Bahrain Mirror: Kuwaiti activist Khalid Al-Khater published a video criticizing services and filth in the Bahraini capital, Manama. The video and description sparked reactions and controversy on social media, and among many Gulf citizens who were shocked by what they saw.

Al-Khater appeared in the video, which he documented with his mobile phone camera, saying that he is in the worst place in Manama, the capital of Bahrain, where chaos and goods are spread in the market. 

Al-Khater described the market he photographed as the dirtiest in Bahrain, and added that he was walking and found himself in this place that is not comparable to the Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh area - a slum area in Kuwait - which can be deemed as London in contrast to the place he was in.

He showed scenes of chicken being sold in open cages, and said that a kilo of chicken is for one dinar and 16 eggs are for one dinar as well. 

On one of the scales appeared pieces of open meat, and there was garbage behind the place of sale. "These scenes are in the dirtiest place in Manama," he said.

The Kuwaiti activist approached a place selling watermelons to inquire about the price of a kilo, and heard an Asian  national telling him: "One rupee".

He continued, "Whoever wants something cheap can come here." He said that everyone sells something different here without supervision.

Kuwaiti activist Al-Khater, who strongly denounced this negligence, added: "Even in Jleeb Shuyoukh, you can't find such things."

Bahraini and Gulf nationals' responses to the video varied. A Kuwaiti activist commented on the matter, saying: "Every country has scenes that harms tourism. We are no longer shocked by anything we see."

A Bahraini tweeter said that "Bahrain has turned into a country inhabited by hundreds of thousands of foreigners and Bahrainis have become strangers in their homeland." "Does this satisfy decision-makers in Bahrain?" he asked 

In the same context, tweeter Dr. Ali said: "Everyone is responsible for what is happening, the parties that facilitate and justify, the owners of the that lease, and the owners of houses and apartments that are being rented." 

He added: "The country is a trust we carry on our shoulders. Ask those whose countries have been lost and have lost security and safety so that you become aware."

As for Twitter user Dr. Saeed Al-Samahiji, he said: "A Gulf national is a witness to what we suffer from the sabotage and destruction of Bahrain and the eyes of the authorities who are not watchful, as they rather watch over honest citizens and let the foreigner play around in the country as he pleases."

"A Kuwaiti visits the Asian market in Manama and is shocked by the prices, but the reason is how dirty the place is!" Bu Hasan continued.

He addressed Al-Khater: "Excuse us, neither the municipality, nor the ministry of trade know where this market is located."

Abu Mahdi said sarcastically: "When a citizen talks about the absence of rights and anything related to the homeland, he is told, 'You are distorting the image of Bahrain' and we do not know who is distorting the image of Bahrain."

"Who turned the capital into "Little India" and distorted the image of the capital and the image of Bahrain as a whole?" he asked.

Arabic Version