Why are Bahrain’s Shiites taking to the streets in growing numbers?

Since 9 May, when the Bahraini government arrested 41 Shiite scholars and clerics on the accusation of conspiring with Iran, the chant “With you, with you, O Scholars!” has rung through the streets of Bahrain, fueling the broader cycle of escalation between the Bahraini government and the Shiite opposition. In a statement on 14 September, the Islamic Resistance in Bahrain (an umbrella group composed of various Iranian-backed armed groups) called on the Bahraini government to release Shiite scholars, clerics, and other political detainees from prison, while threatening attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure and communication networks. 

ACLED’s Bahrain Researcher said:

“Tensions between the Bahraini government and its Shiite opposition are gradually placing the country at a high risk of instability. So far in September, all demonstrations ACLED records but one are the result of Bahrain’s Shiite community expressing solidarity with the arrested scholars and clerics. Since May, ACLED records 125 such demonstrations, culminating in the Islamic Resistance in Bahrain’s statement on 14 September.

“This comes as, since the beginning of the US-Iran regional conflict on 28 February, coercive measures by the Bahraini government against Shiites perceived as loyal to Iran have sparked peak levels of mobilization. ACLED data shows that demonstrations centered on Shiite issues accounted for almost 40% of all demonstrations in Bahrain from March to August 2026.  These were mainly in response to the abduction and enforced disappearance of a Shiite citizen who died in custody in late March, and the 9 May arrests of 41 Shiite scholars and clerics. They both were accused by the Bahraini government of links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

“The risk is that without a clear change in the Bahraini government’s heavy-handed strategy, the Shiite opposition will continue to face heightened repression and, in turn, become more likely to protest: potentially triggering a wave of demonstrations that test the government’s ability to maintain order.

“Demonstrations in solidarity with the arrested Shiite scholars and clerics are expected to continue in the coming weeks as their court trial is ongoing. The question now is whether the Bahraini government will be able to ease tensions with the Shiite opposition and the community at large, and avoid further instability while the Iran war continues to threaten the country.”