Bahrain Forum: Bahraini Authorities Place Religious Discourse Under Political Surveillance
Expanding the licensing system for preaching to include sermonizing and religious chanting raises serious constitutional concerns.

The Bahrain Forum for Human Rights (BFHR) continues to monitor the escalating restrictions imposed by Bahraini authorities on the Shia community and its religious institutions. These measures have intensified following the outbreak of US military action against the Islamic Republic of Iran. On September 5, 2026, the Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Waqf announced an expansion of the licensing system for preaching and guidance to encompass sermonizing, religious chanting, and related events and activities. The decision grants official bodies broad authority to establish licensing standards, conduct interviews and examinations, and monitor both the performance of licensees and the content of their discourse.

BFHR considers that extending the licensing system to sermonizing and chanting, while subjecting licensees to ongoing oversight and content analysis, exceeds standard administrative regulation. This brings the religious sphere directly under executive oversight, effectively granting the state the power to determine who may ascend the pulpit—a direct infringement on the independence of religious affairs. This measure becomes even more dangerous if religious or political stances are used as criteria for granting or revoking licenses.
In the same context, BFHR has received reports indicating that pressure was exerted on several preachers and chanters to publicly support the licensing system, including publishing statements in its favor using the names of religious figures without their consent. If verified, these practices represent a shift from regulating religious discourse to directly coercing individuals' freedom of expression, especially if these pressures are linked to threats of losing licenses or facing official action.

BFHR emphasizes that any expression of support issued under pressure, fear of losing a license, or threat of official penalties cannot be considered free expression. Rather, it constitutes a violation of the principle of freedom of opinion and expression guaranteed under Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibits subjecting individuals to coercion to force an opinion upon them or compel them to express it.
BFHR strongly condemns these arbitrary measures, reiterating its total opposition to subjecting religious sermonizing, preaching, teaching, and chanting to prior executive licensing. The religious pulpit is a fundamental right, not a state-granted privilege, and the practice and teaching of religious beliefs must not be contingent on government permits.

Furthermore, the decision violates Bahrain’s international legal obligations, notably Article 18 of the ICCPR, which guarantees the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion—including the freedom to manifest religion or belief in worship, observance, practice, and teaching. Paragraph 2 of Article 18 explicitly prohibits coercion that would impair the freedom to have or adopt a religion or belief of choice. The decision also conflicts with Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 30 of the Arab Charter on Human Rights, both of which affirm the protection of freedom of religion, belief, and practice. Requiring prior permits for religious teaching and sermonizing fundamentally contradicts these protections, particularly when the state assumes the authority to select who may fulfill these religious roles.

Additionally, this policy violates Article 26 of the ICCPR, which prohibits discrimination based on religion or belief. The licensing system cannot be evaluated in isolation from its practical implementation, especially given the historical context of restrictions on the religious life of Bahrain's Shia community. Article 27 of the ICCPR further guarantees the right of religious minorities to enjoy their culture, practice their religion, and use their language in community with others.
The UN Human Rights Committee, in General Comment No. 22 on Freedom of Thought, Conscience, or Religion, affirms that the freedom to manifest religion or belief encompasses worship, practice, and teaching, extending to essential operational aspects of religious communities, including the selection of religious leaders and teachers. The Committee stresses that any restrictions on manifesting religion or belief must be prescribed by law, necessary, proportionate to a legitimate aim, and neither imposed nor applied in a discriminatory manner.

Under the Bahraini Constitution, this decision raises serious doubts regarding its constitutionality. It subjects preaching, guidance, and religious sermonizing to executive authorization, whereas Article 22 of the Constitution guarantees freedom of conscience and the inviolability of worship, and Article 23 guarantees freedom of expression within the conditions specified by law. Crucially, Article 31 stipulates that constitutional rights and freedoms may only be regulated by or pursuant to law, provided that such regulation does not impair the essence of the right or freedom.

Subjecting constitutionally protected religious practices to prior authorization—coupled with the broad discretionary powers granted to executive authorities—risks turning regulation into arbitrary control. This exceeds the constitutional boundaries established for regulating rights and freedoms by impinging on the essence of religious practice and expression, compounded by the absence of a clear statutory basis for such restrictions. Consequently, the prior licensing system raises serious questions regarding its legitimacy under the provisions of the Constitution.

Finally, BFHR notes that these measures form part of an ongoing series of infringements deployed by Bahraini authorities since the start of the year under the guise of administrative regulation. As documented in previous BFHR reports, these include restrictions on religious assemblies and processions, the removal of religious displays, tightened control over the Jaafari Waqf Directorate, and administrative circulars restricting practices such as the Arbaeen pilgrimage. Additionally, over 800 citizens—mostly from the Shia community—were arrested for participating in protests against government policies between the beginning of the year and August 2026.

Based on the foregoing, the Bahrain Forum for Human Rights calls on the Government of Bahrain to:
1.    Abolish the prior licensing system for sermonizing, preaching, and religious chanting, and ensure these rights are not contingent on government approval.
2.    Respect the independence of religious affairs and cease using sect, jurisprudence, or political affiliation as criteria for determining a speaker's eligibility.
3.    Halt all surveillance of religious discourse aimed at targeting peaceful opinions or political criticism.
4.    End discrimination among preachers and chanters based on sect or religion, and investigate any selective or discriminatory enforcement of the restrictions system.
5.    Investigate reports of coercion exerted on preachers and chanters, ensuring their right to express their views freely without threat or retaliation.
6.    Guarantee the right of religious scholars to fulfill their duties independently of political authorities, including selecting educational content according to their beliefs and scholarly interpretations.
7.    Release all individuals detained for peacefully practicing their religious rites or expressing their opinions, and review all sentences and administrative measures based on the peaceful exercise or expression of religious rights.
8.    Cease all restrictions on religious rites, processions, assemblies, and occasions, ensuring the ability of the Shia community to practice its rites on an equal basis with other citizens.

BFHR also calls on the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief and the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression to monitor these developments, document violations affecting the Shia community in Bahrain, and engage with Bahraini authorities to press for full compliance with international human rights standards.

Bahrain Forum for Human Rights
September 9, 2026