February 14 Coalition Women’s Committee: The Arrest of “Ms. Fatimah Haroun” Comes Within the Context of the War Against the Shi’a of Bahrain
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
The Women’s Committee of the February 14 Coalition is following with deep concern and profound outrage the news of the arbitrary arrest carried out by the Al Khalifa regime’s security forces on Thursday, June 25, against Ms. Fatimah Haroun from the village of Bani Jamra, the mother of political prisoner Ahmad Al-Arab, in yet another crime added to the long record of systematic violations against the women of Bahrain and the mothers of prisoners and martyrs.
The arrest of Ms. Fatimah Haroun came in the wake of an overt sectarian incitement campaign targeting her after she published a post expressing her grief over the tragedy of Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) on the Day of Ashura. In her post, she affirmed a well-established doctrinal belief that has been held by Shi’a Muslims throughout history: that Ashura is not a day of celebration, but rather a day of mourning and profound sorrow over the martyrdom of Imam Husayn (peace be upon him), the grandson of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). This is neither a call for sedition nor an incitement against anyone; rather, it is a reminder of a religious belief and occasion commemorated freely by millions of people around the world. Under no law or universally recognized human norm does this constitute a crime warranting prosecution.
The sectarian Al Khalifa regime succumbed to these reckless incitement campaigns by arresting a woman whose post merely expressed a long-standing doctrinal belief of her religious school. Meanwhile, those who engage in hate speech by attacking the Shi’a, their beliefs, and their sacred figures remain free and may even enjoy protection, support, and rewards. This glaring contradiction—punishing someone for mourning the martyrdom of Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) while protecting those who incite hatred against an entire religious community—is, according to the statement, the clearest evidence that the regime’s battle is not against what it claims to be “inciting speech,” but rather against the sectarian identity of the Shi’a itself, regardless of how that identity is expressed, even if it is nothing more than sincere mourning during a significant religious occasion.
The Women’s Committee of the February 14 Coalition affirms that, although this incident may appear to be an isolated case, it actually reveals the true nature of a regime that has become deeply sectarian in its conduct, institutions, and decisions. It states that the regime is waging an open war against the Shi’a community in Bahrain—the country’s largest and principal social component—through a systematic policy targeting its preachers, eulogists, mourning houses (ma’atim), religious rituals, and religious and social symbols, in what the committee describes as a futile attempt to break the will of a people whom prisons cannot defeat and whose voices cannot be silenced by chains.
The committee further believes that the continued arrest of mothers, sisters, and wives on charges that amount to nothing more than expressing their religious and human emotions constitutes another stain on what it describes as the regime’s poor human rights record. It also considers this to be further evidence of the failure of the regime’s political methods, resorting to increased repression and retaliation against women when it is unable to confront what the statement describes as the legitimate demands of the people.
The Women’s Committee also condemns the arbitrary arrest of Ms. Fatimah Haroun, holds the Al Khalifa regime fully responsible for her physical and psychological well-being, and demands her immediate and unconditional release, along with all female political prisoners whom it says remain behind bars as part of the regime’s ongoing campaign against Bahrain’s Shi’a community. The committee further renews its unwavering commitment to defending every Bahraini woman who is targeted because of her affiliation, beliefs, or position regarding the issues of her homeland and its people.
Women’s Committee of the February 14 Youth Coalition
Friday, 26 June 2026
Occupied Bahrain
