Gulf | Bahrain
Athlete not stripped of his citizenship
Moshir Salim Jawaher, the naturalised athlete who caused a furore by competing in Israel, has never been stripped of Bahraini citizenship, well-placed sources on Tuesday told Gulf News.
- By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief
- Published: 00:00 January 17, 2007
- Image Credit: AP
- Mushir Salem Jawher, the naturalised athlete who caused a furore by competing in Israel.
Manama: Moshir Salim Jawaher, the naturalised athlete who caused a furore by competing in Israel, has never been stripped of Bahraini citizenship, well-placed sources on Tuesday told Gulf News.
"The Bahraini nationality is granted by the king and can be revoked only by the king or a judiciary power," the sources said. "No other institution, including the Bahrain Athletics Association, has the authority to strip a naturalised Bahraini of citizenship," the sources said.
Local and international media have reported that the Kenyan-born distance runner reportedly lost his Bahrain citizenship after taking part in a marathon in Israel at the weekend without the consent of the Bahraini sports authorities. The media have quoted statements issued in Manama.
Jawaher, known as Leonard Mucheru before obtaining Bahraini citizenship in 2003, was the first runner from an Arab country to take part in the Tiberius Marathon. He also made history by winning the race and the $20,000 (about Dh73,400) prize.
But news in Bahrain's Al Ayam newspaper about his participation in Israel has led to an outcry by deputies and opponents of naturalisation, a highly delicate issue in the kingdom.
Bahrain's General Organisation for Youth and Sports (GOYS) President Shaikh Fawaz Bin Mohammad Al Khalifa said Jawaher had taken a personal initiative to participate in the marathon and was not representing Bahrain.
"He participated using his Kenyan passport and had travelled to Israel from Kenya," he said.
The athletics association expressed "disbelief, shock and regret" over the participation and said "a committee of sports and government authorities decided to expunge his name off our records and revoke his Bahraini nationality for violating the laws of the country".
The decision effectively made Jawaher stateless since Kenya, his country of origin, does not allow dual citizenship and has reportedly said the runner may face police charges for using a Kenyan passport to enter Israel.
It also led to calls for a serious international debate about top athletes "selling" their nationalities to earn lucrative deals.
"Is GOYS simply going to buy their athletes and naturalise them to win for us by proxy? Does Bahrain really need to go out of its way to sign up these athletes? ... I suggest that it should be managed with long-term strategic thinking.
"One way to use this phenomenon is to put in place the tools to transfer the experience of these world-class athletes to local budding Bahrainis," Bahrain's best-known blogger Yousuf Al Mahmoud wrote in his blog.
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