An interview with Rodney Shakespeare, Chairman of the Committee Against Torture in Bahrain, from London.
Verses from the Holy Quran
The destruction of a Bahraini mosque and the subsequent burning of the Quran by the invading Saudi military, will show the world that the US exercises a double standard on democracy when dealing with Arab states, an expert maintains
Washington has encouraged the Bahraini government to murder its own citizens as evidenced by a statement by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, which invites foreign intruders into the country to manage domestic issues, says the Chairman of the Committee Against Torture in Bahrain, Rodney Shakespeare, in an interview with Press TV.
The following is a transcript of the interview, in which Shakespeare elaborates on the US hypocrisy of representing democracy, while hiding media reports about the horror inflicted on the Bahraini people by the country’s regime.
Press TV: Thank you so much for joining us, Professor Shakespeare. As the days go on, we get more and more stories and reports — although it is difficult getting news out of Bahrain but it’s still coming out — about a deteriorating situation and more people getting detained, tortured, missing…and yet, it’s not on the level as far as the international news channels — the regular standard news channels (are concerned, which are) basically saying very little about what is happening.
You were the chairman Against Torture in Bahrain; what can be done, first of all, to get the word out? And what can be done to stop what is happening on the ground in Bahrain?
Shakespeare: I think what would get out now, because in destroying a mosque — and the Quran says that the Mosque is the home of Allah — the Saudis (have) not just dishonored themselves. They have dishonored Islam. And for that, they will not be forgiven.
Of course, it could be said that the Saudis are mere tin-pot tyrants that are worth nothing more than that two-cent American pastor, who burnt a Quran. But at least that two-cent pastor has the excuse that he is stupid. But it’s the Saudi government which has deliberately ordered the burning. That government claims to be the guardian of Islam’s holy places of Mecca and Medina.
They have committed an outrage. So, the answer to your question is that even though the atrocities in Bahrain are being censored, particularly by the American media, this act, I think at the very least, will rapidly go out throughout Islam.
Press TV: Do you think that the Americans will back off? Can they afford to back off when looking at the situation in Bahrain?
Shakespeare: The Americans have declared that they stand for fascism and they will implement fascism. And I believe that they ordered the atrocities that are now going on in Bahrain. And my evidence is the statement of Hillary Clinton, who said that Bahrain had the right to invite in foreign soldiers to do the dirty deeds and killings in Bahrain. Now the meaning of that is that any government has the right to bring in foreign soldiers to kill their own population. And, of course, it means that the American government has the right to use its own troops to kill its own population.
And, of course, everybody knows that the economic circumstances of the United States are getting worse. And by the end of the year, there will be vast droughts and troubles in the United States, and no doubt the fascist government will be killing them.
You see, America has taken a stand for the fascist solution. It has taken a stand for the completely totalitarian solution; the one which, of course, is now is being implemented by Saudi Arabia, which cannot even tolerate the thought of its fellow Muslims.
So America has put itself into a position which is completely contradictory to the idea of democracy. Although at the moment they are hiding this, the government of America is telling the television organizations not to mention Bahrain. But if Bahrain’s information gets out, and today’s information gets out, people will be enraged. It is completely contradictory to the American position on democracy. They are caught on this.
Perhaps I’m afraid the atrocities will go on. But the Americans are caught, and if they want to wonder why they are hated now throughout the world it’s because they stand for fascism. And they are implementing fascism, and they can’t get away from that charge.
Press TV: Professor Shakespeare, with what you’re saying, how likely is this to totally backfire on the United States itself that, as you had talked about a little bit, more and more people are becoming dissatisfied there? And we’re seeing demonstrations now in Wisconsin and other places.
Now, with the situation in Bahrain…On the one hand, in other countries they’re saying they stand for democracy; but in Bahrain, of course, the situation is different and they don’t even want the story out. How likely is that to affect [the US] even at home if this hypocrisy really becomes known to the American people?
Shakespeare: Well, I hope that there is a brave journalist, preferably American, who went to a press conference where Hillary Clinton is staying, and he would simply say “do you stand for democracy in Bahrain?” They, of course, will throw him out like Helen Thompson. They’d probably bar him from the press association in America or something. But that man would be honored because he would be part of the process of getting out the truth.
We’ve got to crack through the shutdown of the American media to the American public. And the other way that everyone can do (that), who is watching this program, is to send an email to their foreign office. Whatever country they are in, get on that internet and write an email saying exactly what they think and (their) input on the issue.
If America stands for democracy then why is it behaving like a fascist goon and ordering the atrocities in Bahrain? Let that be put to Hillary Clinton. The straight statement that you ordered the atrocities in Bahrain; you’ve got 4,500 troops there and you cannot turn around and say it happened without your knowledge, without your permission, without your order. Let her try and deny it.
Press TV: The Americans will have to yield. But let’s look at it from the economic aspects of the situation in Bahrain, that in Bahrain it has become one of the [financial] hubs of the Middle East. Will the United States yield to that? Will they allow this regime to just fall?
Shakespeare: As regards Bahrain, what was decided is ultimately, I think, the pressure on the logical contradiction between America claiming to be democratic and the awful reality that it is part of a ghoulish, totalitarian, fascist, suppression of the very brave Bahraini people.
As regards the Bahraini economy, it will go down the tube. And let the king – he’s not a king, he’s just a nasty sadist, who doesn’t stand for all the people – let the monarchy take this message on board: they are dishonored, they have destroyed their country and they are destroying their economy because nobody in their right mind is going to trade with Bahrain or go on holiday in Bahrain.
But, unfortunately, it will take some time for that economy to completely run down for the Bahrain monarchy to wake up to what they’ve done. They have wrecked Bahrain. And, believe you me, as regards the verdict of history, they will go down in history as scum.
Press TV: Do you think that the United States will reach that position that they will see that they are totally unsuccessful in supporting the dictators, so they will actually put pressure on these propped up leaders to try to loosen up things in their country in order to stay in power, and will they be able to do that?
Have the people in the region awakened enough that they will no longer allow any type of dictator or any type of leader propped up for them?
Shakespeare: First of all, as regards America, if it had an iota of sense, it would get in touch with what is a great movement in history and it would turn straight away round against these ghastly dictators and these torturers and it would go, immediately, for a democratic revolution.
That must be the message to the United States: your interests are no longer being served by the policy you are following; you have backed yourself into a corner, and in due course, your policy is going to collapse and you will be thrown out of the Middle East; and even though you’ve got all the atom bombs in the world, they’re all going to turn on you in one way or another.
At the same time, we are seeing clearly a strong democratic achievement in the people who are being very, very moderate and showing themselves as wanting a straight forward democracy.
I say to the people of the Middle East carry on; you’re very, very brave; you’re putting your lives on the line. You are a part of history and the American government, as of this moment, is part of the past history and it’s no longer serving its own interests. It’s not even serving the national interest of the United States where its economy is going down the tube. Wake up, United States, and get on the right side of history.
GMA/TG/GHN
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