Bahrain has imposed strict limits on Ashura commemorations, the New York Times reported, in the latest measure targeting public Shiite religious activity amid heightened tensions after the Iran war.
The Sunni-ruled Persian Gulf state, where most citizens are Twelver Shiites, ordered this year’s Ashura observances to be cut from the usual 10 days to five and said processions must end by midnight, except in Manama, where they may continue until 2 a.m. In previous years, public processions often continued until dawn.
Bahrain has also barred citizens from traveling to Iran and Iraq until further notice, a move that affects thousands of Bahrainis who usually travel during this period to Karbala, one of Shiite Islam’s holiest cities.
The New York Times said the measures come after Bahrain, a close US ally that hosts the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, faced hundreds of Iranian drone and missile attacks during the recent war.
Bahrain has long accused Iran of trying to stir unrest among its Shiite population and has taken a hard line against dissent, including the violent suppression of a pro-democracy uprising in 2011.
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