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Bahraini authorities arrested Sheikh Hussein Issa Najib on June 24, 2026, the Prisoners Affairs Authority in Bahrain stated in a post on X. Najib serves as imam and preacher at Al-Khayf Mosque in addition to heading the Southern Ma’tam in the Al Dair area. The post indicated that the reasons for the arrest had not been made public by security agencies at the time.
A report published in June 2026 by Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain placed the number of detained Shia clerics and religious figures at 53 since the start of a security campaign in May. The assessment listed Sheikh Mohammed Sanqour and Sheikh Ali Al-Saddadi among those taken into custody during home raids that month. Authorities have tied many of the cases to alleged contacts with external entities, according to statements carried by Bahrain News Agency.
The Bahraini Ministry of Interior described some of the operations as targeting a network linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, a June announcement distributed by the agency said. Officials released photographs of certain detainees as evidence of the action. Proceedings in the cases continue through the public prosecution, the ministry added in follow-up statements.
Public prosecution authorities ordered the precautionary detention of an individual on August 24, 2026, after videos surfaced showing statements deemed sectarian, Al Watan newspaper reported, citing a statement from the Northern Governorate prosecution. Investigators acted on information from the cybercrime unit and confronted the suspect with the material during questioning. The prosecution noted that protections for religious expression do not cover content that could inflame communal tensions.
A joint statement issued in August 2026 by several human rights organizations reported that more than 600 people had been arrested or summoned in connection with religious practices and public expression since February. The document highlighted increased activity around Hussaini ceremonies and sermons during the Ashura period. Bahraini officials have maintained that all measures follow established legal frameworks designed to safeguard public order.
Previous years saw similar actions against Husseini preachers who participated in Ashura events, Bahrain Mirror records from 2019 show. In one instance authorities summoned four clerics and detained two pending further investigation into their sermons. The pattern has continued with periodic summons and detentions tied to content delivered in religious gatherings, according to archived local reports.
