The Al Bander report refers to a political conspiracy by government officials in
Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
to foment
sectarian strife
Sectarian violence and/or sectarian strife is a form of communal violence which is inspired by sectarianism, that is, discrimination, hatred or prejudice between different sects of a particular mode of an ideology or different sects of a religion ...
and marginalize the majority
Shia
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his S ...
community in the country. The conspiracy was led and financed by
Ahmed bin Ateyatalla Al Khalifa
Ahmad ( ar, أحمد, ʾAḥmad) is an Arabic male given name common in most parts of the Muslim world. Other spellings of the name include Ahmed and Ahmet.
Etymology
The word derives from the root (ḥ-m-d), from the Arabic (), from the ve ...
, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and head of the Civil Informatics Organization and member of the
Al Khalifa
The House of Khalifa ( ar, آل خليفة, translit=Āl Khalīfah) is the ruling family of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Al Khalifas profess Sunni Islam and belong to the Anizah tribe, some members of this tribe joined the Utub alliance which m ...
royal family. The allegations were revealed in September 2006, in a 240-page document produced by the
Gulf Centre for Democratic Development
The Gulf Centre for Democratic Development (GCDD) is a training, information, and advocacy institution dedicated to promoting and nurturing democratic values in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries as defined in the International Bill of ...
, and authored by
Salah Al Bandar
Dr Salah Al Bander (also ''Al Bandar'', born 1955) is a British citizen of Sudanese origin known for his role in revealing the Bandargate scandal in Bahrain. Al Bander had been working as a strategic planning adviser to the Royal Court of Bahra ...
, an adviser to the Cabinet Affairs Ministry. Following the distribution of the report, Bahraini police forcibly deported Al Bandar to the United Kingdom, where he holds citizenship.
According to Al Bander, the Minister in Bahrain paid five main operatives a total of more than $2.7 million to run:
* a secret intelligence cell spying on
Shi’a
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, mos ...
s
* ‘
GONGO A government-organized non-governmental organization (GONGO) is a non-governmental organization that was set up or sponsored by a government in order to further its political interests and mimic the civic groups and civil society at home, or promote ...
s’ – government operated bogus NGOs like the ‘Bahraini Jurists Society’ and the ‘
Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society
The Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society ( ar, جمعية مراقبة حقوق الإنسان البحرينية) is a Bahraini human rights organization established in November 2004 which claims to protect housemaids, and to fight for women's ri ...
’
* internet forums and websites that foment sectarian hatred
* subsidisation of ‘new converts’ from
Shia Islam
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, m ...
to
Sunni
Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...
sm
* payments for election rigging
Individuals accused in the Bandargate report
See also
*
Human rights in Bahrain
Bahrains record on human rights has been described by Human Rights Watch as "dismal", and having "deteriorated sharply in the latter half of 2010". Their subsequent report in 2020 noted that the human rights situation in the country had not impro ...
*
Ahmed Al-Fateh
References
300 protesters in Bahrain demand investigation into alleged conspiracy to rig elections International Herald Tribune, 17 November 2006
Report Cites Bid by Sunnis in Bahrain to Rig Elections ''The New York Times'', 2 October 2006
''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'', 2 October 2006
Allegations of treason, vote-rigging warn of sectarian strife ahead of Bahrain elections International Herald Tribune, 2 October 2006
« Bandargate » et tensions confessionnelles Alain Gresh,
Le Monde diplomatique
''Le Monde diplomatique'' (meaning "The Diplomatic World" in French) is a French monthly newspaper offering analysis and opinion on politics, culture, and current affairs.
The publication is owned by Le Monde diplomatique SA, a subsidiary com ...
, 19 October 2006
Al Bander-Gate: A Political Scandal In Bahrain Bahrain Center for Human Rights, September 2006
Documents related to Bandargate Bahrain Center for Human Rights
Lord Eric Avebury, 5 October 2006
Banning Publication of News or Information Related to the “Bandar-Gate” Scandal Bahrain Center for Human Rights, 6 October 2006
“Bandar-Gate” and the Dangerous Role Played by Some Human Rights Societies and its Relation to the secret organization Statement by Bahraini Human Rights Activists, 10 October 2006
Activists and journalist receive threats for highlighting Bandargate scandal Bahrain Center for Human Rights, 12 October 2006
Toby Jones, 12 October 2006
Concern over the lack of an official response to Al Bandergate Bahrain Center for Human Rights, 13 October 2006
Petition From A Hundred Prominent Figures And Activists To The King Of Bahrain regarding Bandargate scandal 13 October 2006
Documentary video: Political Naturalization in BahrainMahmood's Den Bandargate ArchiveBandargate BlogBANDARGATE! Gulf Daily News, 24 September 2006
BANDARGATE: The unanswered questions Gulf Daily News, 27 September 2006
Probe Call Gulf Daily News, 27 September 2006
MPs call for Al Bandar probe Gulf Daily News, 27 September 2006
Secret offer to run society is alleged Gulf Daily News, 29 September 2006
Activists charting action plan Gulf Daily News, 29 September 2006
High Court issues Bandar Press gag Gulf Daily News, 5 October 2006
Societies call to lift Press gag{Dead link, date=October 2018 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes , Gulf Daily News, 9 October 2006
Video: Press conference of Salah Al Bandar the UK House of Lords(Parts
123
Video: Discussion with Salah Al Bandar on Kawthar TV
(Parts
123
Anti-Shi'ism
Political history of Bahrain
Politics of Bahrain
Human rights abuses in Bahrain
Political scandals
2006 in Bahrain
2006 documents