A video message purportedly featuring four Bahrainis fighting alongside Islamic State (IS) militants has surfaced online, drawing condemnation by both Sunni and Shi'ite community leaders.

In the video, which emerged early yesterday (September 28), the four seek to provoke Bahrain's Sunni community against the Bahraini government, the Shi'ite population and American installations - while also calling for a boycott of forthcoming elections, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

The heavily sectarian video, which is filmed from multiple angles and lasts more than 14 minutes, is set against a desert backdrop and the four men are dressed in black and armed with machine guns.

They are identified in subtitles as Abu Isa Al Selmi, Abu Al Feda' Al Selmi, Qaswra Al Bahraini and Abu Laden Al Bahraini and each speaks on a specific topic.

The video emerged less than a week after Bahrain launched air strikes targeting IS as part of a US-led coalition that also includes the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan.

Recruits

The GDN reported recently that Bahraini Ibrahim Al Awadhi, 14, is believed to have been among those killed in air strikes in Iraq having been recruited by IS.

However, on Thursday, Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa told Al Arabiya that fewer than 100 Bahrainis were believed to have joined the radical militant group, which has seized control of large parts of Iraq and Syria.

The video states that one speaker, identified as Abu Isa Al Selmi, is a former Interior Ministry officer.

However, it was not immediately clear whether it was Mohammed Isa Albinali - a former policeman who the GDN reported in July was believed to be fighting with IS in Syria.

The video also refers to four men allegedly killed in combat, but it was not clear whether they were also Bahrainis.

One of the deceased named as Ahmed Shehab was allegedly killed in Afghanistan; another identified as Abu Al Zubair was allegedly killed in Syria; a man called Abu Hamza Ali Yousuf allegedly blew up a truck carrying explosives near Iraqi soldiers; and a man referred to as Abu Aisha Al Muhajer Yousuf Jameel was described as a suicide bomber.

However, outgoing Sunni MP and vice-president of Bahrain's Al Menbar parliamentary bloc Mohammed Al Ammadi said the video portrayed a twisted view of Islam.

“One might follow the holy text religiously, but if your basic understanding is not right, it can be messy and this is a clear example,” he said.

“Our problem lies in the interpretation of Islam, the true message of which is peace and surrendering to God.

“It is not about killing or dictating, but loving and surrendering.”

He also called on the government to come up with a strategy to prevent young people being recruited by jihadists.

“We must fight these factions at their roots and they must not be allowed to grow,” he added.

Another outgoing Sunni MP, Ahmed Al Saati, said the sentiments expressed in the video were 'crazy'.

Brainwashed

“These calls mean nothing, but are crazy ideas of young people who are misled and unfortunately walking to hell,” he said.

“However, we as a government should be proactive and trace the roots of such daring extremism.

“They are a minority, but the chance that they have a silent presence in the country cannot be ruled out.”

He also accused those in the video of simply repeating what they had been told to say.

“The speech in the video is obviously imported,” Al Saati said.

“It is not Bahraini nor Islamic - they are taught.

“This will not have any effect on Bahrain's political or social fabric.'

Meanwhile, senior Shi'ite cleric and Jaffari Endowments Directorate chairman Shaikh Mohsin Al Asfoor said it was clear those in the video had been brainwashed.

“Bahraini society doesn't encourage such stupidity and these youngsters are clear victims of corrupt media and have been brainwashed by external parties,” he said.

“Youth who receive invites to seminars and workshops outside Bahrain must be scrutinised.

“Bahrainis, both Sunnis and Shi'ites, are rational and they will ignore such calls.”

Bahraini authorities did not respond to the video yesterday. - TradeArabia News Service