On May 17, Bahraini forces raided and searched Sheikh Issa Qassim’s house in the village of Diraz.

According to Bahrain’s main opposition bloc, al-Wefaq, the scholar was not at home at the time of the raid, but his family members, including women and children, were present.

“Dozens of armed troops, accompanied by masked civilian forces, stormed the home of Ayatollah Issa Qassim at dawn on Friday... damaging property and terrorizing women and children,” al-Wefaq said in its statement.

The attack sparked widespread protests throughout the Bahraini capital with thousands of demonstrators pouring into streets and calling for his immediate freedom.

In an exclusive interview with al-Alam News Channel, Amir-Abdollahian said on Sunday night: “Storming the house of Ayatollah Sheikh Issa Qassim, which is considered a dignified religious scholar and one of the important leaders in the Islamic world, is a strategic mistake.”

“I made it clear that the Bahraini government has crossed the Muslims’ red lines. Hurting Ayatollah Sheikh Issa Ahmad Qassim is a not a mere Bahraini issue, but an Islamic issue,” he added.

Refusing the allegations made by the Bahraini foreign minister, Amir-Abdollahian said, “Iran never interferes in Bahrain’s internal issues. On the contrary, those who still have their tanks and military forces on Bahraini soil interfere in its affairs.”

Responding to Bahraini foreign minister, Iran’s deputy Foreign Minister for Arabic and African affairs said, “You know that Iran never interferes in Bahraini affairs, because if Iran interfered in Bahraini affairs, things would have been different from what they are now.”

Amir-Abdollahian advised the Bahraini government to seriously consider its people’s demands and search for a political solution to the crisis through national dialog.

On the possibility of arresting Ayatollah Qassim, he said, “I don’t think the Bahraini government is so imprudent to arrest Sheikh Issa Qassim.”

Bahrainis have been staging demonstrations since mid-February 2011, demanding political reform and a constitutional monarchy, a demand that later changed to an outright call for the ouster of the ruling Al Khalifa family following its brutal crackdown on popular protests.