2.6 A Stateless Man of Persian origin who prefers to
be Anonymous
J.S. was born in Bahrain in 1980 to a father and grandfather who were both stateless.
His grandparents arrived from Iran and moved to Bahrain in 1946 to work in the pearl
fishing industry. Bahrain is well-known for its pearl-rich sea, which attracts traders
and divers to the country. After the country���s creation,
the Persian-rootedcommunity was stranded in Bahrain, leaving a massive
number of people stateless. J.S. has no anti-government activities or activism,
works for a construction company, is married, and has five stateless children as well.
In a semi-structured online interview with him, J.S., born stateless in Bahrain and
now 40, identified himself as someone without an identity on this planet. However,
he felt that he belonged to Bahrain and the Bahraini community. J.S. illustrated that
he thinks he is semi-Bahraini and not a “full Bahraini with rights. “. J.S. demonstrated
that he has five children, and all of them are stateless as well, but they don’t know
that they are stateless, and he doesn’t want to inform them about this painful reality,
as he expressed. J.S. added that he doesn’t want his children to feel inferior and does
not want them to be bullied and ridiculed by their classmates at school. Despite all
the pain that he went through in his life, J.S. is proud to be part of Bahrain’s
community and land, and he considers Bahrain’s culture and tradition to represent
him and reflect his being. J.S. concluded that he is inconsistent in following with all
Government Bodies to obtain nationality and put an end to this suffering and denial
of his rights. 20
20 Interview with J.S, The File is with the Author, the interview was conducted on July 6, 2024.
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