Revoking nationality of cleric not enough : MP

Manama : A Bahraini lawmaker has called for applying death sentence against controversial cleric Isa Qassim, who was stripped off his citizenship recently, for the charge of treason.

Parliament Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security Committee member Jamal Buhassan called for “applying death penalty against Qassim for the charge of treason and exhorting to kill policemen in Bahrain” in a televised interview on Tuesday.

Buhassan said: “Revoking the nationality of this criminal isn’t enough. He should be held before the court and tried for his crimes against the Kingdom and its people.”

This came during the MP’s interview with Saudi-based Safa TV Channel, which launched a campaign on Twitter demanding death penalty for Qassim. The campaign received wide interaction from users, who supported the demand, with some of them tweeting, “Death penalty is the fair punishment for those who betray their countries.”

In the interview, Buhassan pointed out the results of recent investigations proving Qassim’s involvement in violence and terror in Bahrain. He also noted a statement made by the cleric in a Friday sermon few years ago, demanding to “crush” policemen in the country.

“His fatwa (a ruling on a point of Islamic law given by a recognised authority) to kill policemen resulted in intensifying street violence in Bahrain. Around 19 policemen were killed  and hundreds of them were injured in terrorist attacks,” Buhassan added.

The lawmaker was invited to the interview to comment on the recent decision taken by Bahrain Cabinet to revoke the citizenship of Isa Qassim due to his allegiance to foreign religious political authorities. He was also accused of creating an extremist and sectarian milieu in the country.

Buhassan added that the decision was a long-awaited one and that the authorities took its time to investigate and prove Qassim’s involvement in serious violations. He also denied that it was taken on sectarian basis.

DT News reported last week that the Public Prosecution’s investigations revealed that Qassim had kept a large sum of money raised through donations in his possession. He had sent some of it to anti-Bahrain organisations in Iran and Iraq.

It was unveiled that Qassim had $10 million in his bank account that was collected through donations and religious drives. The authorities decided to freeze these amounts, which were detected while investigating several local societies accused of money laundering and illegal fund-raising acts.