Ahlam Oun: “Bahrainis pray on the ruins of mosques demolished by the regime”

Last month, Sabeeka Bint Ibrahim Alkhalifa, wife of Bahrain’s King Hamad Alkhalifa, was a guest of honor at the Freedom Palm, an event held next to the Notre Dame in Paris celebrating “Freedom of Religion”.

Sabeeka, who last year bought a Paris mansion for € 66M from the Catholic Church, said during the event: “Religious tolerance is a right that must be sacred throughout the world”, yet Bahrainis who witnessed their mosques being demolished by the regime know that what is preached by it’s members internationally is not at all practiced domestically.

After the protests were brutally crushed upon the entering of the Saudi troops to Bahrain the government wanted to strike fear in the majority Shia community by destroying their mosques as revenge for participating in the pro-democracy protests. More than 35 mosques and religious institutes located inside Shia villages got demolished. Police and Army personals representing the regime were on location to facilitate the demolishing.

Video: showing the demolition of mosques by Bahrain Police and Army, Before/After pictures and legal documents extracted for each mosque.

In spite of the horrific experience for Shia Muslims in Bahrain and the security lockdown during marshal law, Bahrainis vowed to volunteer and rebuild their historic mosques and to continue praying on the ruins with no roof above them nor walls sounding them.

Video of an old man in spite of his health condition and during the peak of the crackdown, praying on the ruins one of the Mosques in Bahrain.

 

A Sunni praying in solidarity next to a Shia on the site of demolished mosque.

The calls to pray on the ruins and to rebuild the demolish mosques were not welcomed by the regime who pledged to fight back using it’s legal and security measures. Weeks after the people started rebuilding the mosques, a warrant and a lawsuit was issued against them. In addition, security forces were sent to throw teargas and sound bombs on peaceful crowds during their prayers.

Government warring volunteers who are rebuilding the mosques.

 

Video of Bahrainis praying on the site of demolished “Kuwaikibat Mosque” while Police tear gas, and people chanting “God is the greatest” and “It is prayer time. It is prayer time”.

Historic “Burbogy Mosque” while being rebuilt, written on it’s wall  “Long Live the King”.

The continuous harassment and systematic discrimination against the freedom of religion by the Bahraini regime fails to destroy the will of the people who vowed to rebuild what is rightfully theirs in spite of all risks.

    Hidden stories about Bahrain – Follow Ahlam Oun on her blog

 

Caption of the first picture : Bahrainis praying on the ruins of a mosque which was destroyed by the regime

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LINKS:
Bahrain Center for Human Rights Report: “Discrimination and deprivation of religious freedom in Bahrain”
Description and details of some demolished mosques
Demolished Mosques in Bahrain from the BICI Report Section 1313
Facebook page: Bahreïn Libre! Paris Sit-in – Denouncing Queen Sabeeka in Paris

Photo: Bahreïn Libre! Paris Sit-in – Denouncing Queen Sabeeka in Paris

 

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Ahlam Oun is a Bahraini youth activist and a blogger. She is involved in the society by initiating youth development projects on volunteerism; public speaking and leadership. She is the founder of “Mumayaz, Inspiring Youth” and she worked at “Search for Common Ground” at the Partners in Humanity department.

After the 14Feb Revolution in Bahrain, Ahlam started blogging under her real name after being anonymous since 2008. She mainly writes in English with primary interest on issues related to youth rights, stories of the injustice and Human Rights violations.

Ahlam’s blog Making Noise
Ahlam’s Twitter Account: @AhlamOun

 

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