Aiding terror will invite legal action

Manama : Legal measures would be initiated by the ministry against individuals or organisations found communicating or expressing support for individuals or entities blacklisted by the government, Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa said in a statement yesterday.

As many as 59 Qatar individuals and 12 entities, including members of Qatar’s royal family and a former minister were placed on blacklist on Friday. The move  was initiated by Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt as part of their strong stance against Qatar.

“The Ministry will hold accountable whoever uses religion in favour of any organisational links or loyalty to a foreign state or entity targeting the sovereignty, unity and stability of countries, whether through political societies or through raising money for  religious  purposes or religious  discourse,” Shaikh Khalid said in the statement.

“The necessary legal measures will be taken against any political society that communicates or has links, in any way, with the Qatar-associated list of banned terrorist individuals and entities, or supports them through various means of publication or any political action tools,” the minister said in the statement.

Shaikh Khalid underlined the continuous cooperation with the Ministry of Interior on combatting the fund-raising or accepting donations crimes that are related to those  individuals or entities.

The minister stressed the rejection of all forms of connections that use external organisations as a means to interfere in the domestic affairs.

“Allegiance to religion and to the homeland is through safeguarding the sovereignty and security of the country and protecting its gains, progress and values of citizenship and coexistence,” he said.

The minister affirmed the importance of confronting any course of action that conflicts with the fundamentals and top interests of the Kingdom of Bahrain, which, he said, reflects the strong faith, commitment and responsibility towards countering all forms of extremism, terrorism and violence, regardless of their sources.