Bahrain stands up for Indian worker, who was slapped by its national; as video goes viral, four arrested (Watch video)

A still of the viral video, which shows a Bahraini slapping an Indian worker (video below)

Staff correspondent, August 6, 2015, NewsCrunch

In a rare move for a Gulf country, Bahrain arrested four of its nationals for abusing an expat Indian worker after a video, which captured the incident, went viral.

The 27-second video reportedly shot last Saturday has been shared by over 140,000 times on YouTube and the page has been flooded with comments, reportedly in support of the unfortunate worker.

The video shows a Bahraini man delivering a stinging slap to a worker, who has been identified as an Indian. The well-built Bahraini in shorts and a red baseball cap slaps hard the Indian, who is holding a bucket and probably washing a car. There are other voices in the background, but not seen in the video, which burst in laughter and pass sarcastic remarks in Arabic.

Reeling from the impact of the slap, the Indian worker staggers away clutching his cheek with his hand.

Foreign Minister of Bahrain Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa, who came in strong support of Indian worker

The video created an outrage in Bahrain, relatively the most progressive of the Gulf countries. People shared it on social media  condemning the act.

The Foreign Minister of Bahrain Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa condemned the act and tweeted in support of the Indian worker.

“He (The worker) came all the way from his country to work so hard for some money. And then, a despicable person comes along and slaps him. May God grant him his rights from the aggressor,” he tweeted reports The Gulf News.
After the Foreign Minister's tweet, the police of Riffa, a city in Southern Governorate district, acted and arrested four Bahrainis, who feature in the video. The names of the culprits nor the identity of the worker has been revealed.

While the abuse of expat workers all over the Gulf is common, it is perhaps for the first time, the issue has claimed the attention of any nation.

BBC translated a few comments which have been posted on social media by the Bahraini people in response to the video.

"Everything comes back around in time and one day the Gulfies will work for the Indians, and then see how they will treat them. You don't believe it? Read history," said a comment on YouTube.

"If you use your power to abuse people, then remember Allah's power over you. The act which was carried out by you is abuse," read a tweet. Another comment said "It is the lowest and most despicable thing to slap a poor person who cannot defend himself and it is even more despicable to film the incident."
Around half of the total population of Bahrain of 1.2 million people comprises of expats. Around 460,000 migrant workers, mostly from Asia, make up 77% of Bahrain's private workforce.

They often complain of problems such as unpaid wages, passport confiscation, unsafe housing, excessive work hours, physical abuse and forced labour.

Video of a Bahraini slapping an Indian worker goes viral; in rare move in Gulf, four arrested for crime