AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Bahraini news outlet Mir’at al-Bahrain has criticised the government’s approach towards Shia religious traditions, alleging that cultural events such as Japanese animation festivals are permitted while religious gatherings organised by the Shia community face strict restrictions.
In its report, Mir’at al-Bahrain stated that the authorities impose stringent measures on Islamic religious occasions associated with the Shia community, despite these traditions having been observed by Bahrainis for decades. In contrast, events celebrating other cultures are openly promoted in the name of cultural exchange and greater understanding of different societies.
The report highlighted a Japanese animation film festival held for the third consecutive year at Al Dana Commercial Centre in Bahrain. According to the outlet, government media presented the event as an opportunity to encourage cultural exchange and familiarise people with other cultures.
Mir’at al-Bahrain questioned why the government adopts a different approach towards Shia religious traditions and majalis if it supports cultural diversity, openness and tolerance. The report argued that religious practices rooted in Bahrain’s Islamic heritage, including the display of Hussaini flags and the organisation of religious gatherings, should enjoy the same freedom as other public events.
According to the outlet, the issue is not the organisation of cultural festivals or the opportunity to learn about other traditions. Rather, it concerns what the report describes as unequal treatment, whereby some events are encouraged while Shia religious practices are treated as security concerns.
Mir’at al-Bahrain called on the authorities to ensure fair treatment of Shia religious traditions, majalis, religious speakers and zakirs—reciters who deliver religious elegies and recount events associated with Karbala. It urged the government to uphold the principles of religious freedom, equality and tolerance.
The report has renewed discussion about religious expression in Bahrain and the treatment of the country’s Shia community. At the centre of the debate is whether the principles of cultural openness and tolerance extended to international cultural festivals should also apply to long-established religious traditions within Bahraini society.
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