MAR 94

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

PART 4

PACE 2 VOICE OF BAHRAIN MARCH 1994 Mo’min Mosque: Government’s Action Fails Sine the storming and closure of Mo’min Mosque on 19 January, the B. ahriani authorities have been looking for a replacement to Moharnmed Hassan Kadhem, the fifty-years old person now in jail after defying the Interior Ministry orders by opening the Mosque on 19 January. Mr. Kadhem was the “Qayyim” of the Mosque, ic the person in-charge of opening and closing the premises at certain times and looking after the tidiness of the place. Mr. Kadhem has been suffering from ill-treatrnent and torture as a form of punishment for disobedience. On 3 February, the Mosque was opened and a new Qayyem was put in-charge. The new person, Mr. Jawad Al-Azraq, with a deputy by hc name Nader Al-Hallay, declared that any activity that are not approved by the Interior Ministry and Religious Trust Department “Aw4ar’ will not be permitted. He also made it clear thal the Mosque will be shut directly after completion of prayers in the evening, thus preventing holding any function after that time. On the opening of the Mosque, the security officer controlling access to the Mosque briefed A1Azraq in a loudly heard voice saying: ‘*Jawad: any person that moves here or there just report him lo me”. Three days later somc workers were hired by the Interior Ministry to replace themetal-grid surrounding the boundaries of the Mosque (which allows people inside and outside the compound of the Mosque to see cach other) with a solid brick surround (which prevents people seeing each other). Moreover, the coloured lightings installed in the Mosque for switching-on during celebrations were replaced with plain ones. Several day latter, Mr. Sadeq Al-Baharnah, Head of Awaqaf, enterc