Following these successes, Mr Khalid has been outspoken on several other issues: he described rebel fighters facing assault by US troops in Fallujah in Iraq as ‘heroes’, which had led to clashes with Shia MPs. He criticized the annual Spring of Culture arts festival, jointly sponsored by Batelco and the Ministry of Culture, in 2006 as the ‘Spring of Sakhafa’ (Silliness) and stating that clean tourism in the country is dead. In 2007, he branded the festival as the 'Spring of Sex'; in 2005 he described young people competing in the Arab version of Star Academy as ‘scum’ and in 2004, he alleged that Satanists in Bahrain are organizing rock concerts as cover for devil worship.