Saturday, May 11, 2013

Harvard' Nieman Foundation and King of Bahrain

From Ibn Rushd: " 
It's mission statement says that "Since its inception, the mission of the Harvard Nieman Foundation for Journalism has been “to promote and elevate the standards of journalism and educate persons deemed specially qualified for journalism.”
 
Check out this profile and interview of the King of Bahrain, a shining example of high journalistic standards indeed... a scandal by any other name!
 

 
 
 
Highlights:
 
"Since then, he has expanded the rights of women, modernized his country, and established Bahrain as a financial center in the region
 
(...)
 
The Al Khalifa royal family has held power in Bahrain for over 200 years. Until the uprisings, the Kingdom had been seen as a model country in the region "
 
(...)
 
Bahrain is a constitutional monarchy. In my first speech in Parliament, I said it is not me alone taking decisions. This is the people and I together.
 
(...)
 
Q - There have been complaints by some protesters that there are too many members of the royal al Khalifa family in key positions.

A - We don’t have aristocracy in Bahrain; we are all commoners. (...) Actually, any member of the al Khalifa family has to prove every day that they are hard working, because they are from the royal family.
 
(...) The government is an executive branch, and it doesn't matter if your family name is al Khalifa or not, you will have to answer to the Parliament, meaning the people. It is similar to the U.S
 
(...)
 
We have great respect for the U.S. because [it is] our biggest ally, and it is still doing more good to the development of the region than harm. We welcomed the U.S. Fifth Fleet presence in Bahrain at a time when all the other countries in the region were against it. And our F-16 pilots were side-by-side with the U.S. Air Force during the liberation of Kuwait.
 
(...)
 
Women participate in the Cabinet, the Parliament, business, politics, commerce and NGOs. They are competing so well that they are even doing better than their male colleagues in some sectors.
 
(...)
 
we have confirmed our path to reform, as progressive members of or regional community, the GCC"