BahrainMirror: On 2 February 2009, an Islamist writer who was hosted to talk about the changes in the region, encouraged Al-Qaeda to use Anthrax gas to kill 330 American citizens in an hour. In a public speech that caused a deluge of comments, and was broadcasted on TV channels, he said: "A small amount is enough; 4 pounds that can be smuggled from neighbouring Mexico in order to kill such a number of U.S citizens".

Believe it or not, this is not a "Zawahiri" broadcast aired through video footages coming from Afghanistan. In a long speech he delivered in a government licensed society east of Manama, the hardline writer, Abdullah Al-Nafisi declared his Salafist views, and urged his listeners to follow his cues.

On the 26 April 2008, Islamist extremists protested near the U.S headquarters naval base, during which they held flags of Al-Qaeda and pictures of its leader Osama Ben Laden. They also slaughtered an effigy of an American soldier. Once again, believe it or not, you are in Bahrain.

Had America's Major non NATO ally and the headquarters of the American fifth fleet turned into a safe haven for the Al-Qaeda and a place to breed terrorists?

Migration to Syria
Some years ago, no one took those signs seriously, Salafist groups have always been regarded as pro-regime groups, mostly represented by Al-Asalah Islamic Society and that was attributed to interests it had with the authorities, by which it created a relationship that made it gain lots of advantages, including a ministerial portfolio, in addition to that the Society distanced itself from "Global Jihadism".

But in the past few weeks, only five Jihadists were killed when fighting with Al-Nusra Front (Al-Nusra Front was enlisted on the International List of Terrorism by the Security Council and the United States of America) in attacks against the Syrian Army. One of the Society members, Sheikh Faysal Al-Ghareer, announced that he was able to equip 1530 fighters and send them to Syria by one of the campaigns (Equipping Invaders) under his supervision along with the help of his colleague, the Salafist Member of parliament Abed Al-Halim Murad. The cost of equipping those fighters was estimated at $ 4 million. Moreover, one of the rebel factions fighting in Syria admitted to have received anti-aircraft missiles through Bahraini sponsors.

In August 2012, several members of the parliament belonging to Al-Asalah Salafist Bloc - Sheikh Adel Al-Muawada, Sheikh Faysal Al-Ghareer, Abd Al-Halim Murad, and the former MP Hamad Al-Mohannadi- crossed the Syrian borders illegally, and met Salafist radical groups that once said to be connected to the Free Syrian Army in areas controlled by the opposition. The MPs handed the Syrian Army financial aids. In fact, they only met jihadist groups close to Al-Nusra Front, for, all videos published on the Internet, by the delegation itself showed that they met with "Sham Hawks" and the subsidiary "Dawood Battalion", which are too extremist

Salafist groups, that are not anywhere found to be belonging to the Free Syrian Army (You can refer to the details of this issue in the second part of this story)

The rise of the Salafist Jihadism
The rise of the Salafist movement in Bahrain goes back to 1978 when the "Islamic Education Association" was established with the support of "Heritage Reviving Association" in Kuwait. At first, it showed no interest to start a political path, as much as its leaders were interested in teaching people about Islam and creating a religious group.

There were, in fact, personal barriers preventing Salafist groups to think of politics, on top of that was, the domination of "Traditional Salafism" that prohibited working in political parties and indulging in politics, and stressed absolute obedience to the rulers.
However, in the beginning of 2002, legislators in Bahrain developed a limited legal framework for practicing politics after a political compromise between the authorities and the opposition, which the "Islamic Education Association" used to establish a political wing (Al-Asalah Islamic Society).

"Al-Asalah" represents a line called "Reformist Salafism" inside "Traditional Salafism". This line made working in politics religiously legal under a jurisprudential principle stating that a "Bad deed can be done to stop a worse deed", but it kept holding onto the old position that prohibits disobeying the present authority or the "Guardians". There rather seemed to be two prominent groups that came out of the Salafism of "Al-Asalah". (Refer to: The Rising Power, Nada Al-Wadi).

Sheikh fawzi Al-Athary represents the first group. He runs his activity in Galali, east of Manama, and refuses to form or join any group, nor to get involved in politics. His speeches have implied criticism of "Al-Asalah".

Whereas Sheikh Adel Al-Hamad is the preacher at Al-Nisf mosque in Al-Rifa', south of Manama, represents the second group. Al-Hamad developed a version of Salafism that is compatible with the aforementioned versions and dissimilar at the same time, but it is eventually not more than a third version of Salafism and it is known today by "Jihadist Salafism". From traditional Salafism, he kept the prohibition of entering groups for, "obedience is for Allah and the Prophet, not for groups"; but he does not oppose stating political views as in "reformist Salafism", he rather distinguished his approach by taking a position from authorities. He said, in a recently delivered speech, that "our governments are fighting us whenever we asked to support Mujahidin with arms; what would happen if we called upon people to fight in the sake of Allah".

He kept sculpturing his own version of Salafism, and he gradually cancelled two of the untouchables: that political action is acceptable but in group form, and that it is possible to disobey the rulers "Guardians".

The Charisma in outside the Salafism:
It can be said that Sheikh Adel Al-Hamad is, today, the reference of Bahrain Jihadism that was fed by the effect of "Benladenism" worldwide. It is obvious, since he does not have any record for criticising the chief of Al-Qaeda, Osama Ben Laden, nor the school he established in Tora Bora mountains in Afghanistan; he also adopts the whole Jihadist list that accuses the rulers, the Jews, the Shiites, the Nosayria, the Seculars and communists, even those who demanded "democracy" and adopt views regarding "political pluralism" to be infidels. He demanded the government to impose a tribute on the 150 thousand infidels such as Jews and Christians in return for their residing in Bahrain.

He also took "Taliban" as his ideal Utopia for the desired nation instead of Saudi Arabia! He said in a speech: "Islam was mostly executed with Taliban". His words always called for Jihad "The [Islamic] nation is on the verge of greater Jihad that is fighting the Jews".

His weekly speeches delivered from "Al-Nisf" Mosque, to which 3000 prayers attend - according to one of his speeches - are the weekly theoretical shield by which the new generation combat; the generation that is craving to fight in the global fields of Jihad including those who returned from Guantanamo, who have established a government-licensed entity named the "National Justice Movement". Step by step, he started attracting young people from Al-Asalah, who have some old views being rephrased by the Syrian revolution.

His special charisma among young Al-Asalah people was gained by distancing himself from getting involved into the dynamics of daily politics, and standing away from the network of interests that was established by Al-Asalah with the authorities through their work in the parliament in the last ten years. Al-Hamad was regarded as an epitome of courage and honesty, and not being an underling of the authority. Meanwhile, his counterparts in Al-Asalah were making use of the advantages of being an ally to the government, thus, mounting the feeling of anger against them. On the other hand, that enabled Al-Hamad to attract new groups from Salafists and even non-Salafists.

On 28 May, his son Abd Al-Rahman Adel Al-Hamad (19 years old) was killed in the war in Syria with Al-Nusra Front.
He earlier posted a voice recording saying that "he got what he wanted", and he pointed out in a few meaningful words that he "built weapon storehouses and received some training in Bahrain".

The most important purport was the one that Abd Al Rahman left on twitter @almooslm, weeks before he was killed. He said: "I am with the next Gulf revolution", and he started publishing readings that showed how much he hated the ruling families in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The readings indicate clearly, but in an implied way, that the old Salafist position that orders the obedience of the ruler should be abolished; the readings also adopt a different view that allows one to disobey the rulers and even consider them as infidels. We can also find memorable sayings about Jihad on his page that he excerpted from his father's speeches, in addition to quotes taken from prominent leaders of Jihadist Salafism such as Sheikh Abdullah Azzam and one of the leaders of Chechen Jihad (Khattab).

The Syrian revolution was an opportunity to bring out all that is suppressed in Salafist groups that had been hidden behind double entendres from the authorities that was necessary for security and caution. With the increase of involvement of Gulf Countries in Syria, double entendres fell apart and contradictions were no longer a problem. The suppressed Jihad is now expressed out loud like no time before.

On the American List of Terrorism
In the years that followed the war in Afghanistan (from 2002 till 2012), the Bahraini authorities announced that it had arrested at least five cells as suspects that had relations with Al-Qaeda in among them were veteran Mujahidin in Afghanistan. For the same reason, the authorities arrested four Saudis, one Kuwaiti, and one from the UAE, holding the Bahraini nationality. Moreover, six Bahrainis were taken to Guantanamo in Cuba (2002, 2001) were they stayed for years before they were allowed to go back to Bahrain.

The Bahraini courts issued a guilty verdict in two cases at least from the overall cases. In February 2009, the Bahraini High Criminal court sentenced a Bahraini citizen accused of financing Al-Qaeda for a year, it also ordered to imprison his two accomplices, one of them was a Syrian, in absentia for 5 years. In March 2010, the same court issued a verdict to imprison two men; one of them was a Jordanian with the Bahraini nationality and another Bahraini that worked in customs and ports department for 5 years. The court accused them for their attempt "to target the American base in Al-Jufair".

The American authorities also announced, on several occasions, listing two Bahrainis on their terrorism list. In May 2009, the Pentagon declared that the "Bahraini citizen, Abdullah Al-Nuaimi, former prisoner at Guantanamo is practicing terrorism again".

In July 2012, the U.S department of state stated that it had listed the Bahraini citizen Ahmad Abd Al-Rahman Saheb Ahmad Saheb known by Abd Al-Rahman Al-Sharky on the black list of terrorism; he was accused of "affiliating to Al-Qaeda" and "training members of Al-Qaeda on terrorist techniques and planning".

The Bahrain Salafist Abd Al-Rahim Al-Merbati is still in the Saudi prison since 2003, and he was a suspect for the "bombing of Riyadh on the 7th of June 2003" and "planning to bomb in Bahrain".

But none of the people involved in those acts were publically proven terrorists as they did not take part in terrorist activities against the world, as much they are taking now in the rise of "Syrian Jihadism".

During a speech that clearly called for killing Americans with "Anthrax" gas, the radical writer Abdullah Al-Nefisi urged the listeners to be careful of the western calls that describe Al- Qaeda activists as "terrorists"; he said: "They are your friends, the most pious and the best people in the world", and he added "I am a Takfirist, and our enmity to Jews is endless".

Four years after that call, it seems that Manama has turned home for many of the "friends"!!