Bahraini anti-government protesters carry posters reading, "we are all Al-Wefaq, we are all Wa'ad."Hasan Jamali/Press Association Images. All rights reserved.A democratic society is one that favours liberty, freedom of speech and religion, and equal rights and accepts the views and aspirations of individuals and minority groups.
Recent Bahraini legislation has amended the law on political societies to cement the principles of pluralism, tolerance and political liberalism into Bahraini society. The legislation aspires towards a democratic society that corresponds with the principles affirmed in international human rights benchmarks, namely, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and numerous judgments of the European Court of Human Rights.
These amendments also prohibit leading members of political societies from giving religious speeches, sermons and guidance. This prohibition is perhaps the most significant step towards democracy in Bahrain's contemporary political history, and especially welcome in the post-Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) period. Could this represent Bahrain’s exit from the clutches of 'neomedievalism', if the new law clearly prevents political societies from manipulating Islamic values in order to achieve narrow and badly reasoned goals.
