Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Bahrain Shiite Clerics Warn Of 'Massacre,' Seek Help

Top Bahraini Shiite clerics sought Muslim and international help on Tuesday as they warned that anti-regime protesters will be targeted with a "massacre."

"We urge our Hawzah (Shiite religious schools) ... the Muslim World League, and the UN Security Council ... to immediately intervene to rescue those targeted by this catastrophe," a statement said.

They warned that a "horrible massacre is expected at (Manama's) Pearl Square against the people of this (Shiite) sect, only for peacefully demanding their rights."

In a statement titled "An appeal to help the people of Bahrain," the five clerics said their community was in danger.

"We feel that the fate of this sect is in danger," they said, claiming also that the government of Shiite-majority Bahrain, which is ruled by a Sunni dynasty, was trying to stoke sectarian tension.

"Everyone should know that there is no animosity between Sunnis and Shiites in Bahrain, and that the government is trying to create this animosity," they said.

They claimed that security forces in plain clothes were "firing in Shiite villages and areas," after a medic claimed that at least 200 people were shot by gunmen in the Shiite village of Sitra, south of Manama.

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