Sectarianism and the Arab Spring: Framing the popular protests in Bahrain

Abstract

Inspired by the events of the Arab Spring, political activists in Bahrain organized an anti-government demonstration on 14 February 2011, which resulted in the death of one protestor. Hundreds of other protests followed, and popular anger against the Sunni monarchy is still a vital issue in the Kingdom. From the earliest stages, the Bahraini government, which is closely aided by other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, framed the protests as an Iran-backed conspiracy against the Gulf in an attempt to spread Shiism and infiltrate into the region. This sectarian dimension became the dominant frame in order to discredit the cause of the mostly Shiite protestors who were asking for equal rights and job opportunities. This study investigates the different issues and sentiments framed by the commentators as well as the main online communities that were present. Despite its importance in providing a vital venue for the online public sphere and in documenting popular protests, YouTube is also a platform for schism as flaming and highly sectarian exchanges of comments are frequently made.