One year, two days, and hundreds of casualties later, the peaceful protestors’ pro-democratic demonstrations in Manama-the capital of Bahrain-continue their struggle to gain recognition from the rest of the world, including their own government. 

The Bahraini people have been shouting in the dark for almost as long as the Egyptians have been dealing with the dictator Hosni Mubarak. Only difference: Egypt got worldwide coverage simply because the U.S. decided it didn’t like Mubarak anymore, someone they supported from the moment he assumed power.  

While many western governments have spoken out against human rights abuses allegedly carried out by the Egyptian and Libyan governments, Bahrain has been treated with kid gloves. The U.S. government is not willing to withdraw support for dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh, despite his bloody suppression of dissent. 

The U.S. support of the Bahrain monarchy is the latest in a long history of U.S. approved apartheid-like policies. The Shiite majority is barred from employment in the police, military and security services. The only difference between South African and Bahraini apartheid is that the divide is religious rather than racial. 

In the U.S., we refuse to believe anything but what the giant media corporations say. We refuse to look past the biased media and do a little bit of our own research. Perhaps when we feel a little daring, we’ll flip the channel to Al-Jazeera. We are adamant on dogmatically believing what we see because if two different news channels are telling the same story, with the same “evidence”, it must be true.

Here at De Anza, we pride ourselves for propelling leadership and grassroots activism. We speak of being democratic, but what good is any of that if we take part in unjust silences plaguing other societies? 

Speak out; don’t look away from Bahrain’s revolution. Educate yourself, and others, of the U.S.’s atrocious support of criminal governments. Raise awareness so that the Bahraini protestors know that they are not alone in this fight for justice. Contact your elected representatives and ask for Congress to condemn the massacre and put an end to this oppression.