Gulf States Arrest Shiite Citizens on Terrorism Charges Amid Conflict With Iran

Officials in several Gulf states have arrested or revoked the citizenship of dozens of Shiite citizens after the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. In Kuwait, officials arrested six people accused of plotting to assassinate the country’s leaders.

In the United Arab Emirates, authorities accused 27 men of belonging to a secretive terrorist organization, while in Bahrain the government has stripped dozens of their citizenship. All those targeted are Shiites, according to their governments and human rights activists.

The allegations differ in detail and in many cases remain vague. After the war began on Feb. 28, Iran launched thousands of attacks at Gulf states that host U.S. military bases, prompting the arrests of Shiite citizens described as traitors loyal to Shiite-led Iran.

Scholars and rights activists have noted a surge in nationalist rhetoric in the region that echoes past periods when sectarianism was more widespread. The developments also reflect ways the war has accelerated a shift toward deeper authoritarianism in several Gulf monarchies.

“It is understandable that at times of war, nationalism increases, but this is a form of rabid nationalism that is exclusionary and subjugates a significant minority of citizens who have complained for years about discrimination,” said Ala’a Shehabi, a Bahraini academic and pro-democracy activist.

Gulf governments typically release little information about terrorism and national security cases. Such trials are rarely open to journalists, and counterterrorism laws are broad enough to encompass political dissent. That makes it difficult to determine the details of the accusations or the veracity of the charges.