Quranic Institutes from 3 Countries Commemorate Quranic Martyr of Qatif
The Thar Husseiniya (Shia religious center) in the west of Manama, hosted the event, according to Qaaf news agency.
It was jointly organized by a number of Quran institutes from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
A number of Qaris from the three countries recited verses from the Quran at the memorial.
There were also speeches delivered by Abdullah Abul Hassan, representing Bahrain’s Quranic institutes, Ali al-Matrud, on behalf of Qatif Quran Council in Saudi Arabia, and Hassan Qambar, a Kuwaiti Quran activist.
Amin al-Hani, who headed the Joint Quranic Council of Qatif and Dammam, was killed in early July, as security forces torched his vehicle in Eastern Province, which is mainly populated by Shia Muslims.
The incident occurred on the eve of Eid al-Fitr, when Saudi security forces fired gun shots into his car while he was driving in Awamiyah in the restive Qatif region.
The shots set the vehicle ablaze and his charred body was then recovered from the burned-out car. A video of the incident, shot by a passing car, circulated in social media, showing the time Hani's car was burning in the raging fire.
He was martyred while returning from a Quranic program in the region.
Activists condemned the brutal killing of the Quranic figure as an indication of Saudi authorities’ lack of respect for the lives of innocent people and civilians.
Eastern Province, particularly Qatif, has been the scene of peaceful demonstrations since February 2011. Protesters, complaining of marginalization in the Sunni-ruled kingdom, have been demanding reforms, freedom of expression, the release of political prisoners, and an end to economic and religious discrimination against the oil-rich region.
Riyadh has responded to the protests with a heavy-handed crackdown, but the rallies have intensified since January 2016, when the Saudi regime executed respected Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, an outspoken critic of the policies of Riyadh. The provocative move further escalated tension across the province. Over the past years, Riyadh has also redefined its anti-terrorism laws so as to target activism.
The Shia community of the province accounts for somewhere between 10 and 15 percent of Saudi Arabia’s 33-million-strong population.
