Re-reading history makes one think that the opposition’s meeting with the King on May 19, 2004 would have led to a turning point.

On May 21, 2004, the Sheikh was directly attacked by security forces as he led a demonstration on Saif Street. It was a mysterious incident, but its ambiguity in itself revealed the contradictions of the relationship between the King and Sheikh Isa Qassim.

Why did the King take advantage of every incident to open a political dispute with Sheikh Isa Qassim? Why did he want a dispute and not a dialogue?

The emergence of Sheikh Isa Qassim as a unifying leader and as high authority of the Shia in Bahrain is reminiscent of the role of Sheikh Khalaf Al-Asfour, and is perceived by the authorities as a threat of history repeating itself.

The meeting between the Crown Prince and Sheikh Qassim in October 2002 also seemed that it did not succeed in containing the Shiite sect by rentier state accords.