The latest demand comes after three weeks of marches for political change in the kingdom.
Thousands marched on the immigration office in the Bahraini capital of Manama, carrying slogans that said in Arabic “The naturalized must get out.”
“All those that are naturalized will be pro-government, and those in the police and army will follow their orders even if they are against the Bahraini people,” said protester Khaled Ali.
Protesters said they only oppose settling those foreigners who are recruited to serve in the armed forces.
The opposition also complains that families of naturalized immigrants have better access to government services such as housing, education and health. “We want them out because they’re sharing the services with original Bahrainis. We have to wait 15 years for (government) housing, and they get it immediately after arriving,” said Ali.
Opposition activists estimate that up to half of Bahrain’s approximately 20,000-strong national security apparatus could be made up of immigrants from Pakistan, Jordan and Yemen.
The government says there is no plan to change the country’s sectarian balance and that all naturalization is done with full transparency and in accordance with Bahrain’s immigration policies.
Meanwhile, the country’s opposition groups met to try to curb sectarian tensions that have escalated into street fights after weeks of protests aimed at bringing down the government.
“The two sides agreed that political disagreements... must not turn into a sectarian dispute,” the seven parties said in a statement.
