Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive):  A question arose after the announcement of resumption of diplomatic relations between Bahrain and Qatar: Will prayer times in Bahrain be restored to their normal times or will they continue to be based on the "politicized" calendar adopted by the Royal Court, which is the "Zubarah and Bahrain calendar"?

The answer is: No, Bahrain still officially operates according to this calendar, and when raising the call to prayer (Adhan) on state television and radio, the following is said: "It is time for Adhan according to the Zubarah and Bahrain calendar."

Bahrain Mirror confirmed this information by listening to the recitation of the Holy Quran through the Bahrain Radio channel, and it was clear that the newsperson announced the Fajr adhan according to the aforementioned calendar.

Last July, the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs issued the Zubarah and Bahrain calendar, through which prayer times in Bahrain were changed.

The release of the calendar came as part of the dispute between the two countries, as the Al Khalifa family, which rules Bahrain, still deems the Qatari Zubarah part of Bahraini territory, noting that Bahrain lost it in an international arbitration based on forged documents submitted by Doha, as it claims.

Followers recall the tweet of the King's adviser for diplomatic affairs and former Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa on the occasion of the release of the calendar, saying that "residents of Zubarah are Bahrainis, whether claimers like it or not," and that "the people of Bahrain have rights in it that will never be lost."

The calendar led to significant differences in prayer times, showing a difference in the local timing of the evening prayer by about 14 minutes from its previous time (on March 21 and September 22) and a difference of 7 minutes (on August 9), as explained by the Chairman of the Supreme Committee for the Bahraini Calendar, Abdulrahman bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Khalifa.

The regime in Bahrain has made prayer another tool in political disputes, whose times are altered whenever the king wishes. This exposes the truth about those in power who use religion for political purposes, an accusation that the regime has long raised against the opposition.

Arabic Version