Hawzah News Agency- The statement, released amid ongoing arrests and trials of Bahraini religious figures, expressed solidarity with the detained scholars and condemned restrictions on their scientific, religious, and social activities, according to a report by Hawza News Agency.
The signatories drew a parallel between the recent crackdown and what they described as Israel's continued atrocities against Palestinians—particularly children in Gaza—and Washington's "brutal attacks" on Iran, framing the pressure on Bahraini clerics as part of a broader assault on religious freedom and human dignity in the region.
In their statement, the scholars called on the Bahraini government to distance itself from "the world's criminals, especially America and the Israeli regime," and to return to the rightful demands of its people.
They stressed that the status of religious scholars stems from the prophetic mission and the legacy of the Ahlul Bayt (PBUH), warning that security and judicial action against clerics and restrictions on their scientific and religious mission not only erode public trust but inflict irreparable damage on society's spiritual capital and social unity.
"No government or political power has the right to use security and judicial tools to criminalize the legitimate religious, scientific, and outreach activities of scholars," the statement read, adding that maintaining security and stability can never justify violating citizens' rights or restricting legitimate religious freedoms.
The scholars demanded that Bahraini authorities ensure all detainees receive fair trials, unrestricted access to legal counsel, and independent and transparent investigations into claims of mistreatment and torture—stressing that any confessions obtained under duress are devoid of religious and legal validity.
They specifically called for the immediate and unconditional release of clerics detained solely for their legitimate religious and scientific activities, naming Ayatollah Sheikh Muhammad Sanqour, Sheikh Ali al-Sadadi, and Sheikh Mahmoud al-Aali.
The statement urged seminaries and scholars—particularly in Mashhad, Qom, and Najaf—to shoulder their responsibility in defending the faith and the dignity of religious scholars, regardless of geographical borders or ethnic and national affiliations. "Supporting Bahrain's scholars is not defending a political current or particular affiliation; it is defending the legitimacy of the religious mission, the independence of seminary activities, and the sanctity of the status of religious scholars," it read.
The signatories called on grand ayatollahs, seminary scholars, religious institutions, and scientific assemblies across the Islamic world to take a clear and responsible stance in defense of the detained clerics' rights and to prevent the continuation of pressure and rights violations against them.
They concluded with a warning to Bahraini authorities that coercive treatment of religious scholars will not silence the voice of truth-seeking or the explanation of divine teachings, but will only widen the gap of distrust between the government and the people. "The path to lasting security and stability lies not in repression and pressure, but in justice, respect for people's rights, and honoring the status of religious scholars," the statement read.
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