AhlulBayt World Assembly’ Statement on Stripping the Citizenship of Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim

The AhlulBayt World Assembly’ has issued a statement on stripping the citizenship of Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim by Bahraini regime.

The full text of statement:

In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful

“Soon I shall turn away from My signs those who are unduly arrogant in the earth; and even though they should see every sign, they will not believe in it, and if they see the way of rectitude they will not take it as [their] way; (but) if they see the way of error they will take it as [their] way. That is because they deny Our signs and are oblivious to them.”
(The Holy Quran: Surah Al-A’raf: Verse 146)

These days Muslims all over the world are sitting at the blessed table of Holy Ramadan and spend their times in worship and obedience to God. Holy Ramadan is a beautiful month in which even non-Muslims express their solidarity with Muslims and try to prepare the ground for Muslims’ fasting and prayers.

Regretfully, during these auspicious days, the ruling regime in Bahrain which istotally ignorant of the teachings of Islam, Quran, and Prophet Muhammad (s.a), is arrogantly continuing its oppressions and crimes by adding to weird pressures against Muslim believers instead of showing compassion towards people and providing favorable conditions for their fasting and worship.

A few days ago the Al Khalifa regime suspended “Al-Wefaq Islamic Society” as the greatest party in Bahrain and disbanded two other groups. The regime also continued to summon Muslim clerics for no reason and created an atmosphere of fear in mosques and religious centers. Furthermore, it madethe unprecedented decision to take possession of Islamic taxes paid by Muslim people … and most recently took another measure to bring its madness to culmination.

The Bahraini cabinet, repeating Pharaoh’s traits of arroganceand haughtiness, dared to revoke the citizenship of one of the glorious personalities of the zealous nation of Bahrain. His Eminence Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Ahmed Qassim, who has recently been deprived from his right of citizenship by the comical verdict of Al Khalifa’s ministers, is a pious and popular religious cleric, from a noble family, with high etiquettes and elevated scholastic position in the community who has spent his blessed life to render academic, religious, cultural, and social services.

The rulers of Al Khalifa,as brazenly as possible, stripped the citizenship of this outstanding social and religious figure with baseless accusations of "leaving the duties of citizenship", "disturbing the peaceful coexistence of the people", "deepening political sectarianism", "opposing the constitution and state institutions" and "dividing the people". However, the fact is that Ayatollah Isa Qassim hasnever fanned the fire of division and sectarianism; rather, in recent years, he has played a significant role to maintain the peacefulness of rallies and protests, preventing the spread of destructive sectarian conflicts.

The ruling regime in Bahrain has alsoflagrantly accused Sheikh Isa Qassim of "serving foreign interests", establishing "organizations and parties that are affiliated to religious and political authorities outside the country”, and “adopting theocracy” in Bahrain “by using his position as thelegal representativeof Grand Ayatollahs in financial and religious matters – such ascollecting and spending Islamic taxes– and his scientific and cultural services”.

These accusations are being put forward while the above-mentioned positions have been among the powers and duties of Muslim clerics throughout the history. The Bahraini regime, as an attempt to strip Sheikh Qassim’s citizenship, has tried to make gestures to prove that Sheikh’s activities are sectarian movements to divide the society!

Aside from Islamic religious instructions – to which the Bahraini regime has no adherence - and apart from ‘natural rights’ that cannot be repealed or restrained by human laws;Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights stipulates that no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality.

Now the most important question for the world is how a family that does not belong to Bahrain and gained its power over the fate of the indigenous people by using force and support of infidels and superpowers,gives a right to itself to revoke the citizenship of genuine citizens of this country, deprive the citizens from their rights,and rule outrageously over an oppressed majority without their consent?

In this relation, the Ahlulbayt World Assembly, as an international organization with hundreds of intellectual members includingscholars, high-ranking personalities and thinkers of Muslim World, emphasizes the following points:

1. We condemn different religious, social and political pressures on the oppressed people, clerics, mosques and religious circles in Bahrain.

2. All governments, including the BahrainiAdministration,are obliged to protect the rights of their citizens and have no right to separate them from their ancestral soil. Citizenship and belonging to a land is a natural and legal right of every person. Human beings are not government-owned; so the citizens’ rights cannot be denied by governments. Governments are actually servants of their citizens.

3. The Bahraini regime's recent actions, including the closure of civil society organizations, pressure on Muslim clerics, destruction of mosques, prolonged detentions of national figures, and stripping the citizenship of prominent figuresare not to the benefit of the government and people of Bahrain. Such evil acts shall only take the affairs out of the hands of reputable ones and will lead the country into the abyss of civil war and unstoppable crises.

4. It is clear that ‘King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’ is not but a puppet whofully obeys the commands of his masters (the United States and Al Saud). However, in the wake of public announcement of the unlawful and illegal decision to revoke the citizenship of Ayatollah Isa Qassim, the Bahraini rulers and their mercenaries shall be directly responsible for any adverse events that may happen to him, God forbid.

5. Last but not least, the Ahlulbayt World Assembly appeals to all high-ranking personalities, politicians, and influential individuals in different countries as well as all international organizations and human rights associations to use all their facilities and power to stop the unwise actions of Bahraini government.

The Ahlulbayt World Assembly

Tehran - 20 June 2016
(14 Holy Ramadan 1437 A.H.)