TEHRAN – The Iranian parliament speaker has said the Bahraini regime is in grave miscalculation if it sees the revocation of the citizenship of Sheikh Isa Qassim, a top Shiite cleric, as a way to end the political turmoil in the kingdom.

The monarchy in Bahrain announced on Monday that it had revoked the citizenship of the major figure due to what they have called serving “foreign interest.”
Condemning the act, Larijani said, “The Islamic Consultative Council parliament) warns the Bahraini regime of the rude adventurism, believing it will dash hopes for achieving a peaceful solution.”
According to a statement by the country’s interior minister, Sheikh Isa Qassim “exploited the religious pulpit for political purposes to serve foreign interests … encouraged sectarianism and violence.”
The statement also claimed Isa Qassim established organizations that follow an external religious political authority, played a major role in creating an extremist sectarian environment and worked on dividing the society alongside sects and in accordance with subordination to his orders. 
Accordingly, it was decided to revoke the citizenship of Sheikh Isa Qassim, it said.
While the Bahraini interior minister did not explicitly say what was meant by “foreign interests,” but it is a not-so-veiled reference to Iran, which they accuse of backing Shiite minorities in the kingdom.
Ever since the Arab Spring unrests broke out in 2011, Manamah has been in turmoil, and Sheikh Isa Qassim has been a vociferous critic of the government’s crackdown on the public rallies and outcries.

A close ally of Saudi Arabia, the caliphate has taken forceful actions against dissidents, suffocating voices of rivals, what Saudis did to Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr.
Relevant to this, Zainab Khawaja, 32, a dual citizen of Bahrain and Denmark who was imprisoned along with her infant son, was released on humanitarian grounds in May, left Bahrain for Denmark two weeks ago, fearing of being rearrested.

The decision to strip Qassim of citizenship rights “takes Bahrain into the darkest days it has seen since the anti-government protests and violent crackdown of 2011,” Nicholas McGeehan, the Bahrain researcher at Human Rights Watch, told the New York Times. He added, “The Bahraini authorities are shutting the door on political reform, while simultaneously stoking dissent.”
A close ally of Saudi Arabia, the caliphate has taken forceful actions against dissidents, suffocating voices of rivals, what Saudis did to Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr.
Relevant to this, Zainab Khawaja, 32, a dual citizen of Bahrain and Denmark who was imprisoned along with her infant son, was released on humanitarian grounds in May, left Bahrain for Denmark two weeks ago, fearing of being rearrested.
Also, last week, the kingdom suspended all activities by the opposition group al-Wefaq, whose secretary general, Sheikh Ali Salman, has been imprisoned since December 2014.
The citizenship revocation has also come in for a lot of flak from other Iranian officials and organizations.
The strongest warning words were voiced by Major General Qasem Soleimani, the commander of Qods Force, saying that crossing Isa Qassim’s redline risks “dire repercussions, including armed struggle by people and overthrow of the Al-Khalifa dynasty.”
Also, the Iranian Foreign Ministry in a statement on Monday, carried on its official website, condemned the move, denouncing the regime’s “intensification of its security approach toward religious and national leaders, opposition to religious beliefs and principles, and misappropriation of religious assets and funds of the Bahraini people.”
The Foreign Ministry further called on the Al Khalifah regime to end the ongoing crisis in the country by stopping illegal behavior and holding a serious national dialogue.
Moreover, the decision has sparked anger of Qom Seminary Scholars' Community. In a statement, it has blamed the Al Khalifah regime for pressuring the country’s Muslims, warning the ruling family of the repercussions of the move.
“Condemning Al Khalifah’s crackdown on Bahraini clerics and revolutionaries, Qom Seminary Scholars' Community announces its support for the Bahraini people in their campaign.” 

AK/PA