A video of a woman breaking the Ganesha idols in a supermarket in Bahrain is going viral. Ganesha is worshipped as a God in India, Thailand and various countries by Hindus. The Bahrain authorities have taken action against the woman and charged her on multiple counts.
Charges against the 54-year-old woman include criminal damage and insult to a religious symbol. The woman broke the Ganesha idols kept on a display in a supermarket by throwing them to the ground. In the video she is seen accompanied by another woman and is heard speaking in Arabic. The incident occurred at Juffair in Manama, Bahrain.
Woman Charged, to be Tried in Court
"Why would an idol of Ganesha be sold in a Muslim country? This is the land of Mohammed Bin Isa. Do you think he would have let you do so?," the woman is heard saying. The shop owner reacts by saying that he believes in the Muslim country. The woman who had accompanied the one who broke the idols is heard saying "We will see who worships these idols. Bahrain is a Muslim country with a majority believing in Islam."
The video is being shared widely on social media and the woman is being slammed for her religious intolerance. "Capital Police took legal steps against a woman, 54, for damaging a shop in Juffair and defaming a sect and its rituals, in order to refer her to the Public Prosecution," tweeted Ministry of Interior after the video went viral.
She was summoned by the interior ministry of Bahrain for intentionally damaging a shop and breaking religious idols. The public prosecution also has issued a statement saying the woman had admitted to damaging the idols. She will be tried in court, the statement read.
Khalid al-Khalifa, advisor to the king of Bahrain and former foreign minister took to Twitter to speak about the issue and said that the woman's actions were not acceptable. "Breaking of religious symbols is not the nature of the people of Bahrain. It is a crime of hatred and is rejected. Here, all religions, sects and people coexist," he tweeted.
