Sunni endowments bans use of mosques for campaigning in Bahrain

The Sunni Endowments Directorate has banned the use of mosques, public occasions halls and their facilities for electoral campaigning in any form whatsoever.
In a statement issued today, the directorate said that its Board of Directors had prohibited Imams, preachers, muezzins and halls' supervisors from allowing those facilities to be used to promote parliamentary or municipal candidates in order to preserve the sanctity of mosques, built solely to worship Allah and promote religious precepts.
Under the ban, Friday sermons shall not be exploited to promote candidates, political societies or parliamentary blocs.
The statement also said that mosques, halls or their affiliated bodies shall not host meetings, lectures or seminars to discuss issues related to the elections.
Candidates are prohibited from distributing their electoral programmes, posters or slogans following prayers or sticking them at the walls of mosques or halls.
The statement added that whoever violates the above rules will be punished by imprisonment for a period of no more than 6 months and fined a maximum of BD500 or both, in line with the provisions of Legislative Decree 15 of 2002 with regards to Shura and Representatives Councils, which prohibits candidates from organising and and holding meetings for campaigns or to giving speeches in places of worship.