How Did Bahrain End Up in a Bloody Revolution

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Recommended: Conflict between Shia and Sunni Muslims

Bahrain is a very small place in the Persian Gulf and is made up of small clusters of islands, or geologically is called an archipelago. It has a population of roughly over 1 million people; 1, 248, 348 to be exact. Its capital is known to be Al-Manamah and is ruled through a constitutional monarchy. In the ancient times, Bahrain was an important center of trade, and it was ruled by various groups ranging from the Persians to the Arabs. However, since 1783, it has been ruled by the al-Khalifahs, which hasn’t changed since. It gained full independence from Britain in 1971. Bahrain, just like the other areas in the Persian Gulf, is known to have oil wells; however it has the least in the area. Conflicts between the Sunnis and Shias began as soon as the ruling family started controlling people. The ruling al-Khalifahs were Sunnis, however the majority of the Bahrain were actually Shia, which was one of the reasons of the recurring conflicts in the region since 1994 (infoplease, 2005). The proper question in this case would how Bahrain ended up in a bloody revolution, why it happened, and what state it is in at the moment.
As stated in the opening paragraph, the ruling family exercises their endless powers on the people of Bahrain, who are about 70% Shias. Naruzzaman, 2013, reports that the ruling family has constantly discriminated against their own people in many aspects such as employment especially on government level and religious beliefs. He continues with the following report:
“The percentage of Shiite employment in high-ranking public posts is usually below 20%, the government rarely issues permits to build mosques for the Shiite faith, and Bahrain's 30,000-strong military is made up exclusively of Sunnis. Members of the ro...

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...Makes Arrests Ahead of Uprising Anniversary. Time.Com, 1.
Infoplease. (2005). “Bahrain.” Retrieved from
McEvers, Kelly. (January 2012). “Bahrain: The Revolution That Wasn't.” Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/2012/01/05/144637499/bahrain-the-revolution-that-wasnt
Mohammed Nuruzzaman. (2013) Politics, Economics and Saudi Military Intervention in Bahrain, Journal of Contemporary Asia, 43:2, 363-378
RT News. (February 2014). “Clashes, teargas mark third anniversary of Bahrain uprising.” Retrieved from http://rt.com/news/clashes-anniversary-bahrain-uprising-956/
The New York Times. (February 2014.) “Bahrain: Crackdown on Protesters.” Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/15/world/middleeast/bahrain-crackdown-on-protesters.html
Zunes, S. (2013). Bahrain’s Arrested Revolution. Arab Studies Quarterly, 35(2), 149-164.

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