Bahrain's Political Ideology: Communist Influence And Reality

Bahrain is a constitutional monarchy, but the country has had several communist parties throughout its history. The National Liberation Front – Bahrain (NLF) was founded on 15 February 1955 and was the first leftist party in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. The NLF played a leading role in the March Intifada uprising of 1965, which eventually led to Bahrain's independence from Britain in 1971, and the labour movement of the early 1970s, which resulted in the emergence of Bahrain's first parliament and constitution. By the mid-1970s, the NLF was the major political force in the country, but the Assembly was dissolved and the constitution suspended in 1975. The NLF was harshly repressed, and many of its activists and leaders went into exile. Other communist parties in Bahrain include the Popular Front for the Liberation of Bahrain and the Progressive Democratic Tribune.

The National Liberation Front – Bahrain is a communist party

The National Liberation Front–Bahrain (NLF) is a communist party in Bahrain. It was founded on 15 February 1955 and was the first leftist party in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. The principal founder of the NLF was Hassan Nezam, who was also a leading figure in Iran's Tudeh Party. Unfortunately, Hassan Nezam was killed in Tehran in 1958 by SAVAK. Other founders included Erik Mansoorian, Hassan M. Saleh, Ali Madan, Ahmed al-Thawadi ("Saif Bin Ali"), and Ali Dawaigher.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the NLF played a significant role in two major events in Bahrain's history. The first was the March Intifada uprising of 1965, where nationalist forces rose up against British colonialism, eventually leading to Bahrain's independence from Britain in 1971. The second was the labour movement of the early 1970s, which contributed to the emergence of Bahrain's first parliament and constitution in 1973.

By the mid-1970s, the NLF had become the dominant political force in the country, with eight members in the Bahrain National Assembly (40% of elected MPs). However, this success was short-lived. In 1975, the Assembly was dissolved, and the constitution was suspended. The NLF faced harsh repression from the regime, with many activists and leaders forced into exile. The regime's crackdown intensified in the mid-1980s, and the NLF was almost completely crushed. Many members were tortured, and others were sentenced to long prison terms based on false confessions.

Despite these setbacks, the NLF survived, albeit in a different form. In the early 2000s, the regime changed its policies, allowing exiled leaders to return to Bahrain and participate in politics again. Before the 2002 election, NLF-affiliated elements cooperated with independent activists to establish the Progressive Democratic Tribune Association (PDTA), a leftist progressive political organisation. It is important to note that the PDTA was not intended to replace the NLF, and the latter never issued any statement of cessation. In fact, the NLF continues to exist, albeit illegally and not openly active, due to the Bahraini state's ongoing repression of opposition groups.

Following the 2002 election, the NLF and PDTA collectively secured three members in parliament, including the deputy speaker, Abdulhadi Marhoon. However, they lost all their seats in the 2006 election to Sunni and Shi'a "Islamist" forces.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Bahrain

In 2000, members of the PFLB established the National Democratic Action Society (NDAS), the first officially licensed political organisation in any of the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. The PFLB was replaced by the NDAS.

Another communist party in Bahrain is the National Liberation Front (NLF), founded on 15 February 1955. It was the first leftist party in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. The NLF played a leading role in the March Intifada uprising of 1965, in which nationalist forces rose up against British colonialism, and the labour movement of the early 1970s. The former event eventually led to Bahrain's independence from Britain in 1971, and the latter accelerated the move towards a significant improvement in the political atmosphere, resulting in the country's first parliament and constitution in 1973.

By the first half of the 1970s, the NLF had become the major political force in the country, with eight members in the Bahrain National Assembly (40% of elected MPs) following the 1973 election. However, in 1975, the Assembly was dissolved and the constitution suspended. The NLF was harshly repressed by the regime, and many activists and leaders went into exile. The regime's most severe assault came in 1986, with almost the entire clandestine organisation collapsing. Some members died under torture, while others were sentenced to long prison terms based on false and illegal confessions.

Despite these challenges, the NLF continued to exist, albeit with a different method of activity. In the early 2000s, after a change in the regime's policy, exiled leaders were allowed to return to Bahrain and resume political work. Before the 2002 election, some elements affiliated with the NLF, along with other independent activists, launched a legal political body called the Progressive Democratic Tribune Association (PDTA). The PDTA is a leftist progressive political organisation, but it has not replaced the NLF, which continues to exist and struggle, albeit illegally and not openly active, due to the Bahraini state's repression of opposition groups.

In addition to the PFLB and the NLF, Bahrain has also experienced the presence of other ideological groups, such as the Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain (IFLB), a Shia Islamist militant group that advocated for theocratic rule in the country from 1981 to the 1990s. The IFLB was based in Iran and received training and financing from Iranian intelligence and Revolutionary Guards. It gained international prominence for its role in the failed 1981 coup attempt in Bahrain, aiming to install a theocratic state with Iraqi Ayatollah Hadi al-Modarresi as its spiritual leader.

Socialist parties in Bahrain

While political parties are illegal in Bahrain, they operate as de facto political parties under the term "political societies," ranging from the communist left to the Islamist right. Here is an overview of the socialist parties in Bahrain:

National Liberation Front – Bahrain (NLF)

The National Liberation Front—Bahrain, founded on February 15, 1955, was the first leftist party in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. The NLF played a significant role in the March Intifada (uprising) of 1965 against British colonialism and the labour movement in the early 1970s. By the early 1970s, the NLF had become the dominant political force in the country, with eight members in the Bahrain National Assembly (40% of elected MPs). However, in 1975, the Assembly was dissolved, and the NLF faced harsh repression, with many of its leaders and activists going into exile. Despite these challenges, the NLF continued its struggle, and in the early 2000s, exiled leaders were allowed to return and participate politically.

Progressive Democratic Tribune (PDT)

The Progressive Democratic Tribune is a leftist progressive political organisation founded by elements affiliated with the NLF and other independent activists before the 2002 election. While it may appear that the PDT has replaced the NLF, there is no documentary evidence to support this claim, and the NLF has not issued any statement of cessation.

Popular Front for the Liberation of Bahrain

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Bahrain is another socialist party listed among the communist parties in Bahrain. Unfortunately, no further information about this party was readily available.

The Progressive Democratic Tribune

Al-Minbar has been opposed to sectarian politics and has sought to represent constituents regardless of their creed. It has also been a consistent champion of women's rights and freedom of speech, which has led to its members of parliament often finding themselves allied with liberals. One of its three MPs, Abdulhadi Marhoon, served as Deputy Speaker from 2002 to 2006.

Al-Minbar has a youth organisation, the Shabeeba Society of Bahrain, which is active among students and young workers. The Shabeeba Society has a network of regional and international connections with other left-wing democratic youth organisations.

In the 2006 election, al-Minbar launched the electoral bloc 'National Unity', which had nine candidates for the Council of Representatives, five of whom were members of al-Minbar. However, none of its candidates were elected. In the 2018 election, al-Minbar won two seats in the Council of Representatives.

During the 2022 elections, the Progressive Democratic Tribune issued a political document, along with three loyal political societies, stating that it would "support candidates who oppose normalisation in the next parliament". It consistently rejected normalisation, became part of the "Bahraini Initiative Against Normalization with the Zionist Enemy", and signed statements warning people of the evils of normalisation.

The Communist Party in neighbouring Saudi Arabia

The CPSA was a pro-Soviet Marxist-Leninist party that existed from 1975 until the early 1990s. It had its roots in the labour movement of the 1950s in the oil-producing Eastern Province. The party membership in 1975 was very small, thought to be as few as 30 members. The CPSA was always illegal and persecuted by the regime.

Shiites were attracted to Saudi opposition groups, including the Communist Party, due to resentment at discrimination against them on religious grounds by the Saudi government. As a result, the bulk of the CPSA's members were from Saudi Arabia's Shiite community.

CPSA literature was filled with critiques of the Saudi economy, discrimination against women, and the pro-Western foreign policy of the Saudi ruling family, who they also criticised as corrupt. The party helped to launch an uprising in 1979 in the Eastern Province and was particularly active in propagating its ideas throughout the 1980s as the Soviet Union and Saudi Arabia fought a proxy war in Afghanistan.

The collapse of the Soviet Union and the rise in popularity of political Islamism caused the CPSA to lose popularity and rename itself as the Democratic Assembly of Saudi Arabia in the early 1990s. The government agreed to release the party's political prisoners in exchange for the disbandment of the party.

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