My research has led me to look at an even wider amount of issues in Bahrain concerning its government. Not only have I learned about the Internet Censorship but also censorship of literature, writers, poets, and activists. One of the most positive things I've seen about this country is its people. The people of Bahrain are willing to stand up to their oppressive government and combat them no matter what is thrown at them. People are jailed, exiled, and tortured for protesting but they still do every year on the anniversary of the 1st (February 14th, 2011).
There are certain ways to bypass the cyber attacks and spying the government of Bahrain issues. Services/tools like Tor, Orbot, and VPNS are recommended sources to use in order to be anonymous on your computer and mobile devices. Be wary, as VPN has been able to be blocked in certain cases in China.
Methods that are commonly sued to censor the internet include: URL filtering, TCP Connection, Resets/Forged TCP Resets, Man-in-the-middle (MITM) Attack, Packet Filtering, DNS Filtering and Redirection, and IP Blocking. A more detailed look at these programs and the possible ways to be censored on the internet is available here: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-bypass-internet-censorship/ Protests mark fourth anniversary of Bahrain uprisingProtests come after the opposition group February 14 Coalition urged demonstrations and strikes across the tiny kingdom. Hundreds of people took to the streets of the Bahraini capital, Manama, to mark the fourth anniversary of an uprising that deeply divided the Gulf Arab state.
Police on Saturday fired tear gas and used rubber bullets at the mainly Shia Muslim demonstrators who were calling for political reforms by the ruling Sunni royal family. They also called for the release of the main opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman, who was arrested in December. Protests comes after the opposition group February 14 Coalition, a cyber-youth group, urged demonstrations and strikes across the kingdom under the slogan "Strike of defiance". But the public security chief, Major-General Tariq al-Hassan, warned that even calls to take part in the protests will be treated as a crime, and said people should "stay away from disruptive activities that might affect security or public order". "Action would be taken against those who spread terror among citizens or residents, put the safety of others at risk or try to disrupt the nation's security and stability," Hassan said. Najeeb Rajab, a prominent human rights campaigner in Manama who was recently released after serving two years in prison over charges related to his dissent, told Al Jazeera that hundreds of protesters have been arrested and many others were seriously wounded in a brutal police crackdown that began on Friday. "Every five minutes protesters were shot at by police. We have a lot of people wounded now and we can not take them to hospitals because we are afraid they will be arrested," he said. "Thousands of police have been deployed in the streets. And for the first time i have seen hundreds of armed people in civilian clothes attacking protesters." On the other hand, protesters have also been accused of violence. According to the Associated Press news agency, in largely Shia areas on the capital's outskirts, young activists armed with rocks and gasoline bombs frequently blocked roads and fought police. Uprising crushed Bahrain's Saudi-backed Sunni authorities crushed protests led by its majority Shia shortly after they erupted on February 14, 2011, taking their cue from Arab Spring uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa. Tensions are running high in the kingdom where a sectarian divide is deepening and there is a growing gap between the Sunni minority government and the Island’s Shia majority. The opposition is demanding a "real" constitutional monarchy with an elected prime minister who is independent of the ruling royal family. But the Al-Khalifa dynasty has refused to yield. Shia opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman is behind bars for allegedly trying to overthrow the regime. His arrest on December 28, shortly after he was re-elected head of Bahrain's main opposition party Al-Wefaq, has sparked near-daily protests in Shia villages. Attacks targeting security forces have also increased. "The movement has reached its four years with the situation only getting worse and deteriorating with citizens threatened by losing their nationalities any minute," Al-Wefaq said on Twitter. In October, a court banned Al-Wefaq for three months for violating a law on associations. Bahrain has revoked the citizenships of scores of activists over the past few years, drawing condemnation from rights groups. Source: Al Jazeera and agencies http://www.shiatv.net/video/86a60b3a9974e1fa8fb6
This is a very powerful video of Ayat reading the poem that would have her arrested by the government for its opposing words: Ayat Hassan Mohammed Al-Qurmezi (Arabic: آيات حسن محمد القرمزي (born c. 1991, Sadad, Bahrain) is a poet student at the at the University of Bahrain Teaching Institute in Bahrain & a female activist against the Al Khalifah Dictator Clan. Ayat Al-Qurmezi became famous in Bahrain and internationally after reading out a poem criticising Bahraini government policies to the Pearl Square Roundabout gathering of pro-democracy protesters. After the poem was widely circulated by social media she and her family were subjected to harassment and death threats. She was arrested and detained in conditions of secrecy. Rumours of her death in custody led to protests by Iranian activists. She was subjected to torture while in custody and eventually tried on charges of inciting hatred of the Bahraini regime and insulting members of the royal family. On 1 October 2014, it was announced that Al-Qurmezi was awarded the 2015 Student Peace Prize "for her unwavering struggle for democracy and human rights in Bahrain". "Khalifa" by Ayat al-qurmeziHear me: Hear us all, for we all demand likewise - both sects, all Bahrainis: You must go. Take His Majesty with you, and leave your deeds behind. You, oppressor, from where do you derive your power, the power to keep your people down? - all your people, even women even children even men. Yet you call for "dialogue", even in the midst of your brutality? No! ... No! ... One word: No! One demand: Give us back our Bahrain. Return this country to its people; to us, its people. Our Bahrain is ours. I found it interesting to not only explore censorship concerning internet posts but censorship of political activists and poets in Bahrain. Ali Al Jawali is a Bahrainian poet who fled his country in April of 2014 so as not to be arrested during the crackdown on protests. Ayesha Saldhana interviews Al Jawali about his experience with exile, of which he had previously stated was like, "the slow murder of one’s memories." He said that, "Bahrain is a part of my personality, not just a part of my memories; it is not something outside of me that I can decide to think about more or less." And also, "Your nation is not a piece of land; your nation is your sense of belonging. I still belong to my country." He still feels a connection to his name and see his exile as an opportunity of change, although he still misses his family and friends, he says he will make new friends (he currently lives in Germany). He was also arrested by the state in the 1990's. He talks about how his community often rejected his writing as they considered it pornographic (some of his writing was erotic and others religious) and blasphemous. One comment of his that made me reflect is, "It is difficult for me to have all these enemies. I'm not a hero; I simply have opinions about religion, sex, and politics. But society is made up of people; and patience, time, and an accumulation of knowledge are necessary for society to progress." It is most likely true that people see him as an inspiration in Bahrain as he stays true to his art. He would rather live in a country that supports all of its citizens rights and doesn't oppress them. He acknowledged the fact that it wasn't just writers who were clashing with society as his non-writer friends had problems with it too. He says that he will return to his country one day but a Bahrain that is safer and has more freedom, equality and democracy because of its brave people.
These are the sort of images you would see if you were to view blocked web pages in Bahrain. Images courtesy of Jonathan Stray - http://jonathanstray.com/what-internet-censorship-looks-like-in-qatar-bahrain.
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