AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Mar'at al-Bahrain, in an op-ed by Zainab Ali, raising the question "What does the Bahraini regime want from the Shias?", examined the recent set of government actions toward the Shia community and religious institutions.
Over 100 Weeks of Restrictions on Shia Friday Prayer
The op-ed begins by stating that more than 100 weeks have passed since the prevention of the holding of the largest Shia Friday prayer in Bahrain, and the continuation of this situation, from the author's perspective, shows that the issue cannot be considered merely a temporary decision or a temporary security measure.
The author goes on to refer to a series of other actions that, according to her, have been pursued alongside these restrictions, including the arrest of a number of Shia scholars, restrictions on the use of loudspeakers, prevention of some mourning processions, and the imposition of new regulations for preachers, eulogists, chanters, and religious missionaries.
In this context, the requirement to obtain a permit and present a certificate of "good conduct and behavior" for religious activists is also among the items criticized in this op-ed.
In recent days, reports have also been published about new regulations by Bahrain's Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs, and Endowments regarding the issuance of permits for preaching and guidance activities.
"Regulating Religious Affairs" or Controlling the Religious Atmosphere?
Raising the question of whether the Bahraini government is seeking to "regulate religious affairs" or "control them," the author writes that the set of actions taken cannot be interpreted merely within the framework of managing mosques and pulpits.
In this analysis, it is claimed that the existing process could move toward determining who has the right to speak about religion, what content they can raise, and what boundaries they should not cross.
This op-ed emphasizes that the main concern is not merely the issuance of a permit or the imposition of an administrative regulation; rather, from the author's perspective, the issue is the state's entry into an area that forms an important part of the social and religious identity of the Shia community.
Concern About the Independence of the Pulpit and Religious Institutions
Another part of the op-ed states that if the government goes beyond managing public affairs and intervenes in the form and content of religious discourse and the selection of speakers, religion will no longer be seen as an independent sphere in society, but will become an area under the supervision and guidance of the government.
The author also warns about the transformation of conditions and regulations into a tool for selecting scholars, preachers, and eulogists based on their level of political alignment and believes that in such circumstances, scholarly and social criteria may give way to the degree of acceptability to the ruling authority.
In recent days, a number of Bahrain's ma'tams and husseiniyas, in a joint statement, have considered the requirement for preachers, speakers, and chanters to obtain advance permits as interference in religious affairs and a form of guardianship over the pulpits and Husseini gatherings.
From an Independent Pulpit to an "Approved Pulpit"
This op-ed, raising the view that the religious pulpit should have the ability to advise, criticize, and defend people's rights, warns that if only government-approved speech is allowed to be raised on the pulpits, the social and moral role of religion will be restricted.
The author asks whether the government seeks a religious scholar or a "religious employee"? Does it want an independent pulpit or a pulpit that has been pre-approved? And should religious discourse arise from the belief and discernment of its holders, or should it pass through the path of permits and security oversight before being raised?
In this regard, reports published in Mar'at al-Bahrain have reported the issuance of more than 15 statements in various regions of Bahrain and the holding of gatherings in protest against the new regulations related to preaching and guidance; protesters have considered these regulations as interference in religious affairs and restrictive of the independence of Shia religious institutions.
Warning About the Transformation of Religious Freedom into an Administrative Process
The author goes on to emphasize that an independent religious scholar is not merely an individual who enjoys personal freedom, but his independence is part of his moral and social credibility before the people.
From the perspective of this op-ed, the religious community needs a scholar who can criticize both the ruler and the people if they err; according to the author, a scholar who can tell the ruler "you have erred," warn society about its mistakes, and defend the oppressed against oppression.
This analysis also warns that if the criterion for accepting a scholar or preacher is the extent of his alignment with and obedience to government policies, the result could be the gradual emptying of religious discourse of its critical and social content.
Questions That Do Not End with the Issuance of Permits
The Mar'at al-Bahrain op-ed concludes by considering the issue to go beyond Friday prayer, security permits, or obtaining a certificate of good conduct and behavior, and links it to the broader issue of the relationship between the state and religion and the limits of state interference in religious affairs.
The author emphasizes that the Shia community has the right to ask about the reasons for these restrictions: Are religious rituals to be held freely or dependent on a government permit? Should a religious scholar maintain his independence, or does he need government approval for religious activity? And should the pulpit be a witness to the truth, or merely a spokesperson approved by power?
This op-ed ultimately writes that the increase in restrictions will not necessarily lead to the end of existing questions, and the more the scope of oversight and control over the religious sphere expands, the more prominent the question about the limits of the relationship between the government and religious institutions will become. In recent reports, this media outlet has also criticized the process of new regulations as part of the increase in oversight of religious activities and Shia pulpits.
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