AhlulBayt News Agency: The event took place on the evening of Thursday, June 26, 2025. It marked the annual flag-raising ceremony honoring Imam Hussein (A), a tradition that has become deeply rooted in Bahrain's Shia community. With devotion and reverence, participants marched through the streets of Manama holding the red flag of Imam Hussein (A), a powerful emblem of resistance and spiritual loyalty.
This public expression of faith came despite attempts by the ruling Al Khalifa regime to suppress such displays. The government has long employed threats, security restrictions, and systematic repression to silence Shia religious rituals. Yet, the large-scale participation in the flag ceremony once again proved that the love for Imam Hussein (A) cannot be extinguished by force.
Just a day earlier, regime forces raided the town of Diraz in an effort to tear down religious banners and eliminate signs of the upcoming Ashura commemorations. In the ensuing clashes, a young man named Hassan Al-Anfooz was seriously injured after being struck in the head. Nonetheless, residents stood their ground in defense of their religious practices.
As bulldozers and armed forces attempted to erase the symbols of mourning, Bahraini citizens responded with chants of “Labayk Ya Hussein,” confronting the crackdown with unity and courage.
Over recent years, the Bahraini government has repeatedly targeted Shia religious ceremonies, especially during Ashura and Arbaeen, using harsh restrictions and outright bans. Human rights organizations such as the Bahrain Center for Human Rights and Human Rights Watch have frequently condemned these violations of religious freedom.
Yet the spirit of the Hussaini tradition endures. The raising of Imam Hussein’s flag in Manama sends a clear message: Bahrain’s people remain resolute in their faith, steadfast in their cultural identity, and committed to resisting oppression—even under some of the harshest conditions in the Gulf region.
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