“Surely it’s for her to decide who she is?”

Fair enough. Her Danish nationality should not negate her Bahraini identity. But then why do the BCHR and Al-Khawaja deny expat residents our Bahraini identity? Why do they incite attacks against us? I am afraid to go anywhere close to these rallies that these characters manufacture or the road-blocks they erect. How do I explain this fear to my children when I cannot take them to the mall or their art class?

If Al-Khawaja is Danish-Bahraini, then I too am Bangladeshi-Bahraini, Indian-Bahraini, Pakistani-Bahraini, Jordanian-Bahraini, British-Bahraini, American-Bahraini. But her followers call us “foreign mercenaries” who should “get out” because expat men are “sunni-salafi” “killers” and expat women are “prostitutes”. Many of us have settled here for decades, contribute to society and stay out of trouble. Yet, we are not counted as part of the “people” that these so-called human rights claim to represent. Instead, it is a reality of life since last year that expats are brutally beaten by street thugs (the “peaceful, pro-democracy citizens”) who are goaded on by their political and activist leaders.

Before 2011, Al-Khawaja was an unknown character and Nabeel Rajab a mouthpiece for the extremist Haq movement. Now they are international stars. That’s fine. But let’s not pretend that their primary concern is any real commitment to universal human rights or the plight and circumstances of all Bahraini people (expat or national). Why should it be? Their primary goal is political, to embarrass the government. As I said, dig into before 2011 and we’ll see an entirely different picture of who these people really are.

Those who live abroad are lucky to be able to comment under their own names. They are lucky not to worry about the safety of a daughter taunted at school because her nationality happens to be different from the place she likes to call home.

“she’s not even bahraini – she’s a danish citizen”

Leaving aside the fact she’s originally from Bahrain. Surely it’s for her to decide who she is?

“just because she happens to be western-trained, fluent in english, well-dressed, and obviously extremely well-funded, she is all over the western press. but has anyone thought that this might not really represent or be representative of the average bahraini woman?”

Surely this is a much better description, and criticism, of the Bahraini rulers?

“the comment before this has to be from richard sollom”

I’m glad you noticed he posted a comment under his own name.

look at her carefully – i stay in the same neighborhood where she likes to hold rallies – and this lady’s statements, presence and media-profile raise far more questions than her sudden appearance on the world stage answer. of course, the comment before this has to be from richard sollom – he is an al-khawaja devotee, just google the two names together. people like this corrupt the label “human rights activist”.