GOB TEMPORARILY CLOSES ISLAMIC ACTION SOCIETY

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 000943 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/05/2015 TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM BA SUBJECT: GOB TEMPORARILY CLOSES ISLAMIC ACTION SOCIETY FOLLOWING EVENT "HONORING" COUP PLOTTERS REF: MANAMA 885 Classified by Ambassador William T. Monroe for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) The Shia rejectionist Islamic Action Society (IAS) held a ceremony June 29 to "honor" 73 people convicted in the early 1980's of attempting to topple the government. Spiritual advisor Sayed Mohammed Hadi Mudarasi telephoned in from Iran and reportedly called for an end to Shia suffering in Bahrain and urged his listeners to "gain their rights." Minister of Labor Majeed Al Alawi (a Shia) told the Ambassador July 4 that activist Abdul Hadi Al Khawaja spoke at the event and insulted the prime minister using "foul language." Al Alawi also said that leading Shia opposition society Al Wifaq Vice President Hassan Mushaima gave a speech asserting that the Al Khalifas are not Bahrainis. (Note: The family came from Qatar to Bahrain in 1783.) Al Alawi said comments like these are aimed at creating conflict between groups in society. ¶2. (SBU) Minister of Social Affairs Fatima Al Belooshi July 5 ordered IAS closed for 45 days for actions that "violated its founding objectives and principles." Deputy chair of the group Salah Al Khawaja (brother of Abdul Hadi) complained that the decision was unconstitutional and unlawful. He said Al Belooshi should have issued a warning rather than close the society. ¶3. (SBU) IAS is one of the four boycotting societies. It is a small (10 members) group formerly known as the Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain. Shaikh Mohammed Ali Mahfoudh is the president, and members follow the guidance of Sayed Mudarasi from Iran. They are believed to be "Shirazis," who are considered to be more radical and confrontational than other Shia groups in Bahrain. ¶4. (C) Comment: The more radical strain of Shia oppositionists are looking for increasingly provocative ways to attack the government. The June 29 event was a slap in the face of the government and the Royal Family that made no pretense of addressing societal issues like human rights or unemployment. Per reftel, Abdul Hadi Al Khawaja reportedly wants to escalate tensions in Bahrain to provoke a crisis that precipitates the intervention of the King. The IAS event was a weak attempt to do so, and the GOB's response strikes us as quite appropriate. We anticipate Al Khawaja will look for new and more effective ways to try to rile the government. MONROE