AhlulBayt News Agency: In a statement criticising decisions requiring religious ceremonies and rituals to obtain government approval, a group of Bahraini clerics urged the public not to attend congregational prayers led by imams who have secured such permits. They also called on people to stay away from sermons, mourning gatherings and religious processions held with government authorisation.
The clerics said that accepting and complying with these decisions would constitute practical participation in what they described as an assault on religion, adding that no excuse could justify such cooperation.
The statement said Islam had long been part of Bahrain's identity and served as the country's religion and a source of its legislation. Therefore, it argued, religious affairs and the organisation of Islamic rituals should be governed by Islamic law and determined by the religious scholars of the country's Islamic schools of thought, rather than by political decisions or government permits.
The signatories stressed that authority over religious matters rests solely with divine law. In their view, political decisions granting or denying permission for religious ceremonies undermine the position of Islamic law.
They also expressed support for the position of Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Ahmed Qassim on the issue, urging people to resist the decisions and refuse to accept or cooperate with them.
The statement explicitly outlined the signatories' religious position on events held with government authorisation. It said that an imam who obtains a permit to lead prayers should not be appointed as a congregational prayer leader, and that people should not pray behind him. It also called for people not to invite licensed preachers to deliver sermons or attend their gatherings.
The clerics further opposed participation in mourning ceremonies, religious assemblies and processions organised with government permits, urging the public neither to attend nor support such events.
Concluding the statement, the signatories said their position applied to everyone without exception, regardless of family ties or social standing. They said they would not accept compromise or accommodation on the matter.
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