Politicizing Religion

Many people in our region do not realize that what they call religious objection is not religion at all but politics wearing a religious mask. They often quote the verse: “And never will the Jews or the Christians be pleased with you until you follow their religion.” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:120). Yet this verse was revealed in a specific historical moment and about a specific situation, not as a permanent command to be applied in every era and every context. Still, Arabs continue to politicize the verse and extend its meaning beyond its context.

The contradiction is obvious. Arab societies allow Christians to openly display their religious symbols such as crosses, Christmas trees, Santa figures, seasonal wraps and religious ornaments in malls, schools and public spaces without calling it betrayal or normalization. But when the same principle is applied to Jews it suddenly becomes a scandal. This is not religion, it is selective application for political convenience.

According to the Bahraini Constitution, freedom of religion is guaranteed for all communities — Muslims, Christians and Jews — and the state protects the practice and symbols of every faith without discrimination. This means that Jewish religious items such as holiday gift wraps or symbolic ornaments fall under the same legal protection that allows Christmas trees, crosses and Islamic decorations to appear openly in supermarkets and public spaces. Recent social-media reactions rejecting Jewish symbols in local stores stand in direct contrast to the Bahraini Constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion for all communities to practice and display their religious traditions without discrimination.

Normalization is a political concept that deals with diplomacy, security, economy and technology. Religious freedom is a legal right that belongs to citizenship and civil law. The two are not the same. Those who attack Jewish religious items are not defending Islam, they are mixing categories and exposing a lack of understanding. In any state that claims to respect freedom of religion, the rule must be consistent. What is allowed for Muslims and Christians must also be allowed for Jews. Otherwise the state is not applying law, it is surrendering to emotional pressure. A society that protects all faiths equally is not compromising, it is simply honoring its own principles.