In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
The Bahraini authorities, acting on the orders of the Saudi government which now looks like a wrecked ship after its abject failure in Syria, Yemen, and Iraq, have now begun doing strange and dangerous things. After their atrocities in demolishing tens of mosques and Hussainiyyahs, imprisoning a large number of Shias notables and ordinary people, prohibiting congregational prayers, as well as many other such persecutions, the Bahraini government has gone so far as to deprive Shaykh Isa Ghāsim, the great Bahraini scholar, of his citizenship. This crime of the Bahraini government is of such serious consequences that it may well lead to their downfall.
Depriving a person of his citizenship is an inhumane and evil crime, because when a person and his ancestors have lived in a country for generations the citizenship of that country becomes one of their basic rights, and no one has the right to deprive them of this basic right. Even if someone is to be deprived of their citizenship in Bahrain it will be the Āl-e-Khalifah family because they are originally from Saudi Arabia and the region of Najd. Contrary to Āl-e-Khalifah, Shaykh Isa Ghāsim and all of his ancestors are from Bahrain. The Bahraini Shias have always emphasized in their peaceful rallies that if their inalienable rights are given to them they are ready to peacefully live together with the Sunni brothers, who mean them no harm.
In spite of all this, the Bahraini authorities, who lack proper wisdom and understanding, have now thrown themselves in to a dangerous situation whereby they will have more afflictions and problems coming to their way every day.
They must have realized by now that the Shia religious authorities will never tolerate such heinous crimes.
Indeed your Lord is ever watchful
Naser Makarem Shirazi
