Religious figures urged to focus on social, ethical issues

Manama: A Bahraini activist has urged religious figures to devote more time to promoting ethical values and addressing social issues instead of being preoccupied with political issues.

"Social and cultural openness in Bahrain has contributed to an increase of crimes and abuses. The ominous prevalence of a culture totally different from our own traditions and values and the insufficient monitoring by parents of their children's behaviour have been gravely compounded by the almost total absence of religious figures who are much more interested in political issues," Salah Al Jowder said.

Leading religious personalities have been ostensibly engaged in political action after parliamentary life in Bahrain resumed in 2002 following a 30-year-hiatus. Several religious societies even formed political wings to empower their members to run in the elections and win seats in the lower house.

Islamists from both the Sunni and Shiite sects hold 32 of the 40 seats in the lower house and the leading political societies in the country are basically religious formations competing for power and influence.

"This situation has made it difficult for religious figures to devote enough time to counsel families, promote virtues and good values and protect people from modern onslaughts, mainly via the media, on our cultures and traditions," Al Jowder said in comments on the rise of court cases involving children and teenagers in Bahrain.

Last month, a local court looked into the case of a 14-year-old girl who was allegedly raped by three boys. In another case, a girl, also 14, was reportedly assaulted by a Gulf national who was later released after her family pardoned him. A few days later, Bahrainis were shocked to learn that a man was arrested after his wife discovered him in bed with her eight-year-old niece. The man later said that he was drunk and was not aware of what he was doing.

Activists attributed the rise in the rate of sexual harassment to psychological problems suffered by the perpetrators and to the leniency of the law.

"The victims are often young relatives because they are easy to contact and influence. There needs to be a toughening and a stricter application of the law," Hameed Mohsin said. "At the same time, those who have psychological problems need to be cured because time in prison does not necessarily deter them from committing felonies again," he said.

MP Jassem Al Saeedi said that he would lead a move within the lower house to enact a law that will ensure zero-tolerance towards attacks, sexual and otherwise, on children.

"We need to have very specific and strong laws that will fully protect children from the age of kindergartens. We also need to add new clauses that will ensure the toughest verdicts," he said.

Bahrain signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1992, and acceded to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography and the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict in 2002

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