Over the past six years, Bahraini citizens have defied authorities by performing prayers at the sites of demolished mosques that the authorities refuse to reconstruct.

In March 2011, government forces crushed pro-democracy protests led by the Shiite majority in the country, with a lending hand from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. During that crackdown, the authorities demolished 38 mosques belonging to the Shiite sect.

Shia Muslims in Bahrain held evening prayers on Saturday (July 29, 2017) at the Al-Alawiyat Mosque, which was demolished by the Bahraini authorities in March 2011, and has not been rebuild yet.