Manama, Asharq Al-Awsat – Second Deputy Chairman of Bahrain’s parliament, Sheikh Adel al Ma’awda, described the Iranian criticism of his country as being “nothing more than the Iranian soap opera which the world has become accustomed to.” He also stressed that Bahrain completely rejects any foreign interference in its internal affairs.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Sheikh al Ma’awda said that “if Iran is claiming that its interference [in Bahraini internal affairs] is in support of a component of Bahraini society, then it must be aware that Bahrain is far more concerned than any country about the welfare of its own people, whilst if Iran is aiming to bring justice, it should start with itself, and lift its injustice against its own Shiite population, as well as the Sunnis, and it should be more concerned with fixing its own situation.”
Second Deputy Chairman Adel al-Ma’awda also confirmed that the decisions taken by Bahrain are clear and explicit and aim to impose law and order upon Bahraini society and provide security for the people of Bahrain, as well as achieve stability for the county, which is something that is in everybody’s benefit.
He also told Asharq Al-Awsat that Iran is trying to preoccupy the world with external problems in order to draw attention away from its own internal problems. He stressed that “it is up to the Iranians to fix their situation and the situation being faced by their own citizens, rather than feigning tears for others.” He also stressed that Iran oppresses Arab Shiites in its country merely for being Arab, whilst also oppressing Iran’s Sunni community. He said that Iran’s injustice has expanded to include everybody who is not blindly obedient to Tehran.
Sheikh al Ma’awda also confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that Iran’s expansionist ambitions have been revealed to the world and that this is a policy that has been universally rejected by everybody. He also stated that the situation in Bahrain is an internal Bahraini, and Arab Gulf, affair, and stressed that the Bahraini government has succeeded in imposing law and order, and that the country is moving towards stability.
As for Tehran’s interference in Bahraini internal affairs, the Bahraini Second Deputy Parliamentary Chairman told Asharq Al-Awsat that “if Iran understood the true meaning of Islam…why is there not even one mosque for Sunni Muslims in Tehran, who have a population of around 1 million, whilst there are 35 Jewish temples?”
Sheikh al Ma’awda described the security situation in Bahrain as being calm, saying “I hope that those seeking the truth do not take news from certain websites…rather they should hear the truth from the [television] channels that can be found in the streets and public squares [of Manama]…and see the situation with their own eyes” in a reference to the calm that could be seen on the streets of Manama, following last week’s chaos and unrest.
Sheikh al Ma’awda also praised the support that Bahrain received from the Gulf Cooperation Council [GCC] member-states, and particularly Saudi Arabia, saying that this reflects the unity and cohesion of the GCC.
He told Asharq Al-Awsat that nobody complained when the GCC pledged tens of billions of dollars to Bahrain, and also Oman, and that nobody described this as foreign interference in a country’s affairs, but that “when Saudi Arabia sought to apply the conventions of the GCC agreements by deploying GCC Peninsula Shield Forces to the country, voices that have no connection to the internal affairs in Bahrain came out [to describe this as interference].”