Islamists Set in Bahrain

Gulf News tells us what we can expect from the elections:

"Tomorrow’s Parliamentary elections are widely expected to change the face of Bahrain's politics as the opposition is set to win the majority of seats of the Council of Representatives, controlled for the past four years by a strong pro-government block.

"However, a victory by the opposition, many in this open-minded and multicultural state fear, may deal a significant blow to the country's withering liberal tradition.

"The Islamists, led by Bahrain's biggest Islamic society, Al Wefaq, are coming, warns a leading liberal activist.

"The liberal elite are worried the upcoming Parliament 'will restrict whatever personal freedoms may have been left' in a country where the people are used to a Western-like lifestyle, said Abdullah Al Madani.

"More than 30 Islamist candidates are expected to win seats, including 17 from Al Wefaq, a Shiite group, and six from the Sunni Salafi group Al Assalah."

(Crossposted to American Footprints.)