by Husain Marhoon: In September 2014, Bahrain declared its participation in the war launched by US against ISIS. It also announced that 100 Bahraini citizens have joined the extremists in ISIS. However, the internal inventory of events does not show that the authorities have stopped or tried any of those who joined ISIS since it was established in 2013 and extended its domination over vast areas in Iraq and Syria. The following are important dates:

25 November 2013: The Saudi "Al Hayat" newspaper disclosed the most important leader in ISIS, Abu Hammam Al Athari; a nickname for Turki bin Mubarak Al Binali, and that he fights in Aleppo, Syria 

7 February 2014: The Bahraini government declared its support for the Saudi resolution concerning punishing those involved in hostile actions outside Saudi Arabia.

23 February 2014: The Salafist MP representing Al Asala Salafist Society, Adel Al Moawada, stated in an interview with "Al Wasat" newspaper, "the Bahraini youths engaged in jihad in areas of clashes usually participate through ISIS.

25 February 2014: The Bahraini Ministry of Interior warned Bahrainis, in a statement, against participating in hostile actions outside Bahrain, involving in the regional and international conflicts, joining blocs, extremist religious or intellectual parties or those internally, regionally or internationally classified as terrorist groups, or providing them with any kind of material and moral support. The Ministry described the matter as "a threat to Bahrain and the region's security and stability, which can't be neglected under any condition." 

28 February 2014: The Lebanese "Al Akhbar" newspaper declared the arrival of the Bahraini, Turki Al Binali, one of ISIS's most prominent legislators, indicating that "Those in ISIS welcomed the news of Al Binali's arrival, noting that he is known as Abu Sufyan Al Salami.

26 March 2014: The son of the Minister of Royal Court, Nasser bin Khaled bin Ahmad Al Khalifa, a military officer in the Bahraini army and Chairman of East Riffa Club, announced endeavors made by him, in person, with others in order to get an official license from the Bahraini government to support jihad in Syria about a month after the Ministry of Interior had banned Bahraini citizens engaged in regional and international clashes from financing extremist parties. 

14 April 2014: Advocates of the ex-colonel in the Bahraini Ministry of Interior, Adel Al Flaifel, organized a solidarity protest in front of Flaifel's house in Saar on 19^th April 2014 in objection to what was mentioned in the "Gulf News" newspaper, affiliated to the Bahraini prime minister, that "pro-regime parties annoyed Flaifel for adopting ISIS and Al Qaeda." 

17 May 2014: A pro-ISIS Bahraini fighter, Salman Turki, threatened in a videotaped message to expand ISIS's control to include Bahrain. He said in a speech addressed to the ruling family, "we will cut you into pieces" before he had torn his Bahraini passport. He also commented, "If we want to travel to any country, we don't travel using your mean nationality, however, we expand." 

19 May 2014: ISIS's Bahraini theoretician and legislator, Turki Al Binali, spoke out loudly about the killing of a Bahraini fighter for ISIS. Ali youssef Al Rowaie, known as "Abi Hamza Al Bahraini" was killed in the battles in Syria. 

11 June 2014: The Bahraini government spokeswoman, Samira Rajab, considered that "ISIS is a name used to cover the Iraqis will for freedom and dignity." She tweeted on her twitter account, "I hope I am wrong. Some people ensure that ISIS is a name that is repeated on media to cover the Iraqis will for freedom and dignity", adding that, "Al Anbar incidents may be a revolution against the oppression and injustice that widely spread in Iraq for more than ten years. Iraqis did not get used to humiliation and being patient during injustice."

12 June 2014: The Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs called all its citizens not to travel to Iraq in the meantime. It also called its citizens in Iraq to immediately depart from it.

12 June 2014: A report issued by the US department of state unveiled 131 names of academics, activists and clerics who belong to 31 countries and who provide "legitimate support" for what is called "jihadist movements and armed groups". Among the 131 names were 2 Bahrainis, the preachers Shawqi Abdulrahman Al Manai' and Adel bin Ali Al Shaikh. The report indicated that the donations from the Gulf States "have remained the main source in financing the terrorist groups." 

13 June 2014: Jassim Al Saeedi, a deputy in the Bahraini Parliament and orator in Sabika Al Nesf Mosque in Issa town, declared, "Supporting the Iraqis in their revolution opposed by the unlimited Iranian support for the Safavid regime in Iraq and aiding regime's Safavid army against the Iraqi people," considering, "the real danger is represented by the Safavid project and its arms in all the Gulf States and Arabic countries as well." 

16 June 2014:  Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister of the Arabic and African Affairs, Hussein Amir Abdul Allihyan admitted in an interview with the Iranian "Al Alam" channel that "the Bahraini government should not entitle Hezbollah as a terrorist group, when its spokeswoman and Minister of State for Information Affairs considers the terrorist ISIS a liberal group and defender of Arabs.     

18 June 2014: Al Menbar National Islamic Society ex-deputy Nasser Al Fadhala called in a video to support "the revolution in Iraq" considering that "relating what is happening in Iraq to ISIS is a fraud, lie and a try to hide the truth."

18 June 2014: The Bahraini Gulf Daily News unveiled what it named "an extremist group in Busaiteen that is trying to mobilize Bahraini youths with an aim to engage them in fights in Iraq and Syria." The newspaper published, "There is a gym in Muharraq that is used by ISIS supporters as a center to mobilize the jihadis. There is also a known group in Busaiteen that works on mobilizing Bahraini youths to fight in Syria and Iraq due to the turmoil happening there." The newspaper also mentioned, "This group has, indeed, started to visit boys' elementary schools to convince them to join the battles in the regional conflicts".    

20 June 2014: Abdulrahman Al Fadel, an orator in Nouf Al Nassar mosque in Isa Town, wondered about the circulation of Ministry of Interior's decision to the platforms preachers not to tackle the ongoing events in the region." Al Fadel said, "Why not to comment on the ongoing events in Iraq and other countries (Syria) in disturbing the Islamic brotherhood?" adding, "how can we not comment on the events when we see our brothers in Iraq, as you see are subjected to war of extermination on the hands of the Persian Safavid forces and their cooperating militant groups?"

24 June 2014: Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden, discussed in a call with the Bahraini king the repercussions of the Iraqi stance. The White House announced in a statement that Biden and the King expressed their "condemnation regarding ISIS practices." 

 26 June 2014: Disclosure of a number of books issued by the Religious Guidance directorate in the Bahraini Defence Force that present Shiites "Rafidis", Christians, Druzes, Jews and Jesus as Takfiris. Among these books are two books, "The light of Sunnah and darkness of heresy in the book and Sunnah" and "The light of monotheism and the darkness of polytheism in the light of the book and the Sunnah".

27 June 2014: The Bahraini king ordered the security bodies to take the needed measures to protect the country from the dangers of extremist Islamic groups. He also stressed when meeting with government officials headed by the prime minister, Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, on "the importance of taking all the necessary measures to protect the nation and citizens from terrorism and extremism tendencies which are of no rite or religion."

30 June 2014: The Bahraini historian, Bashar Al Hadi, revealed that the Bahraini Sunni Waqf teaches in the same book taught by ISIS in the countries it occupied in Syria and Iraq.

30 June 2014: The Bahraini jihadist, Turki Al Binali, considered ISIS's inauguration of Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi "A Caliph for Muslims among the World" as "The God's promise", saying "The caliphate knocked at Al Baghdadi's doors. It only fits him and he is the only suitable one for it."

4 July 2014: Pro-ISIS Graffiti were scratched on houses' walls in Busaiteen city, South Bahrain. It is to note that the ISIS leader called to topple all the government in the region.  

4 July 2014: The Bahraini Ministry of Interior declared in a statement that it called a number of fighters who returned from Syria and Iraq besides suspects in Bahrain and recorded official minutes against them. The statement also mentioned that the Ministry of interior "issued travel prevention judicial orders against anyone who proves to be involved in these actions in any form or at any level" indicating that, "some of these suspects were called with their parents who were advised to follow their sons and guide them in this issue."   

31 July 2014: Al Hayat Saudi newspaper declared raising ISIS flag on Bahrain's largest mosques, Al Fateh, in Al Manama, during Eid prayers. It also quoted a security source in the Bahraini government, "the government puts all ISIS sympathizers under control", shedding the light on the danger of the Bahraini citizens who joined ISIS, although he described them as "a very few party".

7 August 2014: Stopping Sheikh Adel Hassan Al Hamad from delivering Friday sermons after being called for the Ministry of Interior.

10 August 2014: The deputy Prime Minister, Mohammad bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, denied the existence of ISIS supporters in Bahrain, saying, "The rumors about raising ISIS flag on one of Bahraini mosques is not true. There is no ISIS supporters among us." He also referred to "the will of the Peninsula Shield Force to defend the Arab Gulf region if ISIS tries to attack its countries."

14 August 2014: The Bahrain Interior Ministry stopped seven vehicles carrying terrorist organizations' stickers, including those belonging to ISIS. Bahrain Interior Ministry spokesman Colonel Mohammad bin Dineh clarified, "the vehicle owners were not aware that the slogans referred to Islamist group."

16 August 2014: The Bahraini member in UN Human Rights Council Advisory Committee, Saeed Al Faihani, considered, on his twitter account, ISIS advances in Iraq a "Clan revolution".

16 August 2014: The jihadist preacher of Al Nesf mosque in Riffa, Adel Al Hamad's tweets on his twitter account unveiled his disagreement with "the declaration of the Islamic Caliphate led by Al Baghdadi". Adel Al Hamad saw, based on a study for the writer Alawi Abd Al Qadir Al Saqqaf, "the curatorship which the nation does not meet on, is not a general curatorship, and it must not be called Caliphate regardless of who declared it."

17 August 2014: The "Observer" newspaper, related to "The Guardian" made an interview with one of the Syrian fighters in ISIS lines through which he said that his name is Abu Al Mutasim (18 years old).  He left his family home in Bahrain in 2012, where his parents worked, and fought for the Free Syrian Army for a few months before joining the hardline group Ahrar al-Sham. He then went to visit his family in Bahrain; his parents banned him from traveling back to Syria. But he returned to join ISIS.

20 August 2014: The defected lieutenant, Mohamed Isa Al Binali, who fights for ISIS, threatened to slaughter Bahraini deputies whom he described as "legislators in place of God".

28 August 2014: The secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Abdul Latif bin Rashid Al Zayani stated that the cooperation among the council's countries to fight ISIS is "continuous, organized and permanent".  

3 July 2014: The defected lieutenant known as, Abu Issa Al Salami, announced on his twitter account the killing of 3 Bahrainis in ISIS. He pointed out to the killing of Yusuf Jamil Al Bahraini and Abi Hamza Al Bahraini and Abi Al Zoubair Al Bahraini.

4 September 2014: The Bahraini Ministry of Interior declared the dismissing of the Bahraini officer, Mohamed Isa Al Binali after joining ISIS. It also tweeted on its twitter account that, "the former officer, Mohamed Isa Al Binali, was already dismissed for failing to attend work".

8 September 2014:  The Chairman of Al Asala Salafist society and Salafist ex-deputy Abdulhalim Murad, stated that if ISIS were serious in raising the banner of jihad, "it has to fight Jews and Safavids". He said, if "ISIS" or "The Islamic State" were serious in raising the banner of jihad, let it go fight the Jews in Palestine or the Safavids.   

14 September 2014: A source in the Iranian Ministry of foreign affairs replied to the statements of the Bahraini Minister of foreign affairs saying, "There are some, in the meantime, who claim fighting the terrorist ISIS organization while their actions and measures, in fact, have been supporting it for the past years". The minister also considered "the contradictory statements of some politicians in the country are due to fluctuation in their stances regarding the necessity to seriously fight terrorism." 

14 September 2014: The second deputy chairman of the Parliament and member of "Al Adala" Salafist Society, Sheikh Adel Mouwda, stated that, "those affiliated to ISIS in Bahrain are not dangerous. They are not dangerous to the society; however, they are victims. A number were tempted to join the battles, there were almost five fighters in Syria and we know nothing about their places yet. We only know that they are in the lines of ISIS." He continued, "We know one of the leaders who is in Iraq now. This leader was the head of a group of youth, nonetheless, this group has become now with no leader. We frequently hear that this group adopts the Takfiri ideology. This leader has also warned us about this group."

14 September 2014: The ex-deputy Nasser Al Fadhala and member of Al Menbar National Islamic Society, the political hand of Islamic brothers in Bahrain, declared after the spreading of his photos in a protest in front of the US embassy next to ISIS flags that this photo was taken in 2012 when ISIS was not yet founded. The photo was in front of the US embassy and was for a stance taken by some societies protesting for the rebroadcasting of the Danish movie that insults Prophet Mohammad. Al Fadhala saw that ISIS danger is escalating in the region with an aim to cover what he called "the petty land of Houthis in Yemen".   

20 September 2014: Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohamed Al Khalifa, Minister of Foreign Affairs Kingdom of Bahrain, stated that Bahrain, "will continue its precise monitor to prevent individuals from traveling and joining terrorist organizations", indicating that it "will arrest anyone who is proved to be affiliated to such organizations as soon as he arrives to Bahrain."

23 September 2014: The American army announced, "Our allies in air strikes against ISIS in Syria are Jordan, Bahrain, KSA, Qatar and UAE."

23 September 2014: Bahrain proved in an official statement that it had attacked ISIS locations in Syria. A source at the Bahrain Defence Force's General Headquarters said, "A group of fighter jets from the Royal Bahrain Air Force carried out earlier this morning, along with the air forces of the Gulf Cooperation Council states and those of allied and friendly countries, air strikes against a number of selected targets of terrorist groups and organizations, and destroyed them within the international effort with respect to the protection of the regional security and international peace." 

24 September 2014: The lawyer Abdullah Hashem tweeted on his twitter account about the killing of the Bahraini jihadi Ibrahim Al Awadi in the aerial bombings on the outskirts of Baghdad. 

25 September 2014: The minister of Foreign Affairs, Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohamed Al Khalifa, denied any cooperation with the Syrian regime in the war against ISIS, stressing that, "the cooperation is only among the allies". He also said in an interview with BBC, "I ensure that there is no cooperation of any form with the Syrian government in the war against ISIS, whereas, the alliance which usually consists of several countries has its own way in dealing with matters." 

25 September 2014: The minister of Foreign Affairs, Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohamed Al Khalifa, disclosed in an interview with "Al Arabiya Channel" that "the number of Bahrainis who  joined ISIS do not exceed 100" adding that, "the Bahraini authorities will detain any of those of who  joined ISIS as soon he returns to his homeland."

27 September 2014: The minister of Foreign Affairs, Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohamed Al Khalifa, proclaimed that, "Iran's stance towards terrorism is not clear, especially that there are parts who are locked in battles on its behalf." He also said in a talk with "Sky News Arabia", "ISIS is the priority today, but we definitely aim at fighting terrorism. Hezbollah is a terrorist organization and is a copy of ISIS" adding that there should be an inclusive dealing and that the plan, as we understood from our allies, is to deal with terrorism. The plan is on the long term and we are committed to it as long as there is commitment, he continued.   

28 September 2014: Twitter suspended the accounts of Bahraini extremists who fight for ISIS; Turki Al Binali @turky_albinali, Mohamed Al Binali @abodhir22 and Mohamed Isa Al Binali @bu3utbah.

28 September 2014: Four of Bahraini extremists who fight for ISIS in Iraq delivered a message to the Sunnis in Bahrain asking them to boycott the regime leaders whom they described as "tyrants". They also called those in police to penitence and to follow the group of repentant "the Unitarianism leaders" such as, Abi Omar Al Baghdadi, Abi Hafs Al Masri and Abi Sufyan Al Azdi."

29 September 2014: The Bahraini jihadist, Mohamed Al Binal, who fights for ISIS, revealed that the Bahraini Ibrahim Al Awadi who was killed in a US airstrike in Fallujah in the center on Iraq had left Bahrain to Iraq despite his prevention from travel order.

30 September 2014: The second deputy chairman of the Parliament and the member of Salafist "Al Adala" Society, Sheikh Adel Mouwda, commented on the video that shows 4 pro-ISIS Bahraini fighters during delivering a message to the Bahraini people saying that, "these are ignorant, poor and do not listen to the advice". "Those who appeared in the video did not even finish their schools. They can barely sleep somewhere; nonetheless, they like to threaten the whole world. They are tempted. Who listens to them anyway?" 

30 September 2014: The Minister of State for Information Affairs and government spokeswoman, Samira Rajab, announced that "the number of Bahrainis fighting for ISIS in Iraq and Syria is 100. This is all the information we have until now. There is no more precise information.^[47]"

1 October 2014: Al Adala National Society which includes the old jihadists in Afghanistan issued a statement indicating that, "Bahrain did not ask it people regarding participating in the war against ISIS which has nothing to do with," adding that this war is directed to strike and weaken the Sunni factions and enable the enemy in the area to impose its power and dominance.  The society considered that, "The participation of Bahrain in this alliance is an ill-considered step and it may put us in front of new fronts and involve us in a vortex with undefined parties."

2 October 2014: The public prosecution arrested Nabeel Rajab, Director of Bahrain Center for Human Rights, for his tweet, in which he described the Bahrain security institutions as an "ideological incubator" of ISIS. Rajab tweeted that, "many of the Bahrainis who joined the ISIS militia came from the country's security institutions; these institutions were the first ideological incubator."

3 October 2014: ISIS issued a booklet entitled, "Extended Hands for Allegiance to Baghdadi" calling the Muslims to pledge alliance to Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi. This booklet was written by the Bahraini Turki Al Binali.

9 October 2014: The defected lieutenant, Mohamed Isa Al Binali, publicized the killing of the Bahraini Abdulaziz Al Jowder (19 years) who was fighting for ISIS in Iraq.

10 October 2014: BNA published an ads console for the Bahraini jihadi Abdulaziz Al Jowder after his killing news in Iraq. BNA's mortality page printed an announcement regarding the youth's death and place of receiving condolences.

10 October 2014: The family of the jihadi Abdulaziz Al Jowder denied news of his death saying that he called them from Iraq during preparing his mourning rituals.

10 October 2014: BNA removed from its page the news of the death of Abdulaziz Al jowder after he called his family.

14 October 2014: ISIS declared the killing of the Bahraini Abdulrahman Al Sharqi known as "Ahmed Shehab". He is the first Bahraini to be placed under the American black list of terrorists. "Al Sharqi was the responsible of the foreign affairs of Al Qaeda inAfghanistan, which made America look for him with urgency," Abou Al Kassem Al Ossaimi, who is one of the fighters of ISIS, said on his Twitter official account.

21 October 2014: A Kuwaiti security source revealed to "Al- Qabas" Kuwaiti newspaper that "the Kuwaitis of ISIS are leaving to Turkey through Bahrain. "The youth who are affected by the ISIS ideas are heading to Iraq and Syria through more than one station, i.e they move from Kuwait to Bahrain and from there to Turkey, then to Iraq or Syria. Some travels through Dubai airport", he said.

22 October 2014: The Bahraini fighter in ISIS who is known under the name of "Abo Laden Al Harbi" declared on his Twitter account the death of the Bahraini nicknamed as " Abo Al Mutasim  Al Bahraini" in Deir Ezzor city, east Syria.

27 October 2014: USA called its allies participating in the war against ISIS within a broad international coalition, including Bahrain, to expand this war to involve the Internet. "This propaganda represents a terrible war. It aims at recruiting and spoiling the minds of innocent people," the retired American coordinator of the international coalition, General John Allen, in an opening of a meeting in Kuwait dedicated for facing the propaganda of extremists through internet, said.

29 October 2014: The former Saudi ambassador to Washington, Turki Al Faisal, vigorously defended the Bahraini regime, denying "any presence of ISIS in Bahrain", despite the confession of Bahrain of the presence of 100 Bahraini fighters fighting with ISIS. He said in a seminar in Washington, "Bahrain is free from ISIS and its similar organizations, but there is violence practiced by Shiite parties. "

29 October 2014: The fourth criminal court refused a request to release Nabeel Rajab, President of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, after drawing criticisms on "Twitter" against the security services, saying that "they are incubator of extremist organizations". His lawyer, Jalila Al Sayed, said that the commander- in -chief of the Bahrain Defence Force Field Marshal Khalifa Bin Ahmed Al Khalifa has filed a new lawsuit against him accusing him of "insulting the army".

30 October 2014: The criminal investigations questioned Abdullah Al Binali, the brother of the Bahraini jihadist Turki Al Binali, before releasing him later in the same day. The lawyer Abdullah Hashem said on his "twitter" account that the Bahraini security authorities have released Abdullah Mubarak Al Binali without directing specific charges against him.

31 October 2014: The lawyer Abdullah Hashem declared that, during this period, the Bahraini security authorities summoned many "youth" for investigation"; these youth were investigated and prevented from traveling. He considered that this comes "as a result of Bahrain commitments to its obligations before the international coalition for fighting terrorism."

9 November 2014: Bahrain hosted an international conference on combating terrorism funding, entitled "Manama Meeting on Combating the Financing of Terrorism" with the participation of more than thirty countries and regional and international organizations.

: watch the video below 

Bahraini ISIS member rips up his passport and threatens his country’s rulers

ÇáäÓÎÉ ÇáÚÑÈíÉ