LEGISLATORS and community leaders, including opposition figures, urged people not to retaliate over a bomb blast that targeted worshippers in West Riffa.

They warned of the dangers of Bahrain being dragged into a “civil war” and pleaded with the Sunni community to remain calm in the aftermath of Wednesday’s explosion.

It happened at 8.25pm as people were performing Taraweeh prayers at Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa Mosque.

The bomb, a combination of gas cylinders and homemade explosives, was inside a car that was parked near the popular mosque. However, no injuries were reported.

Sunni Islamic scholar Shaikh Salah Al Jowder said radical minority groups are using the sectarian card to fuel tension among the community.

“They will bomb a Sunni mosque and then someone will bomb a Shi’ite mosque,” he said.

“These small groups of extremists have lost the battle and now want Bahrain to be like Iraq and Syria. They want blood to be spilled on the roads.

“But we in Bahrain will not let this happen and have to fight sectarianism internally.”

The religious leader said people can use other platforms to voice their concerns.

“The dialogue table in Juffair is open. Parliament is open to address the plight of people. The doors of the ministries are open,” he said.

“All these problems here and in the Middle East are because of a foreign agenda, in particular Iran.”

MP Ahmed Al Sa’ati warned of a new wave of escalation in street violence, with radical groups straying away from graffiti painting and tyre burning to terror tactics.

“The car explosion in Riffa is a result of an escalation in violence and these groups are waiting for a big bang,” said the head of the Bahrain Bloc.

“I expect more protests with even people killed or attacked because of our painful situation.

“Bahrain is placed along with Syria and Karachi in the headlines which is shameful as it puts us in the blacklist and ignores the development over the years.”

He blamed the government and civil society for just condemning violence and not taking tangible measures to prevent it from happening.

“The police forces are burdened with the responsibility of dealing with the situation, but they cannot handle the political crisis by force,” he added.

“They are no doubt doing a good job in tough circumstances, but what about our society and civil society organisations that have failed to deal with this.

“Families should hand over their sons if they commit terror acts and even clerics should step up their efforts to guide youths away from violent paths.”

He said majority of people convicted in connection with street violence were jobless, which makes it even more important for the government to create more employment opportunities.

Mainstream opposition groups, led by Al Wefaq National Islamic Society, condemned the blast and urged people not to react violently to the incident.

“Slipping into the cycle of violence and counter-violence will drown our country in security tension,” read a statement.

Their comments were reiterated by the National Unity Assembly, which fear “terrorists” are pushing Bahrain to the brink of civil war.

“These people only want to push Bahrain to the state of a civil war,” said secretary-general Abdulla Al Howaihi.

“They do not stop even during Ramadan and went ahead and exploded a car near the Riffa mosque.”

Muharraq Governor Salman bin Hindi dubbed the incident as a “cowardly terrorist attack”.

“Such crime constitutes an attempt to make the country drift into insecurity and scare peaceful citizens,” he said.

“On behalf of myself and the inhabitants of Muharraq Governorate we condemn this cowardly act, which is a clear evidence that those behind it lack any moral or ethical values and Islamic principles.”

Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs president Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalid Al Khalifa said the attack on a mosque was a violation of its sanctity.

He said such a terrorist act was a cheap attempt to drag the country into a sectarian and ideological slide.

Bahrain’s business leaders have added their voice to those condemning Wednesday’s blast.

The Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry described it as an attempt to drag the country into sectarian strife and called on all Bahrainis to stand united.

The Foreign Correspondents Club also condemned the incident.

Minister of State for Information Affairs and the government’s official spokesperson Sameera Rajab said that targeting houses of worship in such a holy month is a disgraceful terrorist act aiming to undermine national unity, sow sectarian sedition, spread chaos and disrupt security and public order.

Such a shameful terrorist crime is alien to the genuine values of the people of Bahrain, and aims to create chaos and sabotage through targeting the security of kingdom, and safety of the citizens and residents, she said in a statement.

Sunni Endowments Council president Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa, Shura Council member Dr Shaikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, MPs Mahmood Al Mahmood and Abbas Al Madi also condemned the blast and urged Bahraini society to rally behind the leadership to confront terrorism.

GCC secretary-general Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani denounced the cowardly terror blast which revealed its evil-minded perpetrators who pay no heed to the sacred month of Ramadan, the sanctity of the month or innocent lives.

Dr Al Zayani said that such criminal designs would never succeed in Bahrain’s peace-loving society.

The National Institution for Human Rights also condemned the West Riffa blast as well as sabotage attacks on Marina West offices building in Budaiya and a mobile phone tower in A’ali.

It affirmed in a statement yesterday that those illegal acts have nothing to do with the Bahraini moral standards and aim to destabilise the country, terrorise people in Bahrain, threaten civic peace and kill innocents.

The National Will and Change Society condemned the cowardly terror act that targeted a mosque in West Riffa.

It also denounced all violent and terror acts targeting people in Bahrain as well as public and private properties.

It warned against the repercussions of targeting mosques and houses of worship and demanded political, religious and social parties to take a clear stand on terrorism.
It also criticised some groups for providing political cover to terrorism and the terrorists.
sandy@gdn.com.bh