Bahrain strips nationality from top Shiite cleric
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DUBAI- Bahrain's government on Monday stripped a leading Shiite cleric of his nationality, a move that brought thousands of protesters into the streets and prompted fears of unrest.
The Bahrain News Agency quoted the Interior Ministry as saying that Sheikh Isa Qassim had played a key role in creating an extremist sectarian atmosphere and had formed groups that "follow foreign religious ideologies and political entities," an apparent reference to Shiite-majority Iran.
The move was welcomed by Bahrain's Sunni-led allies but condemned by Shiites, and could serve as another flashpoint for regional sectarian tensions stoked by the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
