Bahrain has about 4oo civic groups

Since the launch of Bahrain's political reforms four years ago, civic groups have mushroomed and their increasing number has become a joke among Bahrainis.

According to official figures, there are about 400 civic groups in Bahrain today or one for every 1,000 citizens.

Some say it is a healthy phenomenon while others say it is just absurd and an obstacle to any serious attempt to formulate a unified national agenda.

However, many societies are not active as they should be and seem like they have been frozen where others are highly active.

According to an economic researcher, Ebrahim Sharif, the Bahrainis should give up the thought of depriving others of the right to practise their cultural freedom.

"We should not put barriers in the way of establishing civic societies. Let them contribute to the society and the best will survive while those inactive will vanish eventually," he continued.

Sharif stressed the fact that the ministry of social affairs should not consider cutting down the number of societies but let them work as long as no harm is done to the society at large.

According to an official at the ministry, there are 388 societies in Bahrain.

The official, who did not want to be named, said that according to the Bahraini law a group of 10 adults can apply to establish a civic society as long as they share common interests and goals. In other words, it is not difficult to form a society.

"We want to have strong and active civic societies which focus on the quality not the quantity," said the president of Bahraini Doctors' Society, Dr Ali Al Aradi.