Defending Sheikh Qassim A Religious Duty: Bahraini Scholars
In the statement issued on Friday, they also called on all Bahrainis to continue their peaceful protests against the ruling regime, al-Lulu website reported.
Referring to a regime attack on the supporters of Sheikh Qassim in the village of Diraz on Wednesday, the scholars invited everyone to take part in demonstrations across the Persian Gul country in protest at the attack with the motto of "We Will Defend Our Religion and Our Dignity”.
On Friday, people staged rallies across Bahrain following the Friday Prayers in condemnation of the regime forces’ attack on the cleric’s supporters in Diraz.
The protesters took to the streets in the villages of Saar, Eker, Nuwaidrat, Abu Saiba, As Sahlah al-Fawqiyah, Sanabis, Karbabad, Ma’ameer and Karzakan in addition to A'ali town and Bilad al-Qadeem suburb of Manama to express their solidarity with the prominent clergyman and his followers.
Bahrainis carried national flags and chanted slogans against the ruling dynasty in Saar village.
In Nuwaidrat, regime forces used tear gas and birdshots to disperse the protesting crowd.
On June 20, 2016, Bahraini authorities stripped Sheikh Qassim of his nationality.
They later dissolved the Islamic Enlightenment Institution, founded by the clergyman, in addition to the opposition al-Risala Islamic Association.
Thousands of anti-regime protesters have held numerous demonstrations in Bahrain on an almost daily basis ever since a popular uprising began in the kingdom on February 14, 2011.
They are demanding that the Al Khalifa dynasty relinquish power and a just system representing all Bahrainis be established.
Manama has spared no effort to clamp down on the dissent and rights activists. On March 14, 2011, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were deployed to Bahrain to assist the Manama government in its crackdown.
Scores of people have lost their lives and hundreds of others sustained injuries or got arrested as a result of Al Khalifa regime’s crackdown on anti-regime activists.
