Bahrain’s Shiekh Isa Qassim: Ashura Struggle Is Battle Between Good & Evil

Bahrain’s top Shiite cleric, Sheikh Isa Qassim, said the struggle between those observing Ashura and the Manama regime is a battle between two irreconcilable visions: one that raises “a slogan that is with God Almighty” and another that is “with the devil.”

“Every Ashura season brings summonses, interrogations, and punishments of scholars, preachers, eulogy reciters, mourners, heads of matams (community halls), and those who raise the banner of Hussain,” Sheikh Qassim wrote in a post on X in reference to the regime’s widening crackdown on the annual commemorations.

The cleric asserted that this clash is deeply rooted in politics and faith and that there is no confusion about which side upholds Islamic values and which side incites divine displeasure.