahrain, eager to gain a sporting image, granted this in exchange that she change her name to an Arabic one and that she compete in the Asian Games in Doha, Qatar in 2006.

After winning the 3000 m in Oslo on July 14, 2005, her image was published throughout the international sporting press. Her outfit of short shorts and a sleaveless midriff bearing top caused a minor outrage in Bahrain led by MP Hamad Al-Muhannadi. In 2004, Bahraini champion Ruqaya Al Ghasra competed in the Athens Olympics fully covered. Bahrain Athletics Association vice-president Mohammed Jamal said the association was already planning to give new sportswear to Ms Jamal, which covered her stomach and her legs down to the knee. However comments by Mohammed Jamal show that to be unlikely to actually occur.

Hahaha.

On 08.01.07 at 07:09 MST

Sam Wrote:

Alright…let me get this straight: the athlete goes to Israel with his Kenyan passport and even WINS the marathon and the Bahraini government strips him off his Bahraini passport?

I have to agree with Esra’a…it’s truly unfair not only in Bahrain but also in the neighboring monarchies; people who have been living and working in those countries for up to 3 generations are still denied citizenship and a handful who come and impress the locals with their athletics are offered citizenships straight up.