Name: Ali Musa al-Abasi
Date/Place of birth: Bahrain, 16.04.1959; 58 years old
Character bio: Born to a religious Shi'i shoemaker and his wife, Ali was the third of seven children and decided early on to pursue his father's profession while also informally studying under a certain Sayyed Alavi al-Qareefi in Manama, and later in the hawza going by his name. When the Iranian Revolution broke out, Ali was a well established shoe-maker and respected as a religious leader in his locality. Behind the scenes, however, he had joined up with the Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain, helping recruit young people and providing a safe-haven for them in his warehouse. He grew ideologically closer to the thought Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad ibn Mahdi al-Hussaini al-Shirazi and still believes in hukumat al-faqih as the way forward, rather than wilayat al-faqih (that a council of scholars should lead the Islamic state rather than one Ayatollah), meaning that he has, along with other Shirazis, grown rather disillusioned with the regime in Iran.
He participated nominally in the uprising of the 1990s, though he usually scoffs at the idea that it was an 'uprising' at all, and strongly believes that people did not go the extra step by overthrowing the monarchy as a whole and establishing a truly Islamic, revolutionary government led by an inclusive council of scholars, as advocated by the late Ayatollah al-Shirazi.
With this in mind, he has gotten involved with
Saraya al-Mukhtar and is hopeful that the al-Wefaq party and members of the dissolved Islamic Action Society would soon see that all-out revolution is the only way forward for Bahrain. He can usually be found in his shop, making or repairing shoes, at the local mosque, or driving his van about delivering shoes or getting supplies for his shop or the
Saraya.
Weapons, equipment, and gear: Can repair your shoes (or make new ones for you), give you a lift in his shoe-filled van, or give you use of the warehouse behind his shoe shop. Knows his way about a cane.
Role: Shoemaker, Driver and Spiritual Guide
Miscellaneous: While he is old and has kept his hands clean of blood in the past, he did receive training from Iranian agents in the 1980's and knows his way about a few weapons. He has had no need to use these skills and does not plan to, but if push comes to shove, this warrior of Imam al-Hussain is willing to prove that he would have been willing to fight and die with his Imam at Karbala...
Name: Hussam Sibt al-Moqahwi (went by pseudonym of Mu'tasim Barakat in London, now goes by pseudonym of Abul Kalam)
Date/Place of birth: Bahrain, 07.09.1995; 23 years old
Character bio: From a middle class Shi'i family centred in Hamad Town, Hussam had always been rather sheltered from the political tensions raging in Bahrain - and Hamad town's roughly equal Sunni-Shia population and air of multiculturalism contributed to that.
He grew up surrounded by Arabic and English literature and a passion for writing and public speaking, and his parents encouraged him to the extent that he applied for a scholarship to study English literature at University College London in the UK. The experience would change him forever.
He found London to be a hub for all types of people, and the Shia community there particularly outspoken. He became involved with some of the societies and was often left rather embarrassed by his lack of knowledge on Bahraini issues (which other Shias seemed very well informed about). Over time, he got more involved politically and religiously and even managed to publish a few articles (under a pseudonym for fear of arrest when he returned to Bahrain.)
While a significant number of people he met viewed the Iranian regime and wilayat al-faqih in a negative light, Hussam has grown into an ardent supporter of both.
Upon his return to Bahrain in 2016, the 21 year old attempted to get involved with the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, but by that point being affiliated with the organisation was more dangerous than ever and he quickly back-tracked. He met Ali Musa al-Abasi at a local mosques not long after his return and has since received training and been very active with the
Saraya, becoming particularly close to Ramzi who often allows him to do voice-overs for the videos the group releases in both English and Arabic. He hopes to start a website for the
Saraya soon, to officially release both videos and articles on there.
Weapons, equipment, and gear: Type 56 assault rifle with a folding bayonet attached to the barrel, keeps a bag with notepad and pen handy in case the creative muse should seize him.
Role: Official Spokesperson
Miscellaneous: While he has been trained and is as capable as any member of the Saraya, Hussam sees his true forte as being in the
propaganda public relations department
WIP
Name: Zainab Farhat al-Mohammadi
Date/Place of birth: (Should be obvious)
Character bio: (As long or short as you want it.)
Weapons, equipment, and gear: (You can ask me for help if need be.)
Role: (As specific or generic as you want it.)
Miscellaneous: (Anything else)
