Day 2 - Mark (Connecting with a Bahraini)

For the second day of the fast, my plan has been to connect with someone from Bahrain. I wrote to Nabeel Rajab this morning and found a response this evening. Nabeel is the President of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights. He has been advocating for human rights in Bahrain for over a decade and was recently arrested and beaten by the Bahraini police. His organization is an excellent source for information, so please visit their site.

I had actually seen him speak a week ago during his trip to DC, when he suggested that it would be great for young activists in the U.S. to connect with youth in Bahrain. I reminded him of this in my e-mail, and suggested that he might connect me with youth in Bahrain. In his response he offered his support for the fast and cc'd some people at the Bahrain Center for Human Rights who might be interested. If anyone reading this would like to connect with Bahrainis, whether or not it is a part of the fasting chain, let me know.

I've gotten into some conversations with people, at least one of whom is thinking of joining the fast. Fasting has been relatively easy so far, but I'm already feeling a little more centered than I usually am.

This isn't part of the schedule, but I want to add an update about the arms deal, which Nikki mentioned. Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania is leading an effort to stop the arms deal. This is a great step and I urge people to call their Senators in support. However, I find it sad that we still justify these kinds of moves for our own national security. Consider these lines from the letter signed by these Senators:

We recognize the administration’s commitment to the United States’ strategic relationship with Bahrain, which has been an important feature of our national security strategy in the Middle East for many years.

Completing an arms sale to Bahrain under the current circumstances would weaken U.S. credibility at a critical time of democratic transition in the Middle East.

Does this mean that it is okay for us to maintain a relationship with a country that is important for our national security, so long as our image isn't being weakened? Should I be more concerned about the security of someone I've never met living in Arizona, since they're American, more than I do about someone I've never met in Bahrain? Maybe we'll discuss this at the end of our fast, when we talk about other countries.