Following the resumption of flights between Manama and Baghdad after a four-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bahraini citizens have complained that authorities require them to obtain a prior security permit before they are allowed to travel to Iraq. This has led to a debate in Bahrain regarding the "imposition of a security permit before traveling to Iraq," a decision that has not been officially announced by Bahraini authorities. However, several citizens have confirmed that they were not permitted to leave Bahrain airport without the "security permit."
Looking at the "travel warnings" issued by the Bahraini Foreign Ministry, which includes a list of various countries starting from Ukraine to Libya, Iraq was not included on that list.
Opponents claim that the authorities are "restricting" their freedoms by taking such an "unjustified" step, while supporters believe that such a "measure is normal" and does not limit citizens' freedom, especially since obtaining the permit electronically is easy.
On June 1st of this year, Gulf Air, Bahrain's national carrier, resumed flights from Manama to the Iraqi capital Baghdad and to Najaf, which houses the shrine of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, visited by millions of Shia Muslims annually. Iraq also contains sacred sites for Shia in Kadhimayn in Baghdad, Samarra, and Karbala, where the shrine of Imam Hussein attracts millions of visitors each year, including Bahrainis.
