Asia03 May, 20262 min read
Al-Wefaq Says Bahraini Authorities Declared War on Shiite Followers After Arresting 41 Scholars
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Al-Wefaq asserts Bahrain regime declared war on Shia in Bahrain. Dozens of Bahraini Shiite scholars and clerics arrested.
Dozens Arrested in Bahrain
The Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society of Bahrain said the ruling authorities have declared war on followers of the Shi’a faith and committed “dangerous crimes and assaults,” after Bahraini security forces arrested dozens of prominent Shiite scholars and teachers of Shiite seminaries. IRNA reported that the Bahraini Interior Ministry announced on Saturday that 41 people were arrested on charges of cooperation and sympathy with Iran, in parallel with American-Israeli aggressions.
The arrests were described as occurring “without presenting warrants or clarifying charges,” with IRNA saying the figures were transferred to unknown locations. Al-Wefaq said the crackdown followed a sequence of killings, torture to death, revocation of citizenship, arrest, suppression, elimination, and retaliatory measures aimed at erasing the Shi’a presence, which it described as the vast majority of Bahrain’s population.
Al-Wefaq Condemns the Campaign
In response to the arrests, ISNA reported that the Al-Wefaq Society of Bahrain said the ruling Al-Khalifa regime has declared war on the Shiites and is committing grave crimes that the free world must intervene in. ISNA quoted Al-Wefaq’s statement saying: “Today, the ruling regime in Bahrain, in a dangerous and provocative move” began the arrest of dozens of senior and key scholars and leaders of Shia seminaries.
Shabestan News Agency, citing Al-Mayadeen, said Bahrain witnessed an intensification of security measures and a broad wave of raids and arrests against Shiite clerics, naming Sheikh Mahmoud Al-Aali, Sheikh Mohammed Sanqour, and Sheikh Ali Al-Sadddi among those detained. Shafaqna International News Agency said Al-Wefaq published names of detained scholars and seminary professors, including Sheikh Mohammad Sanqour, Sheikh Mahmoud Al-Aali, and Sheikh Ali Al-Seddi, and it cited Al-Manar for the list.
Names, Accusations, and Stakes
Shafaqna said Al-Wefaq recorded the arrest of more than 40 Bahraini Shiite scholars in the past hours and published a list that included 44 names, ranging from Sheikh Mahmoud Al-Aali and Sheikh Ali Al-Seddi to Sayyid Sadiq Al-Hajri. Shafaqna also reported that the Bahraini government accuses the detained individuals of “ties with the IRGC and the Wilayat al-Faqih doctrine,” along with treason, sharing Iran attack videos, praising Iran’s actions, and instigating and encouraging violence.
Al-Manar TV Lebanon published a statement from Al-Wefaq denouncing the regime’s actions, saying it announced accusations against the Shia denomination with “ridiculous charges” and arrested all its leaders and scholars without discrimination. Across the coverage, Al-Wefaq’s central demand was that Bahrain needs a social contract and a new legal framework, with ISNA and IRNA both tying the arrests to a wider campaign that Al-Wefaq said aims to erase the Shi’a presence.