Bahrain: A woman is being investigated by Bahraini authorities after a video of her smashing statues in a shop appeared on social media. The woman, who is reported to be in her forties, was angered when she saw the statues of Lord Ganesh, which represented Hindu deities, in a department store in the Jufair area of the Bahraini capital Manama.
Bahrain is a Muslim majority country and the Islamic faith is strictly monotheistic, forbidding any portrayal of divine beings. In the video, the woman can be heard asking angrily, “This is a Muslim country, right? Why is this here?” before picking up one of the statues and smashing it on the floor of the shop.
She then threw at least four more statues to the ground, breaking some of them. “Does (Bahraini king) Hamad bin Isa accept this?” she said as a shop worker looked on helplessly. The Bahraini interior ministry said that the woman could face charges related to destruction of property and breaking objects associated with a religious faith.
Nearly all of Bahrain’s citizens are Muslims but like in other Gulf countries, foreign workers outnumber citizens. Indians, most of whom follow the Hindu faith, are the largest single expatriate group, numbering an estimated 4,00,000 out of a total Bahraini population of 1.3 million. Last year Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been criticised for anti-Muslim policies at home, said he would invest US$4 million in the renovation of the 200 year-old Sree Krishna temple in Bahrain.
The Bahrain Ministry of Interior took to Twitter and confirmed that police has taken legal steps against the woman for damaging a shop in Juffair and "defaming a sect and its rituals", in order to refer her to the Public Prosecution. The Bahrain Interior Ministry also issued a statement regarding the incident and said, "Concerning a circulated video on social media, the Director-General of Capital Governorate Police announced that a woman, 54, was summoned for intentionally damaging a shop in Juffair and breaking religious idols. Legal proceedings are being taken to refer the case to the Public Prosecution".
Khalid al-Khalifa, advisor to the king of Bahrain and former foreign minister, said the woman's actions were unacceptable. "Breaking of religious symbols is not the nature of the people of Bahrain. It is a crime... of hatred and is rejected," he tweeted. "Here, all religions, sects and people coexist," he added.
