Hezbollah Slams Attack on Cleric House

Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah has condemned an attack by Bahraini regime forces on house of top Shia cleric Ayatollah Sheikh Issa Ahmed Qassim, Press TV reports.

News ID: 263

Date: 19 May 2013 - 01:33

In a Friday statement, Hezbollah said that it considered the move as “a clear and dangerous violation” of religious sanctities and the rights of Islamic figures.

Earlier on Friday, Bahraini forces raided Sheikh Issa Qassim’s home in the village of Diraz and searched the house.

Witnesses said the regime forces broke the doors of Sheikh Qassim’s house and damaged his property.

Women and children of the sheikh's family were in the house at the time of the raid, but the sheikh was not at home.

Hezbollah also expressed its anger at the desecration of the home of the cleric, voicing its solidarity with Sheikh Issa Qassim.

“Hezbollah calls on the faithful and courageous Bahraini people to be united behind his eminence,” the statement said.

The resistance movement called on the Arab and Muslim states to exert pressure on Bahraini regime to stop aggressions against religious and civil leaders and respond to the rightful demands of the Bahraini people in accomplishing reforms, justice and equality.

In reaction to the move, Bahraini people took to streets of a number of villages near the capital Manama to reaffirm their support for the top Shia cleric.

Born in 1937, Sheikh Issa Qassem is often referred to as the spiritual leader of Bahrain’s main opposition party, the al-Wefaq National Islamic Society.

The Bahraini uprising began in mid-February 2011, when the people, inspired by the popular revolutions that toppled the dictators of Tunisia and Egypt, started holding massive demonstrations.

The Bahraini government promptly launched a brutal crackdown on the peaceful protests and called in Saudi-led Arab forces from neighboring states.

Dozens of people have been killed in the crackdown, and the security forces have arrested hundreds, including doctors and nurses accused of treating injured revolutionaries.

A report published by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry in November 2011 found that the Al Khalifa regime had used excessive force in the crackdown and accused Manama of torturing political activists, politicians, and protesters.

Bahrainis say they will continue holding demonstrations until their demand for the establishment of a democratically elected government is met.