Bahrain human rights advocate warns of unprecedented crackdown on Shia community

Baqer Darwish said the sweeping arrests reflect a broader political effort to suppress dissenting religious voices and reshape the country’s religious landscape amid regional tensions, reported Taqrib News Agency (TNA).

He denounced the Bahraini security authorities—backed by the United Arab Emirates—of carrying out an unprecedented crackdown on the country’s Shia community.

He noted that recent large‑scale arrests of clerics and religious figures reflect a broader effort to undermine Shia religious structures, particularly in light of their refusal to support the war against Iran and their opposition to normalization initiatives with Israel.

According to Darwish, those detained include senior clerics, Friday prayer leaders, seminary administrators, representatives of religious authorities in Najaf and Qom, scholars, and preachers.

He added that even founding members of the Islamic Scholars Council, formerly headed by Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim, are among the detainees. Official statements by the Interior Ministry referencing seminaries, mosques, Hussainiyas, religious institutions, and even religious rulings, he said, indicate preparations for wide‑ranging restrictions against Shia‑affiliated centers.

Darwish further claimed that authorities have begun criminalizing certain Shia beliefs, noting that the concept of “jurisprudence” has been described as extremist, while asserting that the real sources of violence lie elsewhere.

He called on Muslim scholars worldwide to condemn sectarian incitement and to defend religious diversity and citizens’ rights. He also urged media organizations to expose abuses, highlight violations, and prevent these events from fading from international attention.

Reports indicate that since the outbreak of the recent US-Israeli aggression against Iran, Bahraini authorities have intensified arrests, detentions, and citizenship revocations. Human rights groups say more than 300 citizens—including women and children—have been detained, with one person reportedly killed outside legal procedures. Numerous clerics have also been arrested based on unfounded charges.