Sheik Abdul-Ameer al-Jamri, Bahrain’s leading Shiite cleric, dies
The Associated Press
Monday, December 18, 2006
MANAMA, Bahrain
The leading Shiite cleric and spiritual mentor of Bahrain’s opposition, Sheik Abdul-Ameer al-Jamri, died Monday of heart and kidney failure. He was 67.
Shiites across the tiny island state went into deep mourning, hanging black flags and banners outside their houses and pasting pictures of al-Jamri on walls and car windows.
“He was a father figure for Shiite Bahrainis,” said his son, Mansour al-Jamri, a leading columnist and editor. “His legacy will start today. He had great influence during his life.”
Sheik Abdul-Ameer al-Jamri, Bahrain’s leading Shiite cleric, dies
The Associated Press
Monday, December 18, 2006
MANAMA, Bahrain
The leading Shiite cleric and spiritual mentor of Bahrain’s opposition, Sheik Abdul-Ameer al-Jamri, died Monday of heart and kidney failure. He was 67.
Shiites across the tiny island state went into deep mourning, hanging black flags and banners outside their houses and pasting pictures of al-Jamri on walls and car windows.
“He was a father figure for Shiite Bahrainis,” said his son, Mansour al-Jamri, a leading columnist and editor. “His legacy will start today. He had great influence during his life.”
Bahraini historian Essa Amin hailed al-Jamri as a “leading political figure” who had played an important role as a lawmaker “representing the Shiites as well as the national opposition in general.”
Hundreds of people, most wearing black, gathered at al-Jamri’s house in Bani Jamra, preparing to join the funeral procession that was expected to set off on Monday afternoon.
Mansour said his father died at home in the early hours of the morning. During his long battle with strokes, kidney and heart ailments, his family turned his house into a medical clinic.
Although his poor health had kept him out of active politics for several years, al-Jamri remained a spiritual mentor to the main opposition party, al-Wefaq, which won 17 of the parliament’s 40 seats in last month’s elections.
He served in Bahrain’s first parliament in 1973-75, which was dissolved by the emir.
Twenty years later he became the religious leader of the Shiites’ campaign for the restoration of democracy and equal rights. Shiites form a slight majority of Bahrain’s 700,000 citizens, but the royal family is Sunni Muslim. Shiites have long complained that they suffer discrimination, particularly at the higher levels of government.
The campaign turned violent in 1994 when arsonists set fire to buildings and protesters clashed with security forces in the streets. More than 40 people died.
Al-Jamri was detained for 3 1/2 years on charges of espionage and incitement charges. In July 1999, he was convicted and sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment. But he was pardoned the next day by the new emir, the current King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, who was beginning a program of political reform that led to new parliamentary elections in 2002.
Al-Jamri had 10 children. His son Mansoor is a leading columnist and editor-in-chief of the independent Alwasat newspaper.
str-my-jbm
