<nettime> Bahrain To Expel "Different Culture" Bangladeshis

["Naeem Mohaiemen" <naeem.mohaiemen@gmail.com>]

Oh here we go, here we go

"Bangladeshis seem to have a culture different even from other Asian
expatriates, which we find hard to adjust to...They are involved in
murders, robberies, drugs and prostitution, which is a threat to
social security in Bahrain"

Substitute Black/Asian for Bangladeshi and I can hear George
Wallace/Enoch Powell screaming


Bahrain government urged to stop hiring Bangladeshis
http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/08/05/26/10216119.html
05/26/2008 11:50 PM |
By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief

Manama: Decisions on hiring of Bangladeshi workers would have to be
made by various official bodies, said a labour official as pressure
mounted on the Bahraini government to halt the hiring of Bangladeshis.

Several Bahrainis, including journalists and a parliamentary bloc,
have called upon the authorities not to allow Bangladeshis to work in
the kingdom following the murder of a 38-year-old Bahraini at a garage
on Friday.

Mohammad Hassan Al Dossary, a father of three daughters, was killed
by Bangladeshi worker Mohammad, also a father of two daughters living
with their mother in their native village, following an argument.

The mechanic allegedly attacked Al Dossary using a grinder before
fleeing the scene, according to his sponsor, to hide in a mosque
several kilometres away before he was arrested.

The murder revived calls made last year to take stringent measures
against Bangladeshis following the killing of a Bahraini woman by her
cook.

Monitoring 

"Such a decision is not just about cancelling work permits by the
Labour Ministry, but involves several other government bodies.
There is a close monitoring of all events that helps understand
the general orientation of the labourers and their adaptation to
the character of the Bahraini society," Jameel Al Humaidan, Labour
Ministry Undersecretary, said yesterday.

Al Asala, the second largest parliamentary bloc, called for a
timetable to deport Bangladeshis, saying that they represented a
threat to social peace and stability.

"We are shocked by the number and frequency of the murders and crimes
perpetrated by this community, and the government should act promptly
to deport those who are now in Bahrain and to stop issuing any new
permits," Al Asala said.

"We will soon submit a motion to the parliament to force the
government to end the hiring of Bangladeshis because of their
aggressive and tense character," the Islamist bloc said.

Several columnists called for the "immediate and irrevocable"
deportation of Bangladeshis, warning that failure to take action would
mean more hostile behaviour.

However, the head of Al Meethaq Society, Ahmad Juma, rejected the
calls, saying that Bangladesh should not be punished for the crimes by
some of its citizens.

Bahraini blogger calls for ban on all Bangladeshis after horrible murder
http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/08/05/25/10215875.html
05/24/2008 11:09 PM |
By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief

Manama: Bahrainis on Saturday called for a ban on the hiring of
Bangladeshi workers, hours after the gruesome murder of a Bahraini
father of three.

"We have noticed that most of the crimes in this country are
perpetrated by people coming from Bangladesh, and the wise thing to do
is to stop bringing them to Bahrain," a Bahraini blogger wrote on a
website.

"We should have no mercy for the killer and ban other Bangladeshis
from coming here out of fear of what they might do to us, exactly what
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait did at one time."

Similar calls against Bangladeshi labourers were made last year
following the murder of Sana Al Jalahma, a Bahraini woman, by her
29-year-old Bangladeshi cook. The cook, angered by Al Jalahma's
remarks, waited hours for her return home to kill her. The murderer
was sentenced to death.

However, political activist Ahmad Juma said while the calls to ban
Bangladeshis were understandable because of the grisly character of
the murder, a nation cannot be punished for the acts of some citizens.

"We sympathise with the family and friends of the victim, but we
cannot simply say that no Bangladeshi should be allowed in Bahrain
because of this. The criminal should be punished, but the country did
nothing wrong," he told Gulf News.

Bahraini Mohammad Hassan Eisa Al Dossary was killed on Friday morning
when a Bangladeshi mechanic attacked him with a grinder. Al Dossary,
father of three daughters, wanted the mechanic to do some welding work
on his car, but the two disagreed over the fee. Witnesses said their
argument was over 500 fils (Dh5).

The mechanic fled the garage in Hamad Town, 20 kilometres south of
Manama, but was eventually arrested after he called his sponsor who
alerted the police and guided them to his hideout.

Bahrain is home to about 70,000 Bangladeshis.

Ban on workers 'will spell misery'
By Begena P Pradeep
Published: 26th May 2008
Gulf Daily News ? Bahrain
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=218474&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=31067

ALL Bangladeshis could be expelled from Bahrain by the end of this
year if a proposal by a group of local MPs is approved by parliament,
it emerged yesterday.

The proposal by Al Asala bloc follows the death of a Bahraini who was
killed in an attack after an argument with a Bangladeshi mechanic at a
workshop in Suq Waqif, Hamad Town on Friday.

The worker demanded BD1.500 for welding machine repairs, but Bahraini
Mohammed Jassim Dossary insisted on paying BD1, sources told the GDN.

Following a heated exchange, the worker attacked him with a grinder.

Mr Dossary reportedly lay bleeding on the road for some time before he
was helped.

He was declared dead at BDF Hospital where he was rushed with severe
neck injuries.

The man has been arrested and detained for seven days pending further
investigation and medical, technical and police reports, the Public
Prosecution said.

He is charged with premeditated crime and will stand trial after the
investigations are over.

The seven-member bloc plans to submit the proposal to parliament when
it reopens in October after the summer break.

They will set a timeframe to expel all Bangladeshi workers, currently
said to be around 90,000 in Bahrain, and stop the recruitment of new
ones.

"It has been observed that people from the Bangladesh community are
involved in many ugly crimes and murders," bloc member Abdulhaleem
Abdulla Ahmed Murad told the GDN.

"We don't want to live with people of such criminal nature. We have
been receiving many complaints and requests from Bahrainis to get rid
of Bangladeshis from their neighbourhood.

"They were worried for their lives and families.

"Now after the murder of the Bahraini, our people who live in areas
that are mostly populated by Bangladeshis are afraid even to step out
of their homes.


"Why should we live our lives like mice in our own country because of
foreigners?

"Bangladeshis seem to have a culture different even from other Asian
expatriates, which we find hard to adjust to.

"They are involved in murders, robberies, drugs and prostitution,
which is a threat to social security in Bahrain.

"It is not possible to deport all Bangladeshis from Bahrain at once.

"So we will set a timeframe within which they should be sent home and
all the while, no new Bangladeshi should be allowed into Bahrain.

"We are not against a particular group and not saying that all
Bangladeshis are bad people.

"But this is their general nature and we don't know who is good or who
is bad.

"If you look at the crime records of the past two years, Bangladeshis
are the ones who have committed the most shocking and gruesome crimes.

"We don't want to risk any more of our people's lives and this
decision is in the best interest of Bahrain.

"We need some time to study the after-effects of our proposal and
need to discuss the issue with Bahrain's Labour Ministry and Interior
Ministry.

"Then the proposal will be submitted to the parliament when it reopens
after summer."

Mr Murad pointed out that Kuwait and Saudi Arabia were successful in
banning Bangladeshis from their countries and that Bahrain should
follow suit.

Saudi Arabia's Labour Ministry had clarified in March that the
decision to stop hiring Bangladeshis was in the housing and
agricultural sectors.

This decision was taken because the quota fixed for Bangladeshi
workers in Saudi was over, according to a top Ministry official.

The official's clarification came amid rumours that Saudi had halted
hiring Bangladeshis altogether after media reports pointed to their
involvement in most of the criminal acts.

The Kuwaiti Interior Ministry in May last year said that a decision
to suspend the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers to Kuwait was taken
because of the crimes committed by them.

It has suspended hiring them citing increasing incidences of crimes.

The country had decided to ban Bangladeshi workers in 1999, apparently
because a worker strangled his 90-year-old employer, stole his money
and fled.

They lifted the ban a year later following the signing of a technical
agreement between the two countries.

However, Bangladesh Embassy hopes the Bahrain government would
consider their citizen's murder as a "discrete incident" and "not
punish" the entire Bangladeshi community for one person's misdeed.

"We want Bahrain to consider this unfortunate and sad incident as a
discrete one and hope the government will not choose to ban the entire
community for one person's crime," embassy first secretary Ibrahim
Muhammad told the GDN.

"There are more than 90,000 Bangladeshis living in Bahrain and
everyone should not be punished for the actions of one person.

"We fully acknowledge that many of our citizens are engaged in
various crimes which is frustrating for us and we plan to organise a
motivational campaign.

"We will educate the people to report any of their problems to the
concerned authorities instead of taking the law into their own hands
even if they get desperate.

"Bangladeshis represent the second largest expatriate community in
Bahrain.

"They are working here as engineers, policemen and other security
personnel, doctors, teachers, financial experts, accountants, business
management officials, hotel management staff, chefs and service staff,
salesman, bakers, mechanics, plumbers, masons, carpenters, tailors,
hairdressers, construction workers, cleaners, drivers, and domestic
aides.

"Bangladeshis own or run about 200 grocery shops or cold stores,
Internet call centres, small restaurants and saloons centred in
Manama, Muharraq, Hamad Town and East Riffa."

Mr Muhammad also pointed out that Dhaka has not yet lifted a ban on
their housemaids from travelling abroad to any country in 1998 to
protect them from abusive employers, though the policy was implemented
in Bahrain in 2004.

Embassy Charge d'Affaires Saiful Islam expressed his sincere sympathy
and condolence to the family members, relatives and friends of the
murdered Bahraini.

"The news has shocked and saddened me and the Bangladeshi community in
Bahrain," said Mr Islam.

"There is no doubt that this sad event has created a very disturbing
situation for the Bahrain government, its citizens and for us, the
Bangladesh government and the Bangladeshis living here.

"I know that my condolences cannot relieve the pain in the minds of
the bereaved family members, friends and relatives of the victim, but
I can assure that the Bangladesh government would like to see the
perpetrator of the crime dealt with according to law.

"Our government has also expressed shock and sadness at the news of
the death.

"They convey their heartfelt sympathy to the members of the victim's
family.


"We hope that bilateral relation with Bahrain would not be affected as
a consequence of this incident.

"We assure all assistance in the trial process of the suspect. "We,
the Bangladeshis, are thinking of them in their sorrow and they have
our sincere condolences."

begena@gdn.com.bh <begena%40gdn.com.bh>






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