HABIB TOUMI/GULF NEWS
Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa warned in September 2014 that terrorism would threaten more
lands in the region if no decisive action was taken.
“The scourge of regional terror will spread to our territories, unless we take tough measures to stave off any terrorist spillover,” the Bahraini monarch said during a visit to the Bahrain Defense Force (BDF) General Command Headquarters. “Other brotherly and friendly countries have undertaken crucial measures to protect their national security and stability, including citizenship rights. Such measures are considered an inalienable right of any state.”
A Saudi court sentenced 22 people to jail terms of between two and 27 years in September 2014 on charges that included establishing terror cells, targeting oil pipelines, possessing weapons and planning attacks in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
The latest developments in the region demand both firmness and determination, King Hamad said.
“We are dealing with nonconventional security challenges as one of the extremists groups seeks to subvert our security and stability and to undermine our national unity,” he said.
“There are people and organizations trying to sully Bahrain’s reputation at home and abroad and to harm the national economy. At the same time, there are some young people who are being lured by extremist groups to commit acts of violence and terrorism. We cannot sit idly as young people are losing their lives.”
Confronting terrorism is one of Bahrain’s international commitments, King Hamad added in his address to senior Army officers. “We have expressed in Paris our support for an international alliance against terrorism,” King Hamad said, referring to his meeting in late August 2014 with French President Francois Hollande.
King Hamad also called for taking immediate legal measures that are “necessary against those who incited, financed plots or undermined the nation’s security, stability and national unity or defamed the kingdom’s reputation at home and abroad.”
King Hamad stressed the need to maintain the rule of law and preserve hard-won progress, describing the protection of constitutional accomplishments as a national responsibility, Bahrain News Agency reported.
“Freedom of expression in Bahrain is guaranteed by the constitution, and it is governed by the provisions of the law and the genuine values, morals and ethics of our society,” King Hamad was quoted as saying. The same approach should be adopted toward religious platforms that, despite repeated calls to engage in a moderate religious discourse, are still being exploited, he added.