Bahrain Mirror: Bahraini court upheld on July 31, 2016, a one-year jail term against the cleric Sheikh Mohammad Al-Mansi, who is in charge of the demolished mosques' file at the Ulama Islamic Council.

The defense had completed a request to appeal a one-year jail term issued on May 24 against Sheikh Al-Mansi. This came after he was accused of inciting hatred against the regime and attacking the Ministry of Interior. The Public Prosecution said that one of the preachers, banned from delivering speeches, delivered one that included things deemed criminal offenses.

Lawyer Jassim Sarhan considered that the complaint filed by the Department of Jaffaria Endowment (Waqf) against Sheikh Al-Mansi that bans him from preaching and which led to a 1-year imprisonment against him, is considered an unprecedented step in the history of Jaffaria endowment in Bahrain.

Sarhan further explained that it is common among people of the Jaffaria doctrine that people choose who leads them in prayers. The Bahraini constitution also stipulated the need to respect communities' norms and traditions, including that the people are the ones who chose who leads them in prayers, and not the Jaffaria endowment.

Arabic Version