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Bahraini Shiite leader arrested

The detention of Sheikh Ali Salman mirrors the marginalization of Sunnis in Iraq over the past decades and is likely to lead to further religious tension.
Protesters holding a Bahraini flags and a photo of the leader of Bahrain's main opposition party Al Wefaq, Ali Salman, shout anti-government slogans during clashes in the village of Bilad Al Qadeem south of Manama, January 6, 2015. 
 Bahraini police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to scatter protesters who gathered outside the home of Sheikh Ali Salman, a Shi'ite Muslim opposition leader on Monday, witnesses said, after he was remanded in custody for a further 15 days. Around 100 protesters angry at the d
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The arrest by Bahraini authorities of opposition Shiite National Accord Association leader Sheikh Ali Salman highlights a pattern of political behavior that prevails in the Middle East and naturally leads to social collapse and religious extremism.

Sheikh Salman was detained primarily on charges of establishing contacts with Iraqi Shiite parties, but the charges are unconvincing and do not justify the arrest of someone like Salman, a significant political figure for a section of Bahraini society. Amnesty International called for his immediate, unconditional release, arguing, “The detention of Sheikh Ali Salman is a flagrant violation of his right to freedom of expression, association and assembly.” For its part, the United Nations demanded the release of the Bahraini opposition leader through the Human Rights Commission.

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