Statement of the Regular Meeting of the Bahraini Opposition Forces – September 16, 2026
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
The Bahraini opposition forces held their regular meeting, during which they reviewed the new measures taken by the authorities as part of their ongoing campaign of persecuting citizens and targeting their identity and religious practices.
The forces strongly renewed their condemnation of the continued atmosphere of security intimidation in the country and stressed that the authorities must put an end to their provocative policies and illegitimate laws, as they will not succeed in subjugating the people, their religious scholars, or their prominent figures. Ultimately, the authorities will find themselves at a dead end, when regret may be of no avail.
In this context, the opposition forces stated the following:
1. The recent decrees aimed at imposing coercive control over citizens’ religious affairs represent a dangerous escalation in the ongoing pattern of religious persecution, which has become the defining feature of the authorities’ conduct in recent years. They add to a series of unconstitutional laws and decrees that abolished the Jaafari religious endowments, imposed severe restrictions on sectarian practices in mosques and ma’atams, and waged an all-out campaign against the beliefs and religious rulings of Shiite citizens in the country.
This entire package of decrees and decisions targeting the Shiite community will have no practical effect on the ground. Religious scholars, preachers, and the people will reject them on the basis of religious convictions related to the fundamentals and branches of Islam, and as an expression of their adherence to the rulings of Islamic jurists and their right to practice their religious rituals without interference from the authorities and in accordance with religious guidelines.
2. We salute our dear people, who have declared their commitment to the teachings of religion and the rulings of Islamic jurists, and who have affirmed their adherence to the statements and positions of Bahrain’s religious scholars, who rejected official interference in religious preaching.
We are confident that this authentic people will not hesitate to defend their identity, beliefs, and religious scholars, and will make every possible sacrifice to preserve their religious heritage and prevent any interference with, distortion, falsification, or appropriation of the religious pulpit, religious processions, and sacred rituals.
3. We reiterate our firm position that the unjust trials of our esteemed religious scholars must be halted, that they must be released immediately, and that their standing must be restored as symbols of religion and the nation.
Our people, our religious scholars, and our honorable national forces will not accept the authorities exploiting their reckless involvement in external wars and conflicts in order to extend their aggression internally against the people, their figures, and their religious practices. Any reliance on external forces to bring the people to their knees and subjugate them will ultimately yield nothing but disappointment and failure.
4. The people and the national forces will not be deceived by the authorities’ objectives behind their intensifying campaign against the indigenous citizens and their attempts to provoke and undermine their dignity and religious beliefs.
None of this will weaken the resolve of the opposition and its supporters in demanding a genuine political transition that removes the burdens of authoritarianism and corruption from the country.
The authorities must be certain that the flame of 2011 will not be extinguished. It will remain alive until its legitimate political objectives are achieved—objectives that represent the continuation of decades of national struggle carried forward by grandparents and parents, generation after generation.
Bahraini Opposition Forces
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
