Write to the editor

Every week in Bahrain we see burning tyres, rubbish and oil blocking the roads, and read of Molotov cocktails and rocks being thrown at cars, all the work of Bahraini youth, and yet Mai Al Khatib chooses to devote two pages to the wall writing actions of so-called ‘expat brats’ (and isn’t that phrase rather abusive for an unbiased journalist?).
  
Yes, graffiti can be unpleasant, but it does not endanger lives, and all the compound owners have to do is invest in a pot of paint and spend five minutes covering up anything they don’t like.
   
The mess at the bottom of Saar Avenue is not caused by Western teenagers.
  
If Bahrainis do not love and respect their surroundings, then how do you expect visitors to do the same?   

Perhaps I am misreading Ms Al Khatib’s words, but there seemed an unpleasant undercurrent to her article as, although she mentions the Arabic graffiti which is everywhere, she chooses to concentrate on the few that are written in English. 
 
Please do not start demonising the Western youth and blaming them for the country’s woes; there are much more important problems the Northern Governorate and the GulfWeekly should be investigating.

James, Juffair.

Very nice initiative for cleaning up graffiti, with reference to last week’s front page: ‘Let’s clean it up’. Good article by Mai Al Khatib. I hope that the campaign works.

Karen, Bahrain.

I refer to your recent inflammatory article on the on-going surge of ‘mindless vandalism’, particularly in Saar and Janabiyah.

Firstly, I am a British expatriate living in Bahrain for over a decade and consider the island to be home, as do my family. I do not usually write into news publications, but I felt compelled to do so on this occasion.

I am unsure to whom you are referring when you say ‘expat brat’, but I find the term offensive and discriminatory whoever you are referring to. 

I am certain you would not be as disrespectful to the children of resident Bahraini families, or indeed your own children. Other expatriate mothers who have been discussing your shocking article are also offended by your terminology and your insinuations there-in.

The majority of the expatriate community, whilst saddened by the on-going troubles in Bahrain, do not truly understand the political intricacies of what is going on and feel quite helpless. We can only watch, powerless and disheartened, as the wonderful people of Bahrain hurt each other.

Driving through Saar and Janabiyah, in particular, feels like driving through a ghetto, with its scrawled walls and blackened roadsides and is a depressing sight to behold. 

Possibly 99 per cent of the graffiti is in Arabic and again, the expat community is somewhat ignorant to its meaning other than the obvious frustrations vented during demonstrations. 

The pictures you show in your article are implied to be written by ‘expat brats’ as you call them. 

I would be highly-suspicious, since two of the three contain basic spelling errors and were more likely written by someone closer to home than an expat.
 
You also imply that Bahraini graffitists are only capable of writing in Arabic, which is also an incorrect assumption on your part based on what everyone can clearly see driving through Janabiyah and Saar.
 
I would also point out that more graffiti appeared written in English prior to the F1, which was presumably for the benefit of the press and international media who were filming the troubled backstreets during the grand prix weekend.

Your article was very offensive to the expatriate community, who have brought prosperity, employment, new technology and added strength to the Bahraini workforce. 

Expatriate charities have brought helping hands to the less fortunate and try to make Bahrain a healthier place. 

Expatriate sportspersons have highlighted Bahrain as a country of talent and have sponsored international sports personalities and musical artists to come here to work with the young people of the island or to perform for everyone’s pleasure.

We are certainly all in agreement that the graffiti needs to be eradicated, but unless you catch a perpetrator red-handed please do not cast outrageous aspersions about our kids. 

People have tried to paint over the mess left by the vandals on their garden walls, only for it to reappear by the following morning.

Also citing ‘contractual good behaviour clauses’ is ridiculous as I would imagine that those carrying out the vandalism do not have gainful employment as they would neither have the energy nor desire for vandalism, as they would have self-respect and respect for other peoples’ property. 

There are enough problems around at the moment without you making wild, unfounded accusations about the expat community.

Instead of pointing fingers on hearsay, why not think of a positive way the community can work together to make Bahrain beautiful again. 

Perhaps, imploring parents to ensure they know where their family members are at night and discussing the negative impact of vandalism with them. 

Pointing fingers is a sure way to alienate communities even further, unless your sensationalist journalism is actually a dastardly ploy to do just that. 

Before you print your next article Mai, please, consider if it is going to hurt or help the healing process and peace that our communities so desperately need.

 Josephine, by email.

I’m glad to see the return and continuation of Youth Talk by Anna Romanska in the newspaper.

Even living abroad for the past three years, I still have the urge to catch up on the news in GulfWeekly online every week!

I’m doing fine myself. I took a semester off and lived and worked for the Financial Times in New York City and now I’m interning with Euronews’ feature documentary department.

Your former YouthTalk columnist,
Ismaeel Naar.