Bahrain Shuts Muslim Scholars Council

Local Editor

A Bahraini court shuttered on Wednesday the Muslim Scholars' Council, after authorities in the kingdom accused it of politicization and illegal operations.

The court ordered the closure of the Olamaa Islamic Council and the liquidation of its assets following a lawsuit by the ministry of justice, Islamic affairs and endowment, a judicial source said.
The ministry said in September that the office had been "functioning outside the law".

The verdict came as authorities crack down on opposition action.
The council led by the prominent Sheikh, Ayatollah Issa Qassem "violates the constitution and the laws of the kingdom," the ministry said at the time, accusing its members of "using it to practice politics under a confessional cover".

The council also "adopted the call for the so-called revolution," it charged.
The move came after Bahrain Justice Minister Sheik Khalid bin Ali al-Khalifa filed a lawsuit against the body, calling for the dissolution of the council and the confiscation of its assets.

The Bahraini opposition bloc al-Wefaq National Islamic Society said that the lawsuit reflects the extent of the regime's sectarian war against the Shia population in the country.

Al-Wefaq added that destroying mosques and attacking ceremonies, such as Ashura, are other examples of sectarian policies adopted by the Bahraini regime, which were first implemented nearly three years ago.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team