The English version of the Arabic letter. I must say that English.. or at least my english killed it!Dear Crown Prince, Prince Salman bin Hamad,
Greetings and salam. Given that the world is beset by crises, I doubt that you have the time for a lengthy introduction. I will therefore directly jump to the core of what I’m here to say.
I have chosen to write to nobody from Al-Khalifa but you. You are a Bahraini young man and it is commonly assumed that it is easier for youth to understand each other.
I am 25 year old. I am the daughter of a man who, at some point of time, was detained and tortured in one of Bahrain’s political jails. I am also the daughter of a woman who suffered a lot because she loved my father, although he belonged to the “other sector”. She was determined to pursue the journey with him despite all obstacles.
I was born in Doha, because my father was not welcomed in his homeland at the time. We came back to Bahrain when I was eight years old. I remember very well how he struggled to provide my sister and myself with a normal childhood, while mum remained in Doha for a while to support my father financially while he was seeking a job.
In spite of the plight my family faced, I excelled in my studies all the way to high school and received a scholarship to New Zealand (“at the expense of the state” as you like to put it!). I graduated with first degree honours. And today, thanks to God, I own a car, we have a house to live in, and I have quite a good job. My salary allows me to have meals in the restaurants of five-star hotels with my friends. Many of my friends live a life of the same level, maybe slightly less, or much better.
Perhaps you are wondering: “What more do you guys want”?
Your highness, hold on a second, please. My gang isn’t the perfect sample. Did I mention to you that others do not have a car? And in some cases, not even a job? Did I mention that the job of some is actually to “clean cars”?
Sad, isn’t it?
All of us, regardless of where we live or which sector we belong to, and regardless of our living standards, we all feel that something is painfully missing. After all, life isn’t about a shopping trip in City Center nor is it about a night we spend wandering in the streets of Adliya. There are things that are way more important to the preservation of our mental health than a job or a car.
We want and need a country that is capable of embracing us. A country that believes that we are a rational nation and that we are the source of its legitimacy. A country that recognizes our rights as its duty. We want a country in which qualifications come first. We want a country to which we can contribute more freely.
Does it seem extravagant to your highness that we stood on the Pearl Roundabout demanding reforms?
Can the legitimacy of our demands be questioned?
Do you, your highness, really not feel the anger and disappointment some of us feel because others who are not as qualified and competent get the job merely because of their last name? Boy, is it pure injustice!
Those youth you chose to remove violently from the roundabout, and those you chose to torture and pass the death sentence on, are your partners in this country. They LOVE Bahrain, for better or worse. They know very well their responsibility towards it, towards its unity and its prosperity. Aside from the slogan that called for the regime to fall, weren’t the other demands obvious and necessary in an era where there is no room for procrastination and change is the buzz word?
Your highness, believe me when I say that we, the youth of Bahrain, both Sunni and Shiite, are exceptionally amazing. The royal family should really consider us an investment upon which it can build a bright future for this nation. We deserve an environment in which we are allowed to blossom, and in which we can freely express our opinion. We should be granted all the social, political and economic conditions to back us up. We sure deserve a decent life. We sure do not deserve to be killed and buried!
We feel wounded. You took away the youth’s most fundamental right. That is, their right to live. Our desire for freedom, dignity and change has sharpened. We will not surrender. There is no way we will accept to go back in time to the dark days of repression, oppression and injustice. We are a generation that persistently clings. We will fight tooth and claw to see our dream turning into reality.
p.s. BTV has been offering us one hell of a comedy show! It no longer bothers me that it lies. I am only bothered that I won’t be able to believe it again.
God save our Bahrain and its people from all evil.
Peace be upon you. I thank you for your time.
With all sincerity to Bahrain,
Safeya Al-Alawi
