Manama: Bahrain’s interior minister has called upon Bahrainis and residents to openly express their support to the country and their condemnation of Iran’s interference in its domestic affairs.
In a statement he issued on Thursday, Shaikh Rashid Bin Abdulla Al Khalifa said that Bahrain, under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, will never hesitate to protect its people.
The minister added that the multifaceted Iranian interference in the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain was totally unacceptable and did not conform to international norms that respect the values of good neighbourliness.
The interference includes antagonistic political statements, the smuggling of explosives, weapons and ammunitions into the kingdom, the harbouring of fugitives and the use of Iranian military camps to train Bahrainis on terrorist acts that target innocent people, he said.
The interference also includes orchestrating and launching constant and misleading propaganda campaigns against the Kingdom of Bahrain and its people to disseminate misinformation and false narratives about the kingdom, Shaikh Rashid added.
“Despite the adversity, Bahrain has been working to reinforce ties with Iran through a positive approach and has respected the ‘good neighbour’ approach,” he said in the statement carried by Bahrain News Agency (BNA).
"We say to the Iranians that you are involved in attempting to disrupt the security of Bahrain, that you have provided weapons and explosive training to Bahrainis, that you have exported the culture of terrorism to Bahrain and that whenever we make progress with our national stability, you purposefully provoke an escalation of violence in the Kingdom through your interference in our domestic affairs."
Shaikh Rashid called upon all “patriots and all those who love Bahrain and have allegiance to the kingdom to condemn in unison the ominous Iranian interference regarding the kingdom’s security."
He added that the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) countries acted as an integrated security system against such aggressive behaviour and that they needed, for the sake of achieving the security objectives of the people in the region, to reinforce their regular cooperation and to develop international alliances that will assist them.
“There is a need at the outset to correct the foundations of the concept of ‘dual loyalty’ in the Gulf countries. As regards Bahrain, the double allegiance is utterly rejected and must not exist. It is doubtless a legal violation. Iran is taking advantage of this concept through mixing religious speeches with politics in a move that echoes the Iranian agenda of politicising religious seminaries in Qom,” he said.
The minister said there should be clear national condemnation and stance by scholars, national institutions and official and civic organisations, in addition to the representatives of the citizens and residents of Bahrain.
“Those who refuse this patriotic stance and do not condemn violence are in fact saying ‘Yes’ to violence, terrorism and Iran's interference to destabilise Bahrain security,” the minister said.
The GCC – a loose alliance of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, has condemned Iran’s interference in Bahrain.
On Thursday, Cairo-based Al Azhar, the highest religious authority in Egypt, condemned Iran’s interference in the internal affairs of Bahrain and other Arab countries.
