US embassy cable - 04MANAMA1619

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MANAMA 001619 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, INR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, KDEM, PINR, BA 
SUBJECT: SURVEY OF PARLIAMENTARY BLOCS 
 
Sensitive but unclassified (deliberative process); please 
protect accordingly.  Not for Internet distribution. 
 
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Summary and Introduction 
------------------------ 
 
1.  (SBU) The Council of Representatives (COR - lower house 
of parliament) October 9 opened for its third parliamentary 
session since the adoption of the 2002 constitution.  In the 
absence of political parties, which are still illegal, the 
forty members have formed six blocs based upon common 
interests or common religious views.  These are Al Minbar; Al 
Asala; Al Islamiya; National Democrats; Independents; and the 
newly established Economic Elite.  The blocs are not 
completely rigid and leaders allow the members to offer or 
gain support from other blocs on particular issues.  The 
blocs will occasionally form alliances with one another, but 
none are permanent.  They are pursuing legislation to further 
their political objectives but have made the most headlines 
through their actions on religious and moral issues.  In 
fact, due to ongoing disputes between the parliament, 
government, and opposition political societies outside the 
system regarding constitutional processes for drafting, 
submitting, and passing legislation, very few bills have been 
enacted during the previous two legislative sessions.  Though 
Bahrain's Shia community represents some two-thirds of the 
citizenry, they are underrepresented in the COR because of 
the decision by Al Wifaq, the most popular Shia political 
society, to boycott the 2002 parliamentary elections.  End 
Summary and Introduction. 
 
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Al Minbar:  Relatively Moderate Sunni Islamists 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
2.  (SBU) Al Minbar is Bahrain's Muslim Brotherhood and in 
the Bahraini context the group has developed into a 
relatively moderate, constructive Sunni organization.  It and 
Al Asala, the Sunni Salafi (more conservative) political bloc 
in parliament, often cooperate, particularly on issues 
involving religious affairs and morals.  Al Minbar, with 
seven members, and Al Asala, with five members, comprise 12 
of the 40 deputies in the COR, or 30 percent, and they have 
emerged as the most potent political force in parliament.  Al 
Minbar's primary legislative focus has been on a personal 
status law that is in line with Islamic Sharia but is 
acceptable to all Bahraini citizens, Sunni and Shia alike. 
Al Minbar's chairman, physician Salah Ali, is a prominent 
advocate for the rights of women and children.  Al Minbar has 
drafted a bill on child education and proposed the 
establishment of family counseling centers.  Because of the 
size and internal discipline of the Al Minbar voting bloc, it 
often plays the role of deal maker/breaker in COR decisions. 
 
3.  (SBU)  Chairman Ali's moderate image is in marked 
contrast with Spokesman Shaikh Mohammed Khalid Ibraheem's 
persona.  Ibraheem publicly expresses strongly anti-American 
views and has refused to meet with American officials.  He 
has ties with and vocally supports the six Sunni terror 
suspects and has organized campaigns calling for the release 
of the Bahraini detainees at Guantanamo.  He headed protests 
against satellite television channel MBC's filming the show 
"Big Brother" in Bahrain in February, which led to the 
Minister of Information's decision to close down the 
production. 
 
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Al Asala:  Salafis in the Modern Age 
------------------------------------ 
 
4.  (SBU) The five members of the COR in the Al Asala bloc 
are from the Sunni Salafi offshoot of Islam and adhere to a 
strict literal interpretation of Koranic and Hadith 
scriptures.  Al Asala political bloc is an affiliate of Al 
Tarbiya Al Islamiya (Islamic Education) Charity Society, from 
which it receives funding.  In general, Al Asala does not 
take a confrontational stance towards the GOB.  Al Asala 
President Shaikh Adel Al Moawda told PolFSN that his bloc has 
three main goals:  to increase the standard of living; 
support institutions that will improve political, social and 
economic stability; and enhance financial and administrative 
oversight.  Al Asala has proposed draft legislation to 
establish unemployment insurance, criminalize trafficking in 
persons, and penalize the press for violating individuals' 
privacy. 
 
5.  (SBU) Al Asala's president Al Moawda is poised, western 
educated, speaks excellent English and is willing to discuss 
any issue with EmbOffs.  He spoke out publicly against 
Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram holding a concert in Bahrain in 
late 2003, but told us he was chagrined that his 
outspokenness led to protests and eventually the cancellation 
of the concert.  Although Al Asala takes a conservative 
Islamic stance, Al Moawda has publicly denounced the Taliban 
and Al Qaida, and is in favor of allowing women to drive 
while wearing the veil, a recent development in Bahrain.  An 
emerging member of the bloc whose shyness has kept him out of 
the public eye is attorney Hamad Al Mohannadi, a legal 
technocrat who is focused on amending the COR's bylaws. 
 
 
------------------------------------------ 
Al Islamiya:  Shia, but Not Representative 
------------------------------------------ 
 
6.  (SBU)  An affiliate of the Shia Al Rabita Society, Al 
Islamiya is the sole Shia-only bloc in the COR.  Its seven 
members' main goals are to uphold the teaching of Islamic 
Sharia and to ensure that legislation does not conflict with 
cultural mores and Sharia principles.  The bloc is 
comparatively large in size but diminutive in power, and Al 
Islamiya has been dubbed the "sleeping bloc."  Though 
two-thirds of the citizens of Bahrain are Shia, they are 
underrepresented in parliament because of the boycott of the 
2002 elections led by the largest Shia political society, Al 
Wifaq.  Al Islamiya drafted bills to mandate teaching the 
principles of the major sects of Islam in schools and to 
establish a drug rehabilitation center.  It has been a 
proponent of combating unemployment, offering housing for the 
poor, providing care for the elderly, and empowerment of 
women and children. 
 
7.  (SBU) Chairman Ali Al Samaheji laments that his bloc has 
little public support.  He opposes Al Wifaq's participation 
in the 2006 parliamentary elections, understanding 
(correctly) that neither he nor his colleagues in Al Islamiya 
have much chance of winning races against Al Wifaq candidates. 
 
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The Pro-Government Independents 
------------------------------- 
 
8.  (SBU) Despite its name, the eight-member Independent bloc 
is a pro-government Sunni grouping.  Chairman Abdul Aziz Al 
Mousa and Spokesman Abdulla Al Dosari told us that the bloc's 
main goals are to uphold the teachings of the National Action 
Charter (King Hamad's social contract for democratic reform), 
develop public infrastructure, and expand subsidies for 
housing, water, electricity and health care.  The Independent 
bloc uniformly supports GOB positions.  Its two major draft 
bills concern instituting an airport tax exemption for 
Bahrainis and the controversial political societies law, 
which seeks to regulate the registration and activities of 
political societies (in the absence of legal political 
parties).  Other parliamentary blocs and various sectors of 
society have condemned the draft for its restrictions and 
harsh punishments for violations. 
 
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Truly Democratic 
---------------- 
 
9.  (SBU) The National Democratic bloc has three members who 
always reach a unanimous consensus before moving forward on 
any initiative.  For the past two years it has been the only 
bloc with both Sunni and Shia members, until the recent 
formation of the Economic Elite bloc.  The National 
Democratic bloc is the most liberal, active and outspoken 
parliamentary group.  The members advocate transparency, 
accountability, and continued political and economic reform. 
It has proposed a number of draft bills to facilitate foreign 
direct investment.  It is currently working to establish 
consumer protection regulations and to form a High Council 
for Planning. 
 
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New Guys on the Block 
--------------------- 
 
10.  (SBU) Parliament's newest group is the Economic Elite 
bloc.  Like the Democratic bloc, its members are both Sunni 
and Shia.  Bloc member attorney Fareed Ghazi told EmbOffs 
that the members formed the bloc to ensure the country's 
economic interests are taken into account, especially 
following a number of COR proposals and actions such as the 
Nancy Ajram and "Big Brother" incidents that angered the 
business community and threatened Bahrain's traditional 
atmosphere and reputation for openness and tolerance. 
Chairman Jassim Hassan Abdul A'al said that the bloc will 
work to protect Bahrain's investment climate, with a focus on 
making foreign investors comfortable in the country, and 
counteract the Islamist tendencies of many COR members. 
Member Issa Abu Al Fateh told EmbOffs that he would consider 
an alliance only with the National Democratic bloc, though he 
would support other blocs' proposals when appropriate. 
 
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The Unassociated Members 
------------------------ 
 
11.  (SBU) The six unassociated members are truly independent 
and do not have ties with each other or with any of the 
blocs.  COR Chairman Khalifa Al Dhahrani is an unassociated 
member. 
 
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Parliamentary Bloc Rosters 
-------------------------- 
 
12.  (SBU) Al Minbar Bloc members: Dr. Salah Ali Mohammed, 
Dr. Shaikh Abdul Latif Ahmed Al Shaikh, Dr. Ali Ahmed 
Abdulla, Dr. Saadi Mohammed Abdulla, Abdul Aziz Jalal Al 
Meer, Mohammed Khalid, Hassan Eid Bu Khamas 
 
Al Asala Bloc members: (COR Second Deputy Chairman) Shaikh 
Adel Abdul Rahman Al Moawda, Hamad Al Mohanadi, Ali Mohammed 
Muttar, Dr. Issa Jassim Al Mutawa, Ghanim Fadhel Al Boainain 
 
Al Islamiya Bloc members:  Ali Al Samaheji, Shaikh Abdulla Al 
A'ali, Ahmed Hussain Abbas, Abbas Hassan Salman, Issa Hassan 
bin Rajab, Mohammed Hussain Al Khayat, Mohammed Al Abbas 
 
Independent Bloc members:  Abdul Aziz Abdulla Al Mousa, Ahmed 
Ibraheem Behzad, Ahmed Abdulla Haji, Sami Al Buhairi, Abdulla 
Khalaf Al Dosari, Mohammed Faihan Al Dosari, Mohammed 
Ibraheem Al Kaabi, Yousif Hussain Al Hermi 
 
Democratic Bloc members:  (COR First Deputy Chairman) 
Abdulhadi Marhoon, Abdulnabi Salman, Yousif Zainalabedeen 
Zainal 
 
Economic Elite Bloc members:  Jassim Hassan Abdul A'al, 
Fareed Ghazi Rafee', Othman Mohammed Sharif, Issa Ahmed Abu 
Al Fateh 
 
Unassociated Members:  COR Chairman Khalifa bin Ahmed Al 
Dhahrani, Dr. Ibraheem Al Abdulla, Jassim Al Saeedi, Jehad Bu 
Kamal, Sameer Al Shuwaikh, Jassim Al Mowali 
MONROE