Speaking during a sermon at the Imam Al-Sadiq Mosque in the Bahraini capital on Thursday night, Sayyed Al-Ghoraifi told worshipers that “all those loyal to this great father [Sheikh Qassim] should move away from any practice that tries to politicize this humanitarian issue.”

Ayatollah Sheikh Qassim travelled to the United Kingdom on Monday where he is expected to undergo a number of surgeries.

The ailing cleric, who is a central figure in Bahrain’s popular uprising, was arbitrarily stripped of his nationality in June 2016 and confined to the northwestern Bahraini village of Diraz. Last May, Manama’s security forces stormed his home and placed him under house arrest

On Thursday evening, Sayyed Al-Ghoraifi disclosed that the treatment of Sheikh Qassim is ongoing. He added that “all are longing for that good return of this father.”