Alwaght- Exiled top Shiite cleric of Bahrain Sheikh Isa Qassim has condemned a plan by the Bahraini government to hold Jewish Hanukkah celebration in the the capital Manama for eight days.
In a Twitter post, the spiritual leader of Bahraini Shiites panned the plan, saying that Manama rulers are planning to change the society to a Jewish one coercively.
He called on the Muslim and Arab world to maintain their enmity to the Israeli regime that “targets all of values, interests, and existence of the Muslims.”
Ebrahim Daoud Nonoo, the head of Bahrain's Jewish community, announced holding the celebration from December 18 to 26.
“This is the first time that this celebration is officially held in Bahrain. At the same time, a Torah scroll will be brought from Israel to Bahrain, and in addition to Bahraini Jews, Jewish personalities from other countries in the region will participate in this ceremony. These ceremonies extend from Bahrain Gate and Manama Market to the Jewish synagogue,” he was quoted as saying.
Bahrain normalized relations with Israel on December 4, 2020, a step it took after a similar one by the UAE.
Bahrainis protested the normalization, but the government faced them with an iron fist.
Since 2020, Tel Aviv and Bahrain signed a set of culture and trade cooperation agreements.
