BAHRAIN –  Bahrain has stripped the Sunni-ruled kingdom’s most prominent Shia cleric of his citizenship, state media report.

An interior ministry statement accused Sheikh Isa Qassim of using his position to “serve foreign interests” and promote “sectarianism and violence”. The cleric, who holds the religious rank of ayatollah, has backed protests led by the majority Shia community for greater civil and political rights. Last week, the government suspended the leading Shia opposition grouping. Bahraini authorities said the offices of the Wefaq National Islamic Society had also been closed and its assets frozen. A lawyer for the group said the move had come “out of the blue”.(BBC.COM/photo: bbc.com)…[+]