Smear Gas and Flatulence after “Kim Kardashian’s odd visit to Bahrain”
Why did or, more to the point, why would a journalist from the Washington Post choose the appearance on the streets of Bahrain of a handful of protesters displaying Islamic placards against the visit of Kim Kardashian, feel the need to join the concerted Western game of Bahrain bashing unless of course he has an ulterior motive;
Why people are so upset about Kim Kardashian’s odd visit to Bahrain
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2012/12/03/why-people-are-so-upset-about-kim-kardashians-odd-visit-to-bahrain/
It is a question I for one would like Max Fisher, blogger to the Washington Post to answer.
For surely the very appearance of (1), a handful of Sunni Islamists and (2) the thousands of adoring young local very Western oriented fans, should be seen as an indicator that, freedom and democracy are actually alive and well in Bahrain, not as he spins it, the reverse. Was it that these two diametrically opposed groups, upset his apple cart? Did they contradict his preferred stereotype for the majority of the populace here who Max describes as the besieged and oppressed Shia up against a tyrannical despotic Sunni monarchy? Was it this that prompted him to “stick the knife in”? Or was it the thought that if the world were to realize that there are in Bahrain, many more people, many more opinions, many more voices than he would have them believe through his warped copy built rhetoric from the supposed “Shia” opposition, that he might as a consequence suffer a credibility crisis. Furthermore was this fear of being exposed as a journalistic fraud the reason for him to also indulge in the use of hearsay, misinformation and innuendo in his attempt at “Bahrain bashing” with the expressed aim of belittling the ordinary yet vast unheard majority of people here.
I have lived in Bahrain for over 30 years and I find it inexcusable that so-called professional journalists constantly prostitute themselves and the truth every time something happens in this small country. They regurgitate, cut and paste rely on hearsay, innuendo and propaganda. Check the facts never; they seem to work on the perverse assumption that their readership is not in Bahrain so therefore, who is going to question them? Should by chance, however, a contradictory voice is raised from Bahrain they have a simple solution. Brush them aside with a label; call them a government agent, a troll or fat cat expat looking after his own interests.
The “Ethics” of the Press in the UK at least, have been laid bare of late with the Leveson inquiry; maybe the US media should start to look in a similar manner at their own modus operandi. For me it’s the little innuendoes, misrepresentations and warping of facts that annoy. To quote Max Fisher “Maryam Al-Khawaja, a prominent Bahraini activist sent into exile after her father was beaten and imprisoned” - what the hell is this about? “SENT”, Maryam left Bahrain before her father was arrested and did so of her own volition, now that is a well known and extremely well documented fact. So why the need for this misrepresentation, this minor exaggeration; was it to create sympathy and credibility for this self-declared activist, who in Bahrain has none.
In Bahrain it is also a well-known fact that there were only a handful of people, a few with placards, protesting Kim’s visit. NO tear gas was used to move the protesters on, only two sound bangers, and NO riot ensued. They went on their way declaring loudly in Arabic “God is Great”. How do I know this to be the truth, have a look at my short video for unlike Mark Fisher, I was there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TS4GBIRl7F4
Videos that show people pushing and shoving with girls screaming in the background that is footage from the time when the celebrity star actually arrived sometime later. I tried to record that too but got crushed by the rush or rather rugby scrum that occurred as a result of the fervor of her adoring young fans. Incidentally I am no fan of Kim’s but the people I took are. Her visit at least did expose for me the generation gap between my charges and myself but then I remembered my first pop concert, how I had behaved, this was no different.
So where did the reports of “people” other than this handful objecting to Kims’ visit and of riots and tear gas emanate from? Look no further than AP and Reuters, via their local proxies here in Bahrain. Journalists of merit, sadly no, read this blog of mine written but a short time ago.
http://fredwillie.newsvine.com/_news/2012/11/13/15139829-ap-reporter-playing-a-dirty-game-agent-provocateur
It is still relevant; take a good news story and spin it into a negative but for them, positive story, all part of a dirty game being played at Bahrain’s expense. What I find disturbing is that there are journalists from renowned media outlets whom seem willing to join in.
As to the mention of the doctors and their trial, regardless of the fact that they were most probably abused and mistreated while in custody, they were never on trial for simply attending injured protesters. To say otherwise is a complete fabrication of the truth. Bahrain has over ten thousand people employed in its free health service of which the charged medics were just a very small part; most of those 10,000 plus were also involved in the maintenance and provision of health care during the period of February through March 2011 including the treatment of injured rioters. They are not in court however, why is that? Simple, they did not commit criminal offenses or politicize medical services, as did those on trial amongst other things, a fact even recognized by the much-flaunted BICI report. As a witness to the events leading up to and resulting in the arrest of those medics, I, along with around another million independent witnesses, find it hard to give credibility to those that believe or claim them to be innocent. I also have videos from the hospital while occupied by the medics; I do not rely on wild claims or hearsay.
In a response to the Washington Post and that article written by Elisa Massimino, Bahrains intolerable status quo (December 3rd, 2012), the IAA (Information Affairs Authority) stated that they found the article to be skewed and an unreliable account of the current situation in Bahrain.
Quote from the IAA; " as the author only attended 1 out of the 15 court sessions in which the case of the medics was deliberated, it would be difficult to judge the judiciary process basing it solely on the final hearing. Let me make it clear what that the courts provided for the rights of the accused; gave them full access to their attorneys; considered all memoranda presented by their defense attorneys; and heard witnesses, including all documents and requests submitted by the defense attorneys. Additionally, the court session was attended by various local, regional and international rights organizations to ensure the transparency of the hearing.
It must be understood that the defendants were being tried for criminal charges stipulated by the law, breaching international laws and conventions, and exploiting the prevalent state of unrest at a time where their profession was most needed. These violations were thoroughly documented in the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry report (paras 833, 834, 837, 847). Nonetheless, all the defendants have the right to appeal.
At a time of severe unrest where medical attention was of utmost necessity, many citizens were denied healthcare from the largest hospital facility in the country. This injustice dealt to the majority of citizens should not be overlooked.
The fact that one of the defendants violated the standard judiciary decorum in expressing his grievances should not be a reflection of the Governments attitude towards any allegations of torture. These complaints are being tried as a separate case. The establishment of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) in the Public Prosecution - which to date has investigated over a hundred cases of mistreatment - has prosecuted 11 security personnel, up to the rank of Lt. Colonel. The SIU continues to encourage citizens to come forward with their complaints."
I wonder if the Washington Post reported that?
Trial by the media is a phrase often bandied about, however Bahrain was never given a trial, it was declared guilty by virtue of being declared prematurely the next state to fall after Egypt by vultures posing as reporters, looking for a headline as they rolled across the Middle East in the spring of 2011. Bahrain was bruised by that experience but it is still here and now no amount of interference from the US or the Europeans will change that. Be it through media hype or from insider undercover assisted politically motivated activists and their supporting NGOs. The game is up; the ordinary people of Bahrain have had enough. Today it was even reported in a local newspaper that the American Ambassador Thomas C Krajeski had denied claims of his intervention in the internal affairs of the Kingdom, when responding to claims by parliamentarians represented by MP Ahmed Al Saati. Mr. Saati had stated that citizens were disappointed at the ambassador’s diplomatic interference in the internal affairs of Bahrain.
http://www.dt.bh/newsdetails.php?key=301110213450&newsid=031212172739
Now I wonder if this was also reported in the Washington Post?
To conclude I address this remark to Max Fisher. Mr. Fisher if you want to spin a headline about Bahrain make sure of your facts and before aligning yourself with any single faction remember that the supposed duty of a journalist is to further the truth and provide a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. Your blog entry “Why people are so upset about Kim Kardashian’s odd visit to Bahrain” failed on all counts. Bahrain is nor perfect by a long chalk but then is the USA, I wonder if you have ever read this article and given it some thought.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/americas-deplorable-human-rights-record/5310556
America’s Deplorable Human Rights Record By Stephen Lendman