The Bahraini government has imposed strict rules on how a key Shiite religious day is commemorated on Thursday, the latest measures the Gulf country has taken against its Shiite Muslim citizens amid sectarian tensions over the Iran war.
Bahrain is ruled by a Sunni Muslim monarchy, but most of its citizens are Twelver Shiites, a branch of Islam that is also Iran’s state religion.
The religious festival, Ashura, typically draws large crowds, involving processions, battle re-enactments and religious sermons. It is observed each year by Shiites worldwide on the 10th of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic calender, to honor the death of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.
Ashura usually lasts for 10 days, but Bahrain’s authorities have decreed that its observance be halved this year. They have also said processions must conclude no later than midnight, except in the capital, Manama, where they may continue until 2 a.m. In past years, public street processions for Ashura would often run through the night until dawn.
The government recently barred its citizens from traveling to Iran and neighboring Iraq until further notice. While the authorities did not explicitly refer to Ashura in the travel ban, it has dealt a significant blow to the thousands of Bahrainis who make annual pilgrimages at this time to the Iraqi city of Karbala, home to some of Shiite Islam’s holiest shrines.
Bahrain, a close American ally that hosts the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, faced hundreds of Iranian drone and missile attacks during the recent war, and has long accused Iran of trying to foment unrest among its Shiite population. It also takes a hard line against dissent and, in 2011, the authorities violently put down a pro-democracy uprising.
Bahrain’s latest Ashura measures follow weeks of crackdown against the Shiite population.
The authorities recently stripped 69 Shiites and their relatives of their citizenship, rendering them stateless, before trying to deport most of them to Iran. Many were accused of supporting and “glorifying” Iranian attacks during the war. Bahrain has arrested and imprisoned many other people on similar charges in recent months.
Ahead of Ashura this week, the government pointedly said it would ban any public mourning for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s longtime supreme leader, who was killed during U.S.-Israeli strikes early in the war.
Some Shiites adhere to a doctrine known as wilayat al-faqih, which grants Iran’s supreme leader religious and political authority over the entire Twelver Shiite community worldwide. Iran is expected to hold days of public funeral for Ayatollah Khamenei starting on July 4.
The reverence some Shiites had for the Iranian supreme leader “could be described as a form of parallel allegiance among some individuals,” Bahrain’s interior minister, Gen. Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, said in early June. “Dual loyalty cannot be accepted in Bahrain as a sovereign state led by His Majesty the King.”
The day of Ashura commemorates the death of Imam Hussein, who was killed at the Battle of Karbala in A.D. 680 after refusing to pledge allegiance to the Umayyad caliphate ruler Yazid. The ceremonies often involve acts of self-flagellation, in which groups of men, wielding small knives and chains, beat their torsos for hours at a time.
Ashura centers on themes of sacrifice, injustice and resistance to oppression, and it has often served as a backdrop for political expression in Bahrain. This took on particular resonance after the 2011 uprising, when mass protests calling for political reforms were met with a deadly government crackdown.
The authorities have since monitored some religious gatherings closely, concerned that they could become venues for political dissent, and Bahraini officials have warned worshipers against “raising of flags and chanting of slogans linked to regional organizations and agendas.”
While the authorities say the measures are necessary for public safety and national security, human rights activists argue that they disproportionately target the country’s Shiite majority. The Bahraini government did not respond to a request for comment.
One Ashura procession organizer in Bahrain, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of government retaliation, said the authorities had barred several Shiite clerics and “chanters” — who lead public street processions — from taking part in this year’s ceremonies.
The Interior Ministry acknowledged that this year’s festival was being held under “exceptional circumstances” because of the recent war in Iran.
Nazeeha Saeed contributed reporting.
