Way to Go Wonderland!

Wonderland.. Oh my Wonderland. How you never cease to amaze me!

In Arabic, we have a saying (Gamat takel e3yalheh), which translates to (And she has started to eat her own children)! Well, cannibalism isn't new to my country, where it's people are gobbled up by the Ogre...and I don't mean Shrek here!

The latest victim is no other than Mahmood, a good friend and blogger, who has a great heart and cares for his country as much as I and all other REAL Bahrainis do.

And by REAL Bahrainis I don't mean people with that red notebook called a passport, because not all those carrying it deserve to have the name of my country on the dotted line which says citizenship.

Citizenship is a sacred honour, a plaque we carry proudly on our chests and a burden pressing hard on our backs. Can we be true citizens and do our country justice if we continue to keep our lips sealed despite all the injustice happening around us?

Banning Mahmood from exercising his right as a citizen and speaking his mind is yet another slap in the face of the citizen who thinks he has rights and can aspire to be a human being in a country which prides itself of being a deMOCKracy. What kind of democracy bans its citizens from exercising their basic human rights? What kind of democracy mocks its citizens and dictates upon them what they shall or shall not read, what they should or should not think and what they could or could not do?

As far as I am concerned, the written word is sacred too and taking away Mahmood's right to express himself and muzzling him shows the deep contempt our authorities have towards all forms of expression. Like children in archaic times, we should only speak when we are allowed to and only say things which are soothing to the ears of the ruling elite. Don't those people have access to modern educational tools? Children should be allowed to interact with their surroundings and express their ideas if they are to grow up to be well-rounded human beings?

And if you insist on treating us like children.. please do so using a modern approach. At least we owe that to our country - a modern thriving bustling booming demoCRAZY!