Hizbullah Slams Bahrain Revocation of Shiite Cleric Citizenship as 'Very Dangerous Step'
Hizbullah on Monday slammed a decision by Bahraini authorities to revoke the citizenship of the Sunni-ruled kingdom's top Shiite cleric Sheikh Issa Qassem , calling the move “unprecedented” and “very dangerous.”
“The Bahraini regime's step is very dangerous seeing as His Eminence is a senior religious leader who has an important position in his country and at the level of the Ummah, and because he represents a true guarantee for Bahrain's present and future,” Hizbullah's media department said in a statement.
“This move indicates that Bahrain's authorities have reached the end of the road in dealing with the peaceful popular protest movement. They have sent a very wrongful message that there will be no reform, rights, dialogue or political approach,” the party added.
It warned that “the regime's foolishness and recklessness will push the Bahraini people to tough choices whose repercussions will be severe for this corrupt, dictatorial regime.”
Hizbullah also called on “all Bahraini, Arab and international religious and political authorities and rights groups” to “press the Bahrain regime to reverse its decision immediately” and to convince it to “reach an understanding with the people in order to overcome the complicated political crisis.”
The Lebanese, Iran-backed party also urged Bahrain's people to “decisively express their anger and dismay over the attack on their great icon.”
Qassem, considered the Shiite community's spiritual leader, abused his position to "serve foreign interests and promote... sectarianism and violence," Bahrain's interior ministry said earlier on Monday.
He had been a strong proponent of "absolute allegiance to the clergy," while maintaining continuous contact with "organizations and parties that are enemies of the kingdom," it charged.
There was no immediate indication of Qassem's fate but, in theory, he would be left stateless and could face deportation through a legal process.
In 2015, authorities stripped 208 Bahrainis of their citizenship, according to the New York-based Human Rights Watch. It says at least five people whose nationality had been revoked were deported in February and March.
The decision against Qassem follows the suspension of Bahrain's main Shiite opposition group, al-Wefaq, whose political chief Sheikh Ali Salman is serving a nine-year jail term on charge of inciting violence.
The latest move in the escalating crackdown on opposition triggered fresh tensions and street protests in Qassem's home village of Diraz, west of the capital Manama, witnesses said.
Y.R.
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