Kashmiris, Nigerians slam Bahrain over cleric’s citizenship revocation
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Bahraini Shia clerics attend a protest against the revocation of the citizenship of top Bahraini Shia cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim (portrait) near his house in the village of Diraz, west of the Bahraini capital, Manama
Scores of religious figures and analysts in the Indian-administered Kashmir region and in Nigeria have voiced their support for prominent Bahraini Shia cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim, and expressed protest at the Al Khalifah regime’s decision to strip him of his citizenship.
On Friday, Kashmiri religious and political leaders described the move against the spiritual leader of Bahrain’s main opposition bloc, the al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, as “provocative” as it could stoke sectarian tensions and promote further mistrust in the Arab country, as Press TV reported.
“By the incarceration of opposition figures, the destruction of places of worship and the revocation of citizenship, the Persian Gulf kingdom of Bahrain is adding fuel to the fire,” Aga Syed Hasan Almosvi Alsafvi, the president of Anjuman-e-Sharie Shian, told Press TV. “It seems the Manama regime is toeing the line of Saudi Arabia by resorting to brutal force to suppress dissent.”
Masroor Abbas Ansari, a member of the Jammu & Kashmir Ittihadul Muslimeen (JKIM) political party, said, “The move is highly condemnable. His only fault is that he is demanding greater civilian and political rights for his people.”
Separately, the Islamic Movement in Nigeria censured the measure against Bahrain’s 79-year-old top Shia cleric, saying that his citizenship revocation is part of the Al Khalifah regime’s intimidation campaign aimed at silencing dissidents.
It added that citizenship is the birth right of every person of a state and the Bahraini regime’s irrational move would increase social unrest there.
The movement further said that the Al Khalifah regime should be reminded that Sheikh Qassim has been in the hearts and minds of Bahrainis for 50 years, and his call for a peaceful and democratic change has inspired civil society and political activism.
EA
