Bahrain imposed fresh restrictions on its Shiite community ahead of a major holiday commemoration, the latest in a string of curbs on the community across the Gulf since the US-Iran war.
The crackdown emphasizes a point made recently by Semafor’s Gulf editor: The conflict’s most enduring legacy in the region, whose ruling monarchies are Sunni Arab, may be renewed tensions with Shiite populations because of perceived links to Shiite-majority Iran.
Any dissent now risks being recast as treason.
The latest measures include halving the traditional 10-day Ashura festival and ordering processions to end earlier in the evening than normal.
In a statement to The New York Times, Bahrain said these measures were “intended to safeguard the safety and well-being of all those participating in Ashura commemorations.”
“Bahrain’s constitution guarantees freedom of religion and belief for all, without distinction,” it added.
On June 3, the Bahraini government banned its citizens from travelling to Iran and Iraq, home to some of the most important shrines in Shiite Islam.
Bahrain said that this move was “relating to the safety and security of Bahraini citizens in light of the conflict affecting the region.”
Manama also recently stripped 69 Shiites and their relatives of citizenship, attempting to deport most to Iran, and have banned public mourning for Tehran’s late supreme leader.
Meanwhile, authorities in Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE have also cracked down on alleged Iran-linked militants and sympathizers.