Authorities have revoked the Bahraini citizenship of a Kenyan-born athlete who ran in an Israeli marathon, the nation's athletic union said Saturday. Bahraini runner Mushir Salem Jawher competed and won the Tiberias Marathon in Israel on Thursday, ending the race in just over 2 hours and 13 minutes.
Most Arab states do not recognize Israel, and the Jerusalem Post newspaper said Jawher was the first athlete from an Arab country to compete in an Israeli marathon. Jawher was born in Kenya in 1978 and moved to Bahrain in 2003, according to the International Association of Athletics Federation.
The Jerusalem Post cited Jawher as saying he was "very proud" to have run in Israel. Even though Bahrain has no official ties with the Jewish state, "It is a free country," the athlete was quoted as saying. Bahrain's Athletic Union said in a statement Saturday that it had received the news that a Bahraini national competed in Israel with "shock and regret."
"The union deeply regrets what the athlete has done," the statement said. A comity of sport and government authorities decided to strike Jawher's name off the sport union records and strip off his Bahraini nationality, the statement said. It said Jawher had entered Israel with his Kenyan passport and added that the runner's Bahraini citizenship was revoked because he had "violated the laws of Bahrain."
Absolutely shameful in this day and age. By the way, did I mention that Bahrain has close ties with the United States? Maybe its time to re-think our relationships with stone age bigots.
3 comments:
You'll never see the Arabs get called for being bigots, because that's just not part of the world's PC narrative. The Arabs are oppressed now, not oppressor, Sudan notwithstanding, and we just have to get used to it.
No, I'm not bitter. Not me.
I have a pet theory about that - its because there is a serious shortage of Jews withing Arab society. Stop and think for a moment concerning social issues of the last 100 years. From the labour movement to the US civil rights movement were always liberally represented by Jews. Without a personal concept of tikkun olam there is no reform.
I am afraid that I must shoot down your theory, Kate.
There were Jews in Arab society for centuries, up until the late 1900's.
This included the time period of the Enlightenment, and the various social reform movements of the 1800's.
However, in Arab societies, Jews, as non-Muslims, were forced into dhimmi status and were unable to make any societal changes. I think, looking at Iran, or Somalia, or the Taliban, that we can all agree that Islam doesn't take well to reform....
Jews could work for social change in the US, or Canada, or Europe, because, in a relatively open and tolerant society, they were free to exercise influence beyond their personal condition.
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