THE TELEGRAPH – BLOG – Con Coughlin: I’ve just attended a seminar on Bahrain hosted by Field Marshall Lord Inge at the House of Lords where I was alarmed to learn that London has become a safe haven for a group of Islamic radicals who are trying to overthrow the Bahraini government.
I suppose, on one level, I should not be surprised by this revelation. After all “Londonistan” has long given sanctuary to Islamic militants of all persuasions – including several key al-Qaeda leaders.
But I am nonetheless surprised that, in the post-September 11 world we live in (not to mention July 7), the British authorities are still giving asylum to those who are trying to harm one of our key allies in the Gulf region.
Apart from being viscerally pro-British, the genial, Sandhurst-educated King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa is a key strategic ally in a region where the antics of Iran’s Islamic republic poses a major security challenge to the West. Bahrain provides the U.S. with a massive naval base, and would prove to be a vital asset to the West in the unfortunate event that a military conflict erupted over Iran’s controversial nuclear programme.
Bahrain has, I know, had its problems in the past, where relations between the Sunni ruling family, and its citizens, who are predominantly Shia Muslims, have, on occasion, been strained. Nor have these problems been helped by the unwelcome interference of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards which, on at least two occasions, have orchestrated plots to overthrow the royal family. >>> Con Coughlin | Wednesday, November 11, 2009
