Who Gets Called a Cult in Bahrain?

Introduction

The controversy surrounding Al Tajdeed is one of the clearest modern examples in Bahrain of how the word “cult” can become part of a wider struggle over religious authority rather than a settled description of a religious movement. Supporters describe Al Tajdeed as a legally registered cultural society that promotes critical thinking and renewed discussion of Islamic texts. Critics, including some prominent religious figures and former members, argue that it is a dangerous movement that departs from accepted Islamic teaching and, in some cases, have characterised it as a cult. The disagreement has moved beyond theology into public campaigns, criminal prosecutions and debates over freedom of religion and expression, making Al Tajdeed an important case study in the politics of religious labelling rather than simply an argument about doctrine.[tajdeed.org]tajdeed.orgمن نحنTajdeedمن نحن…

Who Gets Called a Cult in Bahrain?

Unlike classic cases involving isolated communes or charismatic doomsday sects, the dispute over Al Tajdeed centres on a registered Bahraini association operating openly within civil society. Founded in 2002, the organisation presents itself as a cultural and intellectual society dedicated to religious renewal through discussion, research and reinterpretation of Islamic thought. It argues that many traditional interpretations should remain open to examination rather than treated as beyond debate.[Tajdeed]tajdeed.orgمن نحنTajdeedمن نحن…

Its critics, however, argue that Al Tajdeed goes far beyond legitimate reform. They accuse the organisation of challenging beliefs regarded by mainstream Sunni and Shiite scholars as fundamental, particularly through online lectures and discussions that questioned established understandings of Quranic narratives, prophetic miracles and religious authority.[amwaj.media]amwaj.mediaLegal cases against ‘cult’ put spotlight on freedoms in BahrainLegal cases against ‘cult’ put spotlight on freedoms in Bahrain

Importantly, there is no independent legal or scholarly consensus that Al Tajdeed is a “cult” in the descriptive social-scientific sense. Instead, the label has largely appeared in polemical debate, media discussion, social media campaigns and criticism from opponents. Human rights organisations generally describe it more neutrally as a cultural or religious reform association while acknowledging that former members have raised allegations of abusive internal practices. Those allegations remain distinct from the theological disputes that dominate the public controversy.[hrw.org]hrw.orgHuman Rights WatchBahrain: Quash Religious Freedom Convictions | Human Rights WatchJuly 3, 2023…Published: July 3, 2023

The Dispute Around Al Tajdeed

The conflict intensified as Al Tajdeed expanded its online presence, especially through YouTube lectures discussing religion and Islamic jurisprudence. Some Bahraini clerics accused the society of undermining accepted religious teaching and warned followers against engaging with its material.

In 2023, Bahraini prosecutors brought criminal charges against several Al Tajdeed members under laws criminalising insults to recognised religious texts and symbols. Prosecutors argued that the defendants had crossed the line from legitimate discussion into ridiculing religious fundamentals. Human rights organisations responded that the prosecutions represented punishment for peaceful religious debate and called for the charges to be dropped.[hrw.org]hrw.orgOpen source on hrw.org.

The resulting controversy therefore involved two overlapping disputes:

• A theological dispute, over whether long-established interpretations of Islam may be openly questioned.
• A legal dispute, over where freedom of religious discussion ends and criminal protection of religion begins.

Those issues became intertwined with public campaigns portraying Al Tajdeed either as courageous reformers or as a dangerous deviant movement.[amwaj.media]amwaj.mediaLegal cases against ‘cult’ put spotlight on freedoms in BahrainLegal cases against ‘cult’ put spotlight on freedoms in Bahrain

How Cult Language Shapes Public Judgement

The Al Tajdeed controversy illustrates several ways in which the word “cult” functions politically and socially.

First, the label can simplify a complex theological disagreement. Rather than debating individual interpretations, opponents may portray the entire organisation as inherently illegitimate or socially dangerous. Once such language becomes widespread, public discussion often shifts from evaluating specific arguments to judging the group’s character.

Second, the label can increase social pressure. Reports on the controversy describe campaigns in religious gatherings and on social media warning people against the organisation and encouraging public condemnation. Al Tajdeed itself has argued that these campaigns amounted to organised defamation designed to isolate its members.[Tajdeed]tajdeed.orgA statement issued by Al-Tajdeed Cultural and SocialA statement issued by Al-Tajdeed Cultural and SocialNovember 10, 2025…Published: November 10, 2025

Third, hostile labelling can influence legal and political environments even when courts are deciding narrower questions. Criminal prosecutions in Bahrain focused on alleged offences against religion rather than on whether Al Tajdeed constituted a cult. Nevertheless, public portrayals of the organisation inevitably formed part of the wider atmosphere surrounding the cases.[Human Rights Watch]hrw.orgOpen source on hrw.org.

For historians of moral panics and collective belief, this distinction is important. Calling a movement a cult does not itself establish that it meets any recognised academic definition. It instead reveals how societies negotiate boundaries between acceptable reform and unacceptable religious innovation.

Religious Authority, Law and Social Pressure

The dispute also exposes competing ideas about who has authority to define religious truth.

Traditional religious scholars argued that some of Al Tajdeed’s interpretations challenged principles accepted across Islamic traditions. Prosecutors similarly maintained that Bahrain’s laws protect shared religious foundations from deliberate attack.[AP News]apnews.comTajdeed promotes open religious discussion and has sparked controversy by questioning Islamic jurisprudence and scholarly opinions. The t…

Al Tajdeed responded that it questioned interpretations made by scholars rather than the Quran itself, and that intellectual disagreement should not be criminalised. International organisations including Human Rights Watch and ARTICLE 19 framed the prosecutions primarily as issues of freedom of expression and freedom of religion rather than doctrinal correctness.[article19.org]article19.orgARTICLE 19Bahrain: Open discussion of religion must not be criminalisedARTICLE 19…

This creates an unusual situation in which different participants are effectively debating different questions:

Keeping these separate prevents different kinds of evidence from becoming confused.

Why the Case Matters Beyond Al Tajdeed

The significance of the Al Tajdeed controversy lies less in the size of the organisation than in what it reveals about modern Bahrain.

Unlike historical episodes involving apocalyptic movements or rumours of witchcraft, this case revolves around the social consequences of classification. Whether a movement is described as a reform society, a heterodox religious group or a cult affects how neighbours, religious leaders, courts and the media respond to it.

It also demonstrates that contemporary moral conflict does not always arise from spectacular claims about miracles or the end of the world. Sometimes it grows from disagreements over interpretation, authority and the limits of acceptable questioning. In Bahrain, those disagreements became amplified through online media, public denunciations and criminal proceedings, turning Al Tajdeed into a prominent example of how the politics of the “cult” label can shape public fear, legal pressure and debates over religious freedom.[amwaj.media]amwaj.mediaLegal cases against ‘cult’ put spotlight on freedoms in BahrainLegal cases against ‘cult’ put spotlight on freedoms in Bahrain

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Further Reading

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Endnotes

1. Source: tajdeed.org
Title: من نحن
Link:https://tajdeed.org/about/

2. Source: amwaj.media
Title: Legal cases against ‘cult’ put spotlight on freedoms in Bahrain
Link:https://amwaj.media/article/legal-cases-against-cult-put-spotlight-on-freedoms-in-bahrain

3. Source: tajdeed.org
Title: ماذا تقصدون بالتجديد ؟
Link:https://tajdeed.org/%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B0%D8%A7-%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%B5%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%AC%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AF-%D8%9F/

4. Source: article19.org
Title: ARTICLE 19Bahrain: Open discussion of religion must not be criminalised
Link:https://www.article19.org/resources/bahrain-open-discussion-of-religion-must-not-be-criminalised/

5. Source: tajdeed.org
Title: A statement issued by Al-Tajdeed Cultural and Social
Link:https://tajdeed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Al-Tajdeed-statement-Concerning-the-fierce-campaigns-of-defamation-eng.pdf

Published: November 10, 2025

6. Source: tajdeed.org
Title: عن الحملات المستعرة للتشويه والتحريض
Link:https://tajdeed.org/bayan/%D8%B9%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D9%85%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B4%D9%88%D9%8A%D9%87-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%B6/

7. Source: tajdeed.org
Link:https://tajdeed.org/%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%AA/

8. Source: tajdeed.org
Title: المركز الإعلامي Archives
Link:https://tajdeed.org/news-category/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%83%D8%B2-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%B9%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%8A/page/3/

9. Source: tajdeed.org
Title: our news
Link:https://tajdeed.org/our-news/

10. Source: youtube.com
Title: What’s the Difference Between Cults and Religion?: Crash Course Religions #3
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pn2enNmtFI

11. Source: youtube.com
Title: What Is a Cult? How High-Control Religious Groups Manipulate Belief
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKkagm4J0Yk

12. Source: youtube.com
Title: How Religious Cults Mirror Political Extremism
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxFM-kHj2Cc

13. Source: youtube.com
Title: Are All Religions Cults?
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKUTSXV7ncg

14. Source: youtube.com
Title: Why Returning From Mars Is Impossible: Feynman’s Warning
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut3vnf6to4w

15. Source: hrw.org
Link:https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/02/28/bahrain-3-trial-religious-dialogue

16. Source: apnews.com
Link:https://apnews.com/article/8969d840c846dbb632ef94a84a6cf26a

17. Source: hrw.org
Link:https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/07/03/bahrain-quash-religious-freedom-convictions

Published: July 3, 2023

18. Source: hrw.org
Title: bahrains political isolation laws
Link:https://www.hrw.org/report/2022/10/31/you-cant-call-bahrain-democracy/bahrains-political-isolation-laws

Additional References

19. Source: bahrainmirror.com
Title: في سياق الحرب على الشيعة
Link:https://www.bahrainmirror.com/news/65696.html

Published: May 19, 2026

20. Source: eurasiareview.com
Link:https://www.eurasiareview.com/05032023-bahrain-prosecutes-religious-reformers-traditionalists-fight-back-analysis/

21. Source: arabinfomall.bibalex.org
Link:https://arabinfomall.bibalex.org/ar/Index.aspx?orgid=263

22. Source: arabinfomall.bibalex.org
Link:https://arabinfomall.bibalex.org/ar/Index.aspx?orgid=263&sectionid=1

23. Source: eurasia.ro
Link:https://eurasia.ro/2023/03/05/bahrain-prosecutes-religious-reformers-traditionalists-fight-back-analysis/

24. Source: euronews.al
Title: Publikonin diskutime rreth Islamit, anëtarët e Al-Tajdeed dënohen me burg
Link:https://euronews.al/publikonin-diskutime-rreth-islamit-ne-youtube-anetaret-e-al-tajdeed-denohen-me-burg/

25. Source: moderndiplomacy.eu
Title: Bahrain prosecutes religious reformers: traditionalists fight back
Link:https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2023/03/04/bahrain-prosecutes-religious-reformers-traditionalists-fight-back/

26. Source: toronto.citynews.ca
Title: ca Bahrain charges religious reformers with questioning Islam
Link:https://toronto.citynews.ca/2023/02/20/bahrain-charges-religious-reformers-with-questioning-islam/

27. Source: thearabweekly.com
Title: bahrain charges self proclaimed reformers questioning islam
Link:https://thearabweekly.com/bahrain-charges-self-proclaimed-reformers-questioning-islam

28. Source: opindia.com
Title: Bahrain jails 3 Shia Muslima for You Tube debates on Islam
Link:https://www.opindia.com/2023/03/bahrain-jails-3-shia-muslima-for-youtube-debates-on-islam/