Ahmed Al-Jarallah – Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times

TALKS about the Kingdom of Bahrain can be about its special concept and nature. When we talk about that country as a concept, we are referring to its civilization that is rooted in history, and its presence not only on the regional level but throughout the Arab world due to its direct influence in the development of old civilizations.This is why it was referred by the Sumerians as “Paradise, and the Isle of Eternity”. Bahrain underwent series of painful stages throughout its history. Irrespective of whether the pain was caused by a neighbor or a foreigner, Bahrain managed to overcome those tribulations through its firm stand on justice and expression of its civilization’s capacity in a manner that reflects its essence as “the Isle of Eternity and Life”.The country is celebrating its national day; its past and its present through the continuous guidance of King Hamad bin Essa Al-Khalifa for all state institutions by the deepening of relations between the people and the rulers for the advancement of the country.This is being achieved on the basis of a fine comprehensive process which can be rarely observed in the Arab world. Even during the years of adversity caused by Iran’s interference under the pretext of “Arab Spring”, which had led weak souls to fall in the trap of rhetoric allurement, the process of the building of civilization had continued. It is not a secret to anyone that the king could have followed oppressive and victimization policies similar to what happened in several Arab countries. However, the king opted for a long-term cure to the problems with the objective of getting rid of the “sickness” and its roots based on his conviction that oppression will divert the country from its progressive course and keep it away from its natural mission. Since 2011, and even before that, the objective of the regime in Iran had been to interfere in the internal affairs of Bahrain as a way of infiltrating the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council through the eastern frontier of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under the pretext of rescuing a social category that is allegedly being oppressed.At that time, the then-ambassador of the United States of America took advantage of the events – the so-called “Pearl Roundabout” – to incite against Bahrain’s leadership. Infiltrated international organizations also worked on misleading the international community through a variety of baseless narratives related to human rights.However, reality differed from the claims of the antagonists on a daily basis. All of this would not have been possible without the steadfastness of Bahrain and its strong conviction about the ability of its people to overcome such adversity and come out stronger and more determined to continue with the building and development of their nation.These challenges also required a sagacious man who dedicated his life to serve his nation. He is the architect and initiator of the “open up” economy that led Bahrain to rise to high ranks throughout the past 46 years.I am talking about the Prime Minister of Bahrain Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa, who was the head of the executive authority of Bahrain for four decades. I remember very well the time when Iran’s interference in Bahrain’s internal affairs had intensified.It had raised the need to assist the Bahrainis, and their choice was the “Peninsula Shield Force”, which is based on the concept of protecting the peninsula’s national security from any foreign interference.Owing to that, Prince Khalifa bin Salman’s visit to Riyadh to meet the late King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz had culminated with the two exchanging greetings followed by King Abdullah saying, “Where have you been? You are late.The ‘Peninsula Shield’ is ready to assist you. Do you approve our assistance?” The words of the late King Abdullah gushed from his conviction of the Gulf unity, because Bahrain’s stability represents the stability of the region due to its economic characteristics, which includes developmental dimensions. That is why, when the vanguard of the Peninsula Shield Force entered Bahrain, they were welcomed with national jubilation from all social categories.At that moment, they realized the meaning of national identity and pan-Arabism. As a result, the Bahrainis formed a strong solid fence which assisted its security forces and the Peninsula Shield Force to stand up to and crush the Iranian scheme, which currently is gasping its final breath.The Kingdom of Bahrain is celebrating its national day after fully recovering from the malaise, which was caused by hired factions. The policies of King Hamad bin Essa and Prince Khalifa bin Salman have proven that “the Isle of Eternity and Life”, as referred to by the Sumerians, cannot be turned into ruins by the conspiracy crows. By Ahmed Al-Jarallah Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times[email protected]