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A warm and genuine message on August 15 from a Bahrain friend who hailed from across the Indian border, got me counting my blessings. How wonderful that in this tiny country with a big heart, Indians and Pakistanis are able to forge and share a human bond far removed from the inflammatory overtones that politicians are wont to use for it.
It is the ancient cosmopolitan spirit of this nation, rooted in a rich maritime history that shaped geographical spaces between countries. That broadened hearts and minds and forged a bold acceptance of other opinions.
I recall an old-timer Bahraini who studied at Al Raja School in the 1960s and was chosen for a vocational scholarship in the UK, telling me:
“We were never hesitant to accept the support of others – the AMH and Al Raja were both run by missionaries and we were recipients of modern healthcare and education. But we were never threatened by their different religious beliefs. We were taught by our elders and community to embrace the good values and assimilate whatever seemed common to our two cultures and belief-systems and simply leave the rest.”
Have times changed? Well, truth be told, Bahrain’s views are still largely shaped by these so-called ‘old-fashioned’ values. However, the outside world does intrude now and then and a frisson of foreign attitudes (pun intended) does intrude.
Sadly, one of the breeding grounds for uncorrected racism and prejudice is private schools. Especially the expensive ones. For all their celebrations of global culture with annual fairs where the PTA organises national stalls and food, many youngsters are the target of unwarranted bullying with racist overtones.
I have heard of children from the subcontinent being taunted by their Bahraini classmates that they should bring rags to clean their Bahraini cars; in many schools, Indian female teachers are requested to wear Western-style dresses because ethnic wear may confuse their students who only otherwise see their domestic workers and nannies dressed in similar fashion.
Such split attitudes are a signal that there are fissures beneath the surface that are affecting the outlook of the new generation. It is a red flag we cannot afford to ignore and one way to counter it is by making diversity and inclusivity part of the human value chain in our education system and in our workplace too. Just like we have rules to underscore Bahrainisation and promote gender parity, we must give organisations guidelines and goals to achieve in ensuring diversity and inclusivity.
In schools, we need to address the elephant of racism that lurks in full view in classrooms and get youngsters to articulate their differences, their fears and solutions. Once it’s out in the open, so much changes and the bogeyman of othering dissipates.
meeraresponse@gmail.com
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