Revocation of Cleric’s Citizenship to Spark “Crushing Uprising” in Bahrain: IRGC
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) strongly condemned the Manama regime’s decision to strip Shiite cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim of his Bahraini citizenship, saying the move will trigger a crushing uprising against the ruling regime and accelerate its downfall.
In a statement on Tuesday, the IRGC took a swipe at the “racist” Al Khalifa dynasty for its “inhumane measure” to revoke the prominent cleric’s citizenship, saying the move runs counter to Islamic values and internationally-recognized norms and is at odds with the dignity of the Arab world people and the Bahraini nation.
The decision is a result of “the anti-Islam strategies of the hegemonic and Zionist system and a plot hatched by the Al Saud,” it added.
The statement went on to say that such an unwise move by the Al Khalifa family will “fan the flames of Bahrain’s Islamic revolution” and trigger a “crushing uprising” against the ruling regime.
The shaky foundations of the US protégées will soon collapse with the will of the Bahraini nation, it underscored.
The IRGC then gave a warning to the rulers of the “illegitimate Al Khalifa regime” that if they do not stop pursuing “Zionist-favored adventurism” and fail to acknowledge the rightful demands of the Bahraini people, they will have to suffer the same fate as that of the late dictators in some other Muslim countries.
Bahrain said Monday that the citizenship of Sheikh Qassim has been revoked, accusing him of sowing sectarian divisions.
The move has drawn widespread criticism internationally.
It came days after a regime’s court issued an order earlier suspending the activities of Bahrain’s main opposition bloc, Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, on charges of “terrorism, extremism, and violence”.
Bahrain, a close ally of the US in the Persian Gulf region, has been witnessing almost daily protests against the ruling Al Khalifa dynasty since early 2011, with Manama using heavy-handed measures in an attempt to crush the demonstrations.
Scores of Bahrainis have been killed and hundreds of others injured and arrested in the ongoing crackdown on the peaceful demonstrations.
Amnesty International and many other international rights organizations have frequently censured the Bahraini regime for the rampant human rights abuses against opposition groups and anti-regime protesters.