Manama: A government decision purporting to avoid using religious sermons to stoke sectarianism and national division has waded into controversy after Bahrain's top Shiite scholars issued a fatwa prohibiting compliance with it.
The decision, announced by the justice and Islamic affairs ministry, late last month, said that all religious scholars should ensure that their speeches "call for the respect of all beings, promote moderation and human rights, do not incite national or religious divisions and do not attack other sects."
However, senior Shiite leaders said that the decision, regardless of its message, was an attempt by the government to extend its domination over Shiite religious institutions, which have been traditionally under the authority of the sect's senior scholars.
"Based on our religious responsibilities, we announce that compliance with the justice and Islamic affairs decision on the guidelines for religious sermons, is haram [not allowed]," the top six scholars said in a brief statement, a copy of which was sent to Gulf News.
The unprecedented decree by Jawad Al Wadai, Husain Al Najati, Eisa Qasim, Abdullah Al Guraifi, Abdul Hussain Al Sitri and Mohammad Salah Al Rabe'ei is likely to intensify the standoff between the ministry and Shiite mosque preachers over who has the final say on religious speeches.
The ministry says that it made the decision to impose moral standards and strict measures after people have complained that many of the Friday sermons, by Sunni and Shiite imams, had transgressed acceptable social norms and engaged in promoting sectarian tendencies, inciting hatred and undermining national unity.
However, the scholars dispute the claims made by the ministry and insist that they alone should be in control of Shiite religious affairs.
"The justice ministry cannot be our religious reference because it is scholars, and not ministries or government institutions, who decide on religious matters," explained Al Guraifi.
