Bahrain Opposition Slams Regime for Hosting Zionist Rabbi

Jerusalem Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar (center) attends

a religious conference in Bahrain (Photo: Twitter)

MANAMA (Kayhan Intl.) – Bahrain’s main opposition group, the al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, has strongly condemned the participation of a senior Zionist rabbi at a purported religious event in the Persian Gulf kingdom, arguing that his invitation attests to the ruling Al Khalifah regime’s hostility towards the Bahraini nation.
Al-Wefaq said in a statement released on Tuesday that the initiation of al-Quds Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar to a "mock event” hosted by the Bahraini regime substantiates the aggressive and provocative stance that Manama authorities have adopted vis-à-vis the people of Bahrain besides Arab and Muslim nations.
"The entire Bahraini nation from all strata of the society is opposed to normalization (of diplomatic relations with the Israeli regime) and such cheap propaganda programs. These steps are only favored by the ruling regime, which has not been appointed by popular vote, and rules the country with an iron fist. It, therefore, implements provocative individual policies at different levels,” the statement read.
Shlomo Amar, chief rabbi of al-Quds, concluded the rare visit to Bahrain, where he attended a conference of religious leaders at the invitation of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifah, Israeli media reported.
During his visit, which was organized by the Zionist regime’s foreign ministry, Amar met with the king and religious figures from several other Arab countries, including Kuwait, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon.
"Middle East nations want peace with Israel, the leadership should promote that without fear,” Amar said during his stay, expressing hope that in the future, such visits would not require special preparation.
He was referring to the Al Khalifah regime’s fear of public backlash in the kingdom — where anti-Zionist and pro-Palestine sentiments run high — against attempts to normalize ties with the regime.
Israel has full diplomatic ties with only two Arab states, Egypt and Jordan, but recent reports suggest Tel Aviv has been working behind the scenes to establish formal contacts with other Arab countries as well.
Earlier in October, the Britain-based and Arabic-language Bahrain al-Youm news agency, citing an unnamed diplomatic source, reported that Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifah had held a secret meeting with Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Hungary in April.
In July, Zionist and Bahraini foreign ministers Israel Katz and Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifah met for a brief chat on Iran in Washington and the two posed for a rare photograph.
In June, the Bahraini top diplomat told The Times of Israel that "Israel is a country in the region… … and it’s there to stay, of course,” expressing desire for better relations and eventually "peace” with the Tel Aviv regime.
Those comments drew condemnations from the Bahraini public and the Palestinians, who said the remarks amounted to "open treachery” and contradicted "the position of the brotherly people of Bahrain.”
The kingdom in the same month infuriated the Palestinians by hosting a U.S.-led conference on President Donald Trump’s yet-to-be-unveiled plan on the Zionist-Palestinian conflict. The contentious proposal — already rejected by the Palestinians — has the backing of Arab regimes and is widely believed to be aimed at consolidating the Zionist regime’s occupation of the Palestinian territories.

Muslims Around World Mark Eid al-Adha

Indonesian Muslims offering Eid al-Adha prayers at Baiturrahmah
mosque in Padang, West Sumatra province

TEHRAN -- Muslims around the world celebrated Eid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice, the second of two Islamic holidays celebrated worldwide marking the end of the annual pilgrimage or Hajj to the Saudi holy city of Mecca.
Across the world men, women and children prayed and sacrificed animals as part of the celebrations.

Eid al-Adha is the holiest of the two Muslims holidays celebrated each year.

Prayers were held in Myanmar, Azerbaijan and Iraq, while in India police frisked worshippers as they entered mosques amid growing criticism of the treatment of Muslims under Prime Minister Modi's right-wing Hindu nationalist regime.
Some Muslims slaughter a sacrificial animal and split the meat into three parts, one for the family, one for friends and relatives, and one for the poor.

The act is done to honor willingness of Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God's command, as told in the Qur’an. However, before he was able to sacrifice his son, God provided him with a sheep to kill instead.
Muslims believe the hajj offers the chance of atonement and an opportunity to erase past sins. The first two days of the hajj are spent in Mecca and other areas around it in deep prayer, contemplation and worship.

Filipino Muslims gather to celebrate Eid al-Adha at the
Luneta Park in Manila

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani sent out separate congratulatory messages to international Muslims leaders on the occasion.

He took the opportunity to express hope that the world’s Muslim authorities will be able to reinforce unity throughout the Muslim world in order to confront terrorism as well as the unilateralism and imperialistic practices of international hegemonic rulers.

Tehran’s interim Friday prayers leader strictly cautioned against further escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir.

Muhammad-Hassan Aboutorabi-Fard advised that the issue be resolved through "rationalism and management that uses morality and erudition as its basis.”

Aboutorabi-Fard said Kashmir forms a part of the international Muslim nation, making any unprincipled and untenable move against it a move targeting the entirety of this nation.

The cleric also addressed the occupying regime of Israel’s use of violence against Palestinians marking Eid al-Adha on the Al-Aqsa Mosque’s compound in the holy occupied city of East Jerusalem Al-Quds on Sunday.

Tel Aviv should know this that it can only temporarily rely on use of force, he said.

Palestinians celebrate the first day of Eid al-Adha near the
Dome of Rock mosque at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound,
Islam's third holiest site, in the Old City of Jerusalem 

"The Zionist regime, the Al Saud regime, and the Al Khalifah regime, whose authority rests on bayonets, are certainly doomed to suffer destruction and perish,” Aboutorabi-Fard stated.

Separately, he addressed Iran’s capture late last month of a British-flagged oil tanker, which had collided with an Iranian fishing boat in the Strait of Hormuz, and ignored its recurrent distress calls.

"It was Great Britain and not just the British vessel that felt weak in the face of the Iranian nation,” he said.

Europe should adopt a character "independent” of the imperial world and the United States instead of being "subjugated” by them, he further advised.

"Who is America, to which some serve as entourage and prostrate? What position arrogant powers are in to subjugate other nations?” he asked.

Sad Day for Humanity

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TEHRAN (FNA)- The United Nations has finally condemned the execution of two young activists in Bahrain, as the ruling Al Khalifah regime presses ahead with its heavy-handed crackdown on political dissidents and pro-democracy activists in the Persian Gulf kingdom.

“We strongly condemn the execution on July 26 in Manama of two Bahraini citizens, Ali Mohamed Hakeem al-Arab, 25, and Ahmed Isa al-Malali, 24. The executions went ahead on Friday night, despite concerns expressed by the High Commissioner, following two earlier public statements by UN human rights experts … that the men’s “confessions” were obtained through torture, and about lack of due process and fair trial guarantees,” Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Rupert Colville said in the Swiss city of Geneva on Tuesday.

They were arrested separately in February 2017. The two men were both tried in a mass hearing with 58 other defendants, and convicted in January 2018 on charges of terrorism. They were sentenced to death. In May 2019, the Court of Cassation upheld the death sentence.

The UN’s condemnation, as always, is not enough. Sadly, it is because of the inaction of rights groups such as the UN Human Rights Council that the Bahraini authorities and security forces continue to commit serious and systematic human rights violations, including torture and widespread arbitrary arrests, against the majority Shia population.

It is also because of the inaction of international rights groups that leading opposition activists sentenced to long prison terms after they called for political change and religious freedom, remain behind bars - as do many others whose alleged crimes involve mostly peaceful street protests.

There has been no condemnation of the regime by the UN Human Rights Council in connection with the policies that have led to widespread torture and unlawful killings either. The Council has yet to investigate hundreds of cases of torture, some involving deaths in custody, and there has been no investigation, let alone prosecution, for command responsibility of people killed in custody as a result of torture. As far as the Human Rights Watch has been able to determine, no authority has ever been convicted of any offense.

The government has told the UN Human Rights Council that the Interior Ministry has developed a code of conduct and initiated training for security forces "to embed respect for human rights and due process." But despite the reform efforts the Interior Ministry claims it has taken, there has been a continuing pattern of the use of excessive force by security forces against peaceful protests, as well as wanton beatings, arrests and torture of young men accused of participating in pro-democracy demonstrations and religious rituals.

It is hard to see evidence of reform when we look at how the regime and its security forces have actually been behaving, especially this week. But it is not that hard to see why the unelected regime in Manama can behave like this, can restrict access to the country for international rights monitors and journalists, and can get away with arbitrary arrests, torture and murder:

The tiny Persian Gulf state is the headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, holds thousands of US service members, and has the full military and diplomatic support of Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and the United States. What a disgrace.