(AhlulBayt News Agency) - Prominent Shiite cleric Ayatollah Sayyed Kazem Al Haeri issued a fatwa (Legal opinion in Islamic law), demanding the Bahraini people to defend the Shiite majority spiritual leader, Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim.
In the fatwa issued on his behalf, Islamic authority cleric Sayyed Al Haeri demanded the people to defend "the loyal leaders of Islam in Bahrain (...), defend Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim, and protect him from the tyrant schemes of Al Khalifa, by possible and wise means."
The following is the text of the fatwa:
"Today, defending Islam and its loyal leaders in Bahrain is one of the most important religious obligations. The honorable believers are ought to exert the necessary effort to preserve Islam and protect its sanctities, defend Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim, may God protect him, and protect him from the tyrant schemes of Al Khalifa, by possible and wise means. Those who bear being harmed in the performance of this obligation, "their reward is indeed with Allah, and Allah is forgiving and merciful."
Bahrain has issued an increasing number of jail sentences against notable opposition figures over the past months. The courts in the kingdom have also stripped many, including Sheikh Qassim, of citizenship, prompting concerns that the regime is pursuing a policy of ethnic cleansing.
Manama revoked Sheikh Isa Qassim’s citizenship on June 20 amid an intensifying crackdown on the pro-democracy drive across the Persian Gulf country.
ahrain has been cracking down on dissent ever since the popular uprising began in early 2011. On July 17, Bahrain’s so-called administrative court ordered the dissolution of al-Wefaq, the country’s main opposition group. The court also ordered the seizure of its funds.
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