Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): Bahrain Mirror issued the second edition of the Jaw Novel on Wednesday (February 15, 2017). "Jaw," a literary work written by a Bahraini political prisoner, was well received by readers and gained popularity in the country.

The independent online newspaper said that the first edition of the novel sold out, after it became highly demanded since mid-January 2017.

Following the execution of Abbas Al-Samie, Ali Al-Singace and Sami Mushaima, Bahrain Mirror posted a excerpt from the novel in which the author revealed details about martyr Al-Samie for the first time, confirming that he learned them for him personally.

The author said that he met martyr Abbas Al-Samie after the Jaw Prison events that took place on March 10, 2015. Al-Samie stressed that he was subjected to beatings at the hands of members the slain Emirati officer Tariq Al-Shehi's family, who is accused of killing.

After this information was circulated on a large scale, the Jaw novel gained more popularity in Bahrain and the Arab world, and the online purchase of the book (hard copy) increased.

This prompted Bahrain Mirror to make available a free digital version of the novel, which went viral and caused a wave of reactions. The novel became a major source of information about the nature of the conditions in Jaw Prison and the March 2015 events.

"Jaw" was published on the International Human Rights Day (December 10, 2016). The novel was written inside prison by a political prisoner under the alias "Jihad". Jihad recounted the sufferings they endured in Central Jaw Prison on March 10, 2015.

The novel also includes confessions of Jordanian officers stating that they were ordered to torture prisoners of conscience in Bahrain, since they are deemed "disbelievers and Rafidis (derogatory term used against Muslim Shiites)".

After proofreading and reviewing the novel, Bahrain Mirror took on the task of publishing and printing the book. "Jihad" said that he finished writing it in 84 days on smuggled papers and 10 pens he managed to get a hold of occasionally yet with extreme difficulty.

Heart-Touching

Readers were very touched by the novel and expressed their great admiration via the hashtag #Jaw_Novel on Twitter which garnered thousands of tweet.

Some described it as "heart touching and reopens wounds," others said it was expression of pain on paper, while many stressed it is heroic and humane story that everyone should read to feel with the sufferings of political prisoners and the oppression they experience.

Some also tweeted quotes from the novel and wondered how "Jihad" endured all that pain. One tweeter even said that whoever wants to read Jaw must not have a faint heart to endure it.

Reviews

On the Goodreads website, there were dozens of comments and reviews on the novel. Its overall rating amounted to 4.5 out of 5, which is considered very high for a literary work.

One reviewer named Fatima Alammar said that It "is a book that might tear (break) you." Another reader called Kawthar described the book as a "dose of pain that ignited inside her a fire she thought was put out long ago." She further stated that she cannot fathom the level of faith and patience these prisoners have to endure what they endured moment by moment.

For her part, Zeinab Ismail said that if you look at the author of the novel, you see that he is neither a man of literature nor a writer, but rather a man of a rightful cause. She adds that the book is full of pains and as deep as their brutal love for their homeland.

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Arabic Version