Bahrain regime grills prominent activist over criticizing Wahhabism

Bahraini regime authorities have put imprisoned prominent Bahraini human rights campaigner Nabeel Rajab through the mill over criticizing oil-rich Persian Gulf monarchies for spreading "extremism" in an article published in French daily Le Monde.

On Thursday, Bahraini officials interrogated the 52-year-old president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights and accused him of making comments that "harm the interests" of the Manama regime and other Persian Gulf kingdoms. The case was later transferred to the prosecutor's office for further legal measures.

A piece attributed to Rajab and published by Le Monde on Tuesday condemned the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group, and censured Persian Gulf Arab countries for failure to stop the spread of the violent Wahhabi ideology.

Wahhabism is freely preached by Saudi clerics backed by the regime in Riyadh. The Daesh Takfiri terrorists and other militant groups use the ideology to declare people of other faiths “infidels,” justifying the killing of their victims.

The Le Monde article stated that Persian Gulf Arab states claim to be allies in the fight against extremism while at the same time fuelling the crisis.

Bahrain’s official BNA news agency has asserted that Rajab has denied writing the article in question.

On December 15, a Bahraini court postponed Rajab’s trial until December 28. He faces 15 years in jail for his criticism of the Al Khalifah regime’s involvement in the Saudi-led military operations in Yemen.

On November 24, the rights campaigner was taken to hospital from prison due to heart problems after being held in solitary confinement for three months.

Rajab has been repeatedly detained for organizing pro-democracy demonstrations and publishing Twitter posts deemed “insulting” to the Bahraini authorities.

He was pardoned for health reasons last year but was arrested again on June 13, following an intensive search of his house in the northwest of the country. Reports suggest he has been subjected to harassment in jail. 

Human Rights Watchdog has called for Rajab's immediate release, saying the charges against him "inherently violate the right to free expression."

Thousands of anti-regime protesters have held numerous demonstrations in Bahrain on an almost daily basis ever since a popular uprising began in the kingdom on February 14, 2011.

They are demanding that the Al Khalifah dynasty relinquish power and a just system representing all Bahrainis be established.

Manama has spared no effort to clamp down on dissent. On March 14, 2011, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were deployed to Bahrain to assist the Manama government in its crackdown on peaceful protesters.

Scores of people have lost their lives and hundreds of others sustained injuries or got arrested as a result of the regime crackdown on anti-regime activists.

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