[Arab News] A parliament group asked Bahrain's king on Monday to impose martial law after a month of unrest that has left the tiny Gulf nation sharply divided between minority Sunni Mohammedans backing the ruling system and Shiites demanding sweeping changes.The parliament bloc's statement, carried by the state-run Bahrain News Agency, asked for a three-month declaration of martial law and claimed "extremist movements" were trying to disrupt the country and push it toward sectarian conflict. The appeal also seeks a curfew and the dispatch of army units around the country.
An adviser to the royal court, meanwhile, said from neighboring Gulf Arab countries have arrived to help maintain law and order on the strategic island kingdom.
"Forces from the Gulf Cooperation Council have arrived in Bahrain to maintain order and security," Nabeel Al-Hamer, a former information minister, said on his Twitter feed late on Sunday.
Bahrain has asked for help from neighboring Gulf Arab countries after protesters overwhelmed police and cut off roads, and an adviser to the royal court has said the forces were already on the strategic island kingdom.
Gulf Daily News, a newspaper close to Bahrain's powerful prime minister, reported on Monday that forces from the GCC, a six-member regional bloc, would protect strategic facilities.
There was no immediate response from Bahrain's monarch, but authorities have expressed increasing frustration that opposition groups have not accepted offers to open dialogue aimed at easing the crisis.
Shiites, who account for 70 percent of the population, have long complained of systematic discrimination by the Sunni dynasty that has ruled for more than two centuries.
The grievances include allegations of being blackballed from key government and security posts. They also strongly object to government policies that give citizenship and jobs to Sunnis from other Arab countries and South Asia as a way to offset the Shiites' demographic edge.
The main opposition groups have called for the Sunni rulers to give up most of their powers to the elected parliament. But, as violence has deepened, many protesters now say they want to topple the entire royal family.
The parliament appeal comes a day after protesters blocked main highways to Bahrain's financial district and battles erupted on the campus of the main university, which has suspended classes indefinitely.