Iraq: Popular Rallies in Support of Bahraini Cleric, Ayatollah Qassim
Local Editor
People held demonstrations in the Iraqi cities of Basrah and Baghdad to express solidarity with Bahrain's prominent cleric, Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim, who was recently stripped of his citizenship by the al-Khalifah regime.
Hundreds of residents of Basrah gathered near the governorate building on Friday to denounce Manama's removal of Sheikh Qassim's nationality.
Elsewhere, hundreds of supporters of senior Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr held a protest outside the Bahraini embassy in the Mansour district of the capital, Baghdad.
Protesters chanted slogans in condemnation of Sheikh Qassim's citizenship repeal.
For their part, Iraqi security forces cordoned off the Mansour district and closed the nearby bridges of Jadriya and Shuhada.
Also on Friday, Bahrain summoned the Iraqi ambassador to Manama, Ahmed Naif Rashid al-Dulaimi.
It was on June 20 that Manama revoked the nationality of Sheikh Qassim, with Bahrain's Interior Ministry accusing him of seeking the "creation of a sectarian environment" through his connections with foreign powers.
The latest move by the Bahraini regime against Sheikh Qassim came less than a week after the Justice Ministry suspended all activities of al-Wafaq National Islamic Society, the main opposition group in the country.
Consequently, the developments raised fears of further unrest in the tiny kingdom, which has been witnessing regular anti-regime peaceful demonstrations since mid-February 2011.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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