Calls to suspend Friday, congregation prayers rejected

Manama, June 16 (BNA): The Jaafari Endowments Department has called on Bahrainis to exercise high levels of caution and be fully aware of the true nature of the suspicious calls being made to disturb the spirituality and piety of Ramadan, the holy month in which Muslims are urged to increase all manifestations of faith in the mosques and build on them to promote goodness in our communities and to instill noble values and ideals in the hearts of their members. Under such a spirit, they should heed the tendentious and offensive calls made on the social media not to perform congregational and Friday prayers in mosques, the Department said in a statement. The most important allegation used in the suspicious call for the boycott of group prayers is the absence of security. This is a sheer lie and utter nonsense that is easily belied by the facts on the ground and genuine consciousness. The security men at the Interior Ministry have proven their merit and competence in providing full security and mental comfort in all places of worship, such as mosques and community centres, in both critical and normal circumstances. They still devote their time and dedicate themselves to provide, according to the best means available, full protection in all mosques and community centres. They deserve our gratitude and thanks. There is no pressure or any bid to prevent anyone from praying at any mosque anywhere in the Kingdom. The Jaafari Endowments Department has repeatedly stressed the necessity to distance places of worship, such as mosques and community centres, from political bickering and politicized partisanship in all their forms and manifestations. The Department still insists on the significance of this separation and reiterates the pledge that it will not spare any effort to confront and prosecute anyone who is tempted to prejudice the sanctity of the places of worship or to compromise their safety. The Department also reaffirms its call to mosque imams and preachers to abide by the ethics of religious discourse and counselling to achieve further goodness, and to avoid all forms of incitement and agitation as well as all speeches that deepen politicizing and compound partisanship. The imams and preachers should maintain the sanctity of religious sermons and speeches in order to reinforce their leading role in promoting national cohesion, fostering the spirit of religious and national brotherhood and stressing the aspects of peaceful coexistence among all components of society, especially as we are blissfully imbibed with the spirit of the auspicious month of Ramadan. The Department has called for maintaining the religious rituals, and in this regard, it stresses that they are well respected and that the state protects all places of worship as stipulated in the Constitution. The Department stresses that all Friday and congregation prayers in all mosques as well as all religious rites are continuing and will continue to be held, God willing. The Department praised the directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, His Royal Highness the Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and First Deputy Prime Minister, and lauded their assertions on the need to preserve all aspects of national unity and on the significance of Bahrainis, regardless of their sects, coming together during these highly critical times, to maintain the country's security and stability, particularly that the bright future of Bahrain is linked to the coherence of its citizens and components. The Department appeals to all imams, preachers, columnists and opinion makers to distance themselves from anything that may drive a wedge into the Bahraini national front and to preserve our national unity and our social fabric, particularly in light of the complexities of the security situation and the critical conditions in the region and beyond. The Department calls for not exploiting places of worship to engage in any political activity or to hold any event and gathering that clashes with their noble mission, social role and educational and humanitarian services that are the reasons for their establishment and the motives for their existence. These places have been throughout the ages the largest tributaries of the goodness, prosperity and stability of our societies. The Department added that, based on its religious and legal responsibilities, it was assuming its role in providing all the necessary care and attention to the places of worship, particularly that it has embarked on a historical project to reconstruct, maintain and develop 900 mosques, community centres and cemeteries on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of its foundation.