Bahrain: Who Heard the Bomb Blasts and Who are the Victims?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This post is part of our special coverage of Bahrain Protests 2011/12.
Bahrain officials announced today that two foreign workers have been killed and a third was seriously injured in five separate bomb blasts in the areas Gudaibiya and Adliya, in the capital Manama.
On Twitter, the news was received with doubt, skepticism and a call for a political solution to end the unrest in the country, following widespread anti-government protests which started on February 14, 2011.
Journalist Adel Marzooq tweets from exile [ar]:
٥ تفجيرات وهمية واعلان مقتل الاسيويين ليس عبثيا، يريدون امتصاص الادانات الدولية لقرار منع التظاهر والمسيرات وتحويلها لادانة الارهاب
@adelmarzooq: Five imaginary explosions and an announcement that Asians have been killed is not haphazard. They want to dilute the international condemnations for the decision to ban protests and rallies and turn them into a condemnation for terrorism
Ahmed Habib asks:
اذا كانت الانفجارات استهدافا للأجانب فهم بكثرة في القرى ولم يتعرض لم أحد فما الداعي للذهاب للعدلية وام الحصم؟!
@ahmdhabib: If the explosions were targeting foreigners, they are aplenty in the villages and no one has attacked them there. So what is the point of going to Adliya and Umm Al Hassam [areas of the capital Manama]?
And Mansour Al Jamri, editor-in-chief of Al Wasat newspaper, writes:
نأمل من وزارة الداخلية ان تنشر في مؤتمرها الصحفي اسماء وجنسيات القتلى والجرحى، اذ من حق وسائل الاعلام معرفة التفاصيل. وشكرا.
@MANSOOR_ALJAMRi: We hope the Ministry of Interior announces in its Press conference the names and nationalities of those killed and injured. It is the right of media to know the details. Thank you
Abu Omar Al Shafiee asks:
هل هناك أخبار عن الاسيويين الذين تعرضوا لحادث دس من قبل احد الدوريات الامنية قبل أيام ؟ هناك روائح كريهه تختق الاجواء هذة الايام ؟
@ALSHAF3EE: Is there news about the Asians who were run over by police patrols a few days ago? There is a bad stench suffocating us these days
Hussain Yousif, a political dissident in exile, adds:
من حق الشعب ان يتسائل عن مصير التحقيق في دهس مركبة تابعة للداخلية آسيويين بين العكر والمعامير في #البحرين، حيث القاتل معروف
@hussain_info: People have the right to know what happened to the investigation of the Interior Ministry vehicle which ran over Asians between Eker and Maameer as the murderer in known
And Sayed Ahmed Al Alawi casts more doubt:
الشخص الذي عرض على أنه قتيل الانفجار إذا كان موته بسبب ركله للقنبلة محلية الصنع كيف سيصل التفجير لرقبته دون رجله وبطنه وصدره عجيبه هالقنبلة
@SAalalawi: The person who was shown as the one killed in the explosion died because he kicked a locally-made bomb. How come the explosion effected his neck but not his legs, stomach and chest. This is one extraordinary bomb
Sabeeka Al Shamlan hits back, tongue in cheek:
@Sabeeka_A: Back to square zero. Oh wait, who said we even moved from there?
And then she asks [ar]:
في أحد سمع التفجيرات؟ بأذونه؟ لاترد على هالسؤال إذا ماسمعت/سمعتي بأذونك/ج
@Sabeeka_A: Has anyone heard the explosions? With their own ears? Don't respond to this question if you have not heard the explosions, with your own ears
Noor Bahman takes a step further:
@noorbahman: A bomb does kill a victim on the spot but also destroys quite a proportion of the surrounding area the victim was in.
And Salma asks:
@salmasays: Eh.. Where is free and independent media when you need it..
This exasperation has deeper roots. Eyad Ebrahim notes [ar]:
الكل يجذب و أنا صرت ما اصدق أي أحد، لا حكومة ولا جمعيات ولا بطيخ.
@eyade: Everyone lies and I don't really believe anyone – not the government, not the opposition, no one.
Murad Alhayki pleas for a political solution. He says:
كل ما تأخر الحل السياسي تعقدت الأمور أكثر وصعب حلها … دماء الناس تقوض العقل
@muradalhaiki: The more a political solution is delayed, the more complicated matters get and more difficult it is to solve them. People's blood calls for wisdom
This post is part of our special coverage of Bahrain Protests 2011/12.