Bahrain regime crackdown expands against practice of religion

Bahrain regime forces target religious rituals, vandalize Ashura displays
17 November, 2012 – Shia Post

Al-Wefaq’s media center said that the regime is tightening against citizens’ religious freedoms and practice of religious rituals, as it has conducted a series of attacks on displays of Ashura in some areas around the country.

It further clarified that the forces’ attacks on religious freedoms comes amongst ongoing attacks against citizens revealing the mentality of the forces, and that such acts can only be perpetrated under high-ranked orders.

The media center pointed out that the Ashura event has been yearly held in Bahrain for as far as hundreds of years, and this reveals the deviant mentality of the regime forces against citizens. As the forces attack and provoke citizens rather than protect them.

Regarding threats by officials against religious freedoms, the median center stated that suppression of religious freedoms and freedom to practice religious rituals is a dangerous that the regime solely bears responsibility of.

Ashura is held in most countries around the world, even non-Islamic countries. The event yearly takes place in Europe, America, Africa, Australia and the Asian countries, yet, has not been attacked anywhere around the globe except Bahrain, where the regime disrespects and targets religious freedoms, it said.

Al-Wefaq called on citizens to document each and every violation and the regime forces’ harassments and intimidating behavior towards religious freedoms.

Al-Wefaq’s media center affirmed that religious freedoms in Bahrain are not subject to political use or bargaining, as the different sects of the Bahraini people have long respected these rituals and lived in harmony. The only one who appears not able to live with this is the regime that continuously attacks these rituals.

It further said that Ashura has been the front image of national unity, as both Sunni and Shia citizens have participated in this ritual, and the regime attempts to bring discord and build conflict in order to achieve its. …source