I care about Bahrain. Bahrain is very dear to me. I will not allow people to play around with our laws.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Bahrain is very dear to me.
May Allah guide us to the good of the kingdom of Bahrain and its loyal people.
Bahrainis are better off than many other Arabs. We have a welfare state, everybody gets a salary whether they have a job or not. Electricity and food are subsidized; school and healthcare are free. And we don't differentiate between Bahrainis and foreigners. We are very proud of that.
The U.S. relationship with Bahrain is obviously more complicated than with Syria and Iran.
Like Syria, the government of Bahrain employs aggressive tactics to censor and monitor its people's online activity.
The Bahraini people are eager to obtain facts to enable them to shape a comprehensive national opinion without division among its people. We confirm to all journalists and media personnel in the kingdom of Bahrain that their freedom is preserved and their rights are safeguarded.
There are no 'political prisoners' as such in Bahrain. People are not arrested because they express their views, we only have criminals.
In a sense there is no 'opposition' in Bahrain, as the phrase implies one unified block with the same views. Such a phrase is not in our constitution, unlike say the United Kingdom. We only have people with different views and that's ok.
Sectarian divide has created a schism in our society that is a major challenge. As monarch of all Bahrainis, it pains me to see many harmed by the actions of a few. And yet I am optimistic and have faith in our people. We all realize that now is the time to strike a balance between stability and gradual reform.
The decision to open up Bahrain to embrace all people indiscriminately was fostered in me ever since I was a child.