MANAMA, 1 January 2005 — A call by the London-based Saudi dissident, Dr. Saad Al-Faqih, to stage a protest against the Saudi government in Bahrain following Friday prayers went unanswered yesterday, as leading Bahraini Muslim figures condemned the call and described it as un-Islamic.
Bahraini authorities had stepped up security around Al-Fatih Grand Mosque as a precautionary measure with close to 100 policemen in riot gear stationed around the mosque following the protest call.
Worshippers at the Al-Fatih Grand Mosque, located in the heart of Manama, left following the prayers, with many of them unaware of the call.
“This guy — Al-Faqih — has no respect for Islam, Muslims, or his country,” one Saudi worshipper who wished to be identified only as Mohammed told Arab News following Friday prayers.
“I have not heard of the message until now and I doubt anyone heed the messages he releases.” Many Saudis living or visiting Bahrain pray at Al-Fatih Grand Mosque.
The call prompted the head of the Aslah Islamic Society and Second Deputy Chairman of the Bahraini Parliament Shaikh Adel Al-Maawdah to issue a statement condemning the call and calling on Muslims not to heed it.
In his statement Al-Maawdah said that such acts would only harm the unity of the society and encourage the enemies of Islam to act against Muslims. Protests and rallies are not the proper way to bring about reforms, he added.
Al-Maawdah also criticized Al-Faqih’s call for reforms through rallies in a Muslim country that is known to protect Islam and all those who live there.
This was the second protest call by Al-Faqih in less than two weeks that went unanswered by the people.
The protest call given on Dec. 16 went almost unanswered in Saudi Arabia, where some 20 people were arrested, two of them in Jeddah after they fired in the air from their car.
A group of 35 Saudi religious leaders and academics had issued press statements warning people against taking part in the protests. They said the movement led by Faqih was detrimental to the interests of the society and the unity of the country.
Last Friday (Dec. 24), British authorities moved to freeze the assets of London-based Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia (MIRA), which is led by Faqih, for having ties to Al-Qaeda.
British Treasury Secretary Gordon Brown said he had instructed all British financial institutions to freeze funds held for, or on behalf of the group.
