Bahraini regime forces attack Shia mourners

Bahrain regime forces have attacked a group of Shia Muslims participating in a religious procession marking the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (PBUH), the third Shia Imam and the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).

Bahraini soldiers roamed the streets in the village of Nuwaidrat, situated about 10 kilometers (six miles) south of the capital, Manama, in armored vehicles on Tuesday, as people marched through the streets to observe the rituals of Ashura, the 10th day of the lunar month of Muharram.

Bahraini regime forces in riot gear then engaged in scuffles with the mourners, and fired tear gas canisters to disperse them.

On Saturday, Bahraini troops attacked Shia mourners commemorating the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (PBUH) in several villages across the country.

They destroyed and removed all banners, flags and black cloths hoisted to mark Ashura.

Bahrain’s Shia community has long complained of discrimination in the Persian Gulf island state.

Bahrain’s main opposition bloc, the al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, has called on the Manama regime to stop police from arresting civilians for their religious beliefs.

Imam Hussein (PBUH), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and 72 of his loyal companions, were martyred on Ashura in the battle of Karbala against the second Umayyad caliph, Yazid I, in 680 A.D. Imam Hussein (PBUH) was killed after he refused to pledge allegiance to the tyrant ruler. The mourning rituals have been in place worldwide since the beginning of Muharram.

Meanwhile, thousands of anti-regime protesters have been holding numerous demonstrations in the streets of Bahrain since mid-February 2011, calling for the Al Khalifa royal family to relinquish power.