WANA (Jun 04) – Bahraini sources have reported a continued wave of arrests and pressure targeting the country’s Shiite community. In the latest operation, Bahraini security forces detained 20 Shiite clerics, religious chanters, Quran reciters, and religious activists on allegations of “collaborating with Iran.”

 

According to the reports, security personnel raided the homes of the detainees and transferred them to undisclosed locations. Among those arrested are five Shiite clerics: Sayyed Yassin Mousawi, Sheikh Ali Al-Mustarshid, Sheikh Jaafar Ashour, Sheikh Nazir Malik, and Sheikh Mahmoud Taheri.

 

The arrests are said to be part of a broader security campaign targeting Shiite religious figures and activists in Bahrain. Human rights advocates and defenders of religious freedom have criticized the measures, describing them as an escalation of pressure on the country’s Shiite population.

 

With these latest detentions, the number of Shiite clerics arrested in Bahrain since the outbreak of recent regional tensions and the Iran-Israel war has risen to 58.

 

Observers view the ongoing arrests as a sign of increasing pressure on Bahrain’s Shiite community, arguing that both the political and religious dimensions of the crackdown have become more pronounced in recent months.