web
You’re offline. This is a read only version of the page.
close

Bahrain | 28 June 2016

Bahrain: Top Shiite cleric"s citizenship revoked

Show: false / Country: Bahrain /
ABC News reported on 20 June 2016 that the government of Bahrain had revoked the citizenship of the country"s top Shiite cleric on the grounds that he had been forming radical groups which followed "foreign religious ideologies and political entities". Sheikh Isa Qassim is therefore officially regarded as an agent of Iran and the decision to revoke his citizenship brought contrasting responses. According to ABC News, the move was "welcomed by Bahrain's Sunni-led allies". BBC News, reporting on 20 June, quoted an Iranian general"s statement warning of "armed resistance in the country". Thousands of supporters have gathered in the vicinity of the cleric"s home. Yonas Dembele, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, comments: "In a region that has plenty of problems, this can only make things worse. Bahrain was the epicenter of a showdown between Iran and Saudi Arabia during the uprising in 2011. This incident could create another possibility for the two countries to wage their proxy war. For Christians in the country, any unrest adds to the pressure they have already been facing in the country. Furthermore, any prolonged unrest in the country would have a profound impact on the stability of the whole region."  

 

Related Articles

Our site uses cookies

Save

We use cookies and other technologies on our website. Some of them are essential, while others help us to improve this website and your experience. We use them, among other things, to offer you an option for secure donations and anonymously evaluate access to our website. It also allows us to share our own YouTube videos on the website. Depending on the function, the data is passed on to third parties and processed by them. More information on The use of your data can be found in our Privacy Policy. You can revoke or adjust your choice at any time under Cookie Settings.

Accept all
 
Accept Neccessary