Bahraini leader at odds over police's treatment of female protesters

Bahrain's top Shiite spiritual leader and government are at odds, as the former accused the police of mistreatment of female protesters, while the latter rejected the accusation as "disturbing allegations". In his Friday sermon, the religious leader, Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Ahmed Qassim, accused the police of maltreatment of females during the clashes between protesters and security forces, and called his followers to oppose those who attacked women. However, the interior ministry's assistant undersecretary of legal affairs strongly rejected the allegations on Saturday, saying that it was disturbing that Shaikh Qassim would engage in rumor and innuendo regarding such serious allegations. Instead of making accusations against police officers, the religious leader would have served better in discouraging females from engaging in illegal acts, the official said, adding that some of the female protesters' acts included hurling Molotov cocktails at policemen and even stabbing them with sharp objects.