Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): The blatant fabrication addressed by the Interior Ministry in its statement on June 20, in which it announced the revocation of prominent Sheikh Isa Qassim's nationality, was not an unexpected move, as it claimed that Sheikh Qassim had "acquired" his nationality, in a flagrant denial of his Bahraini origin. This attack was not triggered in the moment, nor was it as a result of the simmering repression escalated over the past month. This has been promoted in state media outlets since more than 3 years ago, and back then it used to hesitate to take this step, whose risks it realizes and grave repercussions it fears. However today, and owning it to its madness and rashness, it conducted this step.

In 2012, and in front of a huge audience, Sheikh Isa Qassim was asked to comment on the then-media doubts that were questioning his origin and nationality. It was not intended back then to revoke the nationalities of the political opposition activists, but the approach followed by this promotion, and the dimension it reflects, were clear. These doubts go beyond Sheikh Qasim to include every single citizen who is despised by the authorities.

It is not only a matter of insulting people, but it is rather a systematic approach to get at each opposing citizen. The following is Sheikh Qassim's response to the aforementioned, put forward as he stated:

I wish your gathering would allow me to explain briefly with regards to the doubts questioning my citizenship, in a blatant slander campaign and blatant attack beyond the limits of religion, ethics, morals, and all humane conventions. What I see is not only a doubt in hundreds of nationalities, nor only the nationalities of a whole sect, but rather an approach to doubt the nationalities of any native citizen despised by the regime.

But why would these doubts go beyond me and hundreds of my people, and reach every despised citizen?

This is not because I represent people other than myself, nor because I am privileged more than any child in the sect or nation. It is because targeting the pillars of my nationality and their firmness paves the way for the attack on the pillars of the nationality of anyone, who they intend to get rid of within the framework of political hostility.

The house of my fourth great grandfather, Abed al-Ithna A'shar - in reference to the 12 Shia Imams- after whom my first cousin was named and who is the father of martyr Abdul Hamid, is located around 150 feet away from  my father and uncle's house, where I was raised. The Mosalli family, from which my family descends, was located in the Mosalli neighborhood, now known as Fwelid, north of Diraz; i.e. the northern neighborhood of Diraz, where the Qadam Mosque is located. This family [Mosalli] was forced, due to political persecution, to emigrate from Bahrain, after its men put their efforts in the land to build this country for hundreds of years. However, the first and further cousins with whom we intersect in one great grandfather constitute hundreds of the Diraz residents, in addition to the sons and daughters of my siblings, who constitute dozens of the residents. There is no pride like the pride of being Muslim, and no value for a family without good deeds. I ask Allah, the Most Gracious, to provide you and me with pure faith and piety. We send our complaints to Allah, for He is the sufficient governor and a helper.

Such a statement exposed one of the scandal of the official state media, as well as the image of the brutal injustice practiced against the citizens.

Arabic Version