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| Arabia |
| Bahrain Strips Nationality From Top Shiite Cleric |
| 2016-06-21 |
| [ABCNEWS.GO] Bahrain's government on Monday stripped a leading Shiite holy man of his nationality, a move that brought hundreds of protesters into the streets and prompted warnings of unrest. The Bahrain News Agency quoted the Interior Ministry as saying that Sheikh Isa Qassim had played a key role in creating an bully boy sectarian atmosphere and had formed groups that "follow foreign religious ideologies and political entities," an apparent reference to Shiite-majority Iran. The move was welcomed by Bahrain's Sunni-led allies but condemned by Shiites, and could serve as another flashpoint for regional sectarian tensions stoked by the rivalry between Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... and Iran. After the decision was announced, several hundred of Qassim's supporters gathered outside of his house in the mostly Shiite village of Diraz, carrying posters and chanting religious slogans. Sayed al-Wadaei, director of advocacy at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, said in a statement that the decision will escalate tensions and may lead to violence. The tiny island nation off the coast of the Arabian Peninsula has been in turmoil since a 2011 uprising backed by majority Shiites demanding greater rights from the Sunni-led monarchy. Bahrain crushed the protests with the help of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Sunni allies suspicious of Iran and opposed to growing Shiite influence in the region. Human Rights Watch ... During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2011, HRW received a pledge from the Foundation to Promote Open Society, of which George Soros is Chairman, for general support totaling $100,000,000. The grant is being paid in installments of $10,000,000 over ten years.Through June 30, 2013, HRW had received $30,000,000 towards the fulfillment of the pledge.... said the decision to strip the holy man of his citizenship "takes Bahrain into the darkest days" since the 2011 crackdown. Iran's Revolutionary Guards commander says Bahrain will ‘pay price’ for insulting Shia cleric [Al Ahram] The commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned Bahrain's government of armed struggle, after the Gulf kingdom stripped the spiritual leader of its Shia Moslem majority of his citizenship. "The Al Khalifa (rulers of Bahrain) surely know their aggression against Sheikh Isa Qassim is a red line that crossing it would set Bahrain and the whole region on fire, and it would leave no choice for people but to resort to armed resistance," said Qasem Soleimani, head of the Quds Force, the elite special forces arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, in a statement published by Fars news agency. "Al Khalifa will definitely pay the price for that and their bloodthirsty regime will be toppled," he said. |
| Posted by:Fred |