Isa Qassim

Sheikh Isa Qassim

Sheikh Isa Qassim (* around 1940 in Diraz, Bahrain ), full name: Isa Ahmad Qassim al-Dirazi al-Bahraini , is the highest-ranking Shiite religious scholar in Bahrain with the religious title Ayatollah . As the spiritual leader of the Wefaq society, Qassim is considered a “ man of Iran ” who sympathizes more than just the political system of Iran .

biography

Isa Qassim, son of a fisherman, first worked as a primary school teacher in Bahrain after graduating from school. He began his Islamic studies in the capital Manama until he moved to Iraq to Najaf in 1962 . a. trained with Muhammad Baqir as-Sadr and in between worked as a teacher in Bahrain. In the 1990s he changed his place of study and moved to Qom , where he a. a. studied with Mohammad Fazel Lankarani and received the religious title Ayatollah around 2001 before his return to Bahrain. Since then he has been giving heavily attended Friday sermons in the mosque of his native Diraz . In contrast to the Bahraini Shiites (around 70 percent of Muslims), who are of Iraqi origin and predominantly recognize Najaf and Grand Ayatollah Ali as-Sistani as the spiritual leader, Qassim sees Ali Khamene'i as the leader.

Qassim's attitude towards the protests in Bahrain from 2011 onwards is viewed critically because he did not call for violence to be renounced.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Ali Alfoneh: Between reform and revolution: Sheikh Qassim, the Bahraini (accessed on February 22, 2013; PDF; 183 kB)
2. ↑ Ed Husain: Iran's Man in Bahrain ( Memento of the original from February 5, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (accessed on February 22, 2013) 
3. ↑ Rudolph Chimelli : Sueddeutsche.de Tod dem König (accessed on February 22, 2013)
4. ↑ Ed Husein: nytimes.com The Prince and the Ayatollah (accessed February 22, 2013)