Thousands of Bahrainis Mark Ashura in Manama despite Measures by Authorites

Rasa - Thousands of Bahrainis on Sunday managed to break all the regime’s measures taken in the capital Manama to ban the worshippers from marking the Tenth of Muharram anniversary, gathering next to Al-Khawaja mosque and performing the central prayer.

News ID: 432821

Date: 01 October 2017 - 21:25

RNA - The deputy secretary general of Al-Wefaq Islamic Association Sheikh Hussein Dihi delivered a speech in which he warned against the seriousness of the regime’s aggression policy against the majority of the people, stressing that the Bahrainis would never be defeated, Al Manar reported.

Later, Ashura processions set off in the city as participators chanted slogans in support of the clerics persecuted by the regime authorities.

The Ashura commemoration in Bahrain comes as Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, the largest opposition political group in Bahrain, earlier this week condemned the Bahraini authorities' continued attacks on Ashura-related religious manifestations.

"We salute the people of our nation who are concentrating all their energies on commemorating this great anniversary," said Al-Wefaq in its statement adding that they "emphasize the importance of massively attending hussainiyas and Ashura processions and events."

Al-Wefaq Society further condemned the Bahraini regime's continued practice of the same violations against the religious manifestations of the Ashura season," deeming "this behavior is a systematic policy and a constant feature every year, representing a determination on fighting religious freedoms and freedom of belief."

"This policy targets a major component of the Islamic communities in the country and restricts religious freedoms, in violation of the constitution and international covenants, and reflects the size of the gap between the regime and the people," the statement added.

Al-Wefaq stressed that "while the regime promotes loose slogans inside the country and abroad, establishes institutions, and sends delegations that talk about Bahrain's embrace of religious tolerance, several regions of Bahrain witness the authorities' continuous use of the policy of sectarian oppression and racial intolerance. 43 violations of Ashura manifestations have been recorded, including assaults on Ashura-related flags, banners and food stands in 15 areas, and summoning or arbitrarily detaining 19 citizens, including managers of hussainiyas and residents, who were later released."

Concluding their statement, the opposition group highlighted that Bahrainis have been practicing these religious rituals in religious seasons for hundreds of years, before the establishment of the modern state in Bahrain and the arrival of the ruling family. "This led the local legislator to dedicate articles to protect this right in explicit texts, alternately in the 1973 Constitution and others. However, the authorities deliberately used this right as a tool of political revenge against the Shiites in Bahrain."

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