BrydonN

If Reuters wants to report on Bahrain’s security policies, it should also report on the decades of Iranian-backed militant activity, attempted coups, bombings and assassinations that Bahrain has faced. Here are some facts: 1981 – Attempted coup: Bahrain announced the dismantling of an Iranian-backed coup plot involving the Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain, an organisation headquartered in Tehran. The alleged plan involved assassinating Bahraini officials and overthrowing the government. 1990s – Armed unrest: Bahrain experienced a period of violent unrest involving arson, petrol bombs and improvised explosive devices. The violence claimed 24 lives by March 1996, including three police officers. A firebombing of a restaurant in Sitra killed seven Bangladeshi workers. Not every incident was attributed to an Iranian-backed organisation, but this history cannot simply be erased. 2012–2013 – Emergence of armed cells: A new generation of militant organisations emerged, including Saraya al-Ashtar, Saraya al-Mukhtar and other groups operating under different names. 2013–2015 – A documented bombing campaign: Research by the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point documented 23 bombing attacks by militant networks, killing 14 security-force personnel and wounding 25. March 2014 – Daih bombing: Three police officers, including a UAE officer, were killed in a sophisticated bombing claimed by Saraya al-Ashtar. 2017 – Assassination of a police officer: Saraya al-Ashtar shot and killed another Bahraini police officer. 2018 – International terrorist designation: The United States formally designated Saraya al-Ashtar as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The US State Department documented Iranian funding, weapons, explosives, IRGC-linked training and the group’s declared loyalty to Tehran. 2020 – Another terrorist designation: The US designated Saraya al-Mukhtar as a terrorist organisation, identifying its financial and logistical links to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. 2024 – Continued international action: The United States and Bahrain jointly targeted additional Iran-based operatives and a financial facilitator linked to Saraya al-Ashtar. These are not simply allegations made by Bahrain’s government. They are documented in research by West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center and official US government terrorist designations. Now, let’s be absolutely clear: being Shia does not make someone an Iranian agent, and religious belief must never be confused with criminal conduct. Every individual accused of a crime deserves a fair trial, and allegations of torture or due-process violations deserve proper investigation. But the opposite is equally true: being a religious cleric does not place anyone above the law, and allegations of foreign interference cannot be dismissed simply because the accused are religious figures. The question Reuters should be asking is not merely whether Bahrain’s security measures affect its Shia community. It should also be asking why a country that has experienced attempted coups, Iranian-backed armed networks, dozens of bombings and the deaths of its security personnel is expected to confront these threats without being allowed to explain their history. Bahrain’s Shia citizens are not the enemy. Iranian-backed militant organisations are a separate matter. Confusing the two is as irresponsible as ignoring the documented history of violence altogether. Journalism requires context, not selective memory.