Arrest of Sheikh Qassim to Be Followed by Bloodbath in Bahrain: Representative
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The representative of prominent Bahraini cleric Sheikh Isa Ahmed Qassim in Iran warned that if the Al Khalifa regime moves to arrest the top Shiite cleric, there will be a bloodbath in the Persian Gulf country.
“The Bahraini government felt threatened by the popular uprising under the leadership of Sheikh Qassim and has taken some measures against him,” Sheikh Abdullah al-Daqqaq said in a speech on Monday.
He further pointed to the forthcoming trial of Sheikh Qassim, saying that new incidents are going to take place in the coming days.
“Bahraini youths will not leave their leader alone,” the cleric stressed, adding, “If Sheikh Isa Qassim is arrested a bloodbath will occur in Bahrain.”
The remarks came as Bahrain’s opposition groups have called on the people of the Arab kingdom to participate in a civil disobedience campaign in solidarity with Sheikh Qassim, as Manama plans to hold the trial of the top cleric on March 14.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Bahraini revolutionary groups announced that the civil disobedience campaign will start on Tuesday, March 14, and last until Wednesday morning.
It asked students to refuse to go to schools or universities on Tuesday and instead pour into streets and gather in front of the house of Sheikh Qassim in Diraz, west of Manama.
The trial session of Sheikh Qassim had been scheduled on February 27 but was adjourned until March 14 after the prominent cleric refused to appear in court.
The Bahraini regime announced on June 20, 2016, that it had revoked the citizenship of Sheikh Qassim. The regime later said it would put the senior cleric on trial on charges of “illegal fund collections, money laundering and helping terrorism”.
Sheikh Qassim’s previous trials had also been postponed after the prominent cleric did not appear in court.