Bahrain Mirror: Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa issued a Law on Saturday (June 11, 2016), amending some of the provisions of Law 26/2005 regulating political societies.

The law stipulates the methods and procedures to form the organs of a political society and the choice of its leaders who "must not be engaged in delivering religious speeches, sermons or guidance, even without remuneration," according to Bahrain News Agency.

The amendment bans the simultaneous membership in a political society and engagement in religious preaching, guidance or speeches, even if without remuneration, further stressing that under no circumstances can anyone combine religious preaching and membership in a political society.

This law is seen as a clear blow to the Shiite political movement in the island kingdom, namely the main opposition group Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, whose Secretary-General Sheikh Ali Salman, currently imprisoned over charges of "attempting to overthrow the regime", holds both the political position of heading Al-Wefaq and religious position of being the Imam of Al-Sadiq Mosque. Sheikh Salman also practices these two tasks without remuneration. Many Al-Wefaq members are also Islamic religious school students or instructors.

Arabic Version