Bahraini Court Postpones Verdict in Sheikh Qassem’s Case

A Bahraini court has delayed the verdict in the case of top Shia cleric, Sheikh Issa Qassim, whose nationality was revoked last year.

The court had earlier set March 14 as the date to issue its ruling on Sheikh Qassem’s case, but it adjourned its decision until May 7, Arabic-language Bahrain Mirror news website reported on Tuesday.

Qassem, the spiritual leader of Bahrain’s dissolved opposition bloc, the al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, was stripped of his nationality last June over accusations that he used his position to serve foreign interests and promote sectarianism and violence.

The clergyman, who is in his mid-70s, has denied the allegations, refused to be assigned a lawyer and declined to attend any of the trial sessions. Qassem faces up to 15 years in jail if convicted.

In addition to Sheikh Qassem, Bahraini authorities are also trying the cleric’s office head and staffer, Sheikh Hussein Mahrous and Mirza al-Dirazi, respectively.

The trio are accused of laundering money and raising funds without licenses in connection with the practice of Khums – a religious tax which followers of Islam pay to their highest religious authorities for use in charities and other donations.