There are protests being held in the streets of Bahrain, leaving some with the unanswered question if Bahrain will be the next to fall. It only took 18 days to topple the 30 year long regime of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, while the demonstrations pushed for more freedom and democracy.
As it seems, the dominoes are lined up and waiting to fall. Some, however, have already have either fallen or are in the process. Much like the scheduled protests in Yemen and Iran, the people are starting to realize that the regimes are in it for themselves only. Collecting all they can, and oppressing the people is what they are all about.
So, what are they demanding in the streets of Bahrain?
- Many Bahraini Shi’ites say they face discrimination in housing, healthcare and access to government jobs, a charge the government denies. Discontent has been expressed in on-and-off unrest since the mid-1990s.
- The introduction of a new constitution and parliamentary elections a decade ago helped quell the Shi’ite unrest, but tensions have risen again in recent years as Shi’ites have been disappointed with the assembly’s limited clout.
- The main Shi’ite opposition group, Wefaq, won all 18 seats it contested in parliamentary elections in October, out of a total of 40. It competes with Sunni Islamist groups and the secular group Waad in parliament.
- The Shi’ite majority want the government to stop granting Sunnis from outside Bahrain citizenship and jobs in the armed forces and national security services to try to change the demographic balance.