The Saud have started off the New Year by Executing a Shia Cleric. Iran and Shia Arabs are outraged. What a way to start off 2016, huh? More fuel for the fire with that sectarian divide that's ongoing. What say ye? Saudi Arabia's execution Saturday of a prominent Shiite cleric and 46 other men prompted outrage in parts of the Middle East, with Iran warning Riyadh would pay a "high price". Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari strongly condemned Nimr's execution despite repeated Iranian requests for clemency. "The Saudi government supports terrorist movements and extremists, but confronts domestic critics with oppression and execution... the Saudi government will pay a high price for following these policies," he said, quoted by the official IRNA news agency. Parliament speaker Ali Larijani also condemned Nimr's death, saying Riyadh would not emerge "easily from the quagmire they created by the martyrdom of this great sheikh". All Iran's seminaries will be closed Sunday to protest Nimr's execution, with a demonstration expected in the Grand Mosque of Qom, the heart of Shiite faith in Iran, the ISNA news agency said. And the Basij student militia connected to Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards called for a demonstration on Sunday afternoon in front of the Saudi embassy in Tehran.....snip~ http://news.yahoo.com/iran-says-saudi-arabia-pay-high-price-executing-100206612.html
Iranian Cleric speaks out. 3 other Shia executed too. Iranian cleric says Nimr execution will bring down Saudi government...... A prominent cleric with close links to Iran's ruling establishment denounced the execution on Saturday of a Saudi Shi'ite cleric and predicted the repercussions would bring down the Saudi ruling family. Saudi Arabia executed 47 people for terrorism including Nimr al-Nimr, whom the government accuses of inciting violence among the Shi'ite minority, and at least three other Shi'ites. Most of the others were suspected Sunni jihadists. Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, one of the most senior clerics in Shi'ite-ruled Iran, said in an interview with the Mehr news agency that Nimr's execution reflected the "criminal" nature of the Saudi ruling family. "The crime of executing Sheikh Nimr is part of a criminal pattern by this treacherous family ... the Islamic world is expected to cry out and denounce this infamous regime as much as it can," Khatami added.....snip~ http://news.yahoo.com/iranian-cleric-predicts-fall-saudi-government-over-nimr-091305595.html
Sheikh Nimr should have moved to Iran.. Iran, Iraq and Syria have a long history of conflict and turmoil.. Most of those executed were Al Qaeda.. Their crimes are listed towards the bottom of the page. http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/news/859176
Now Iraq is sounding off. Iraq MP says Nimr execution will fuel Sunni-Shi'ite strife: TV..... Saudi Arabia's execution of prominent Shi'ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr was intended to fuel Sunni-Shi'ite strife and "set the region on fire", a lawmaker from Iraq's ruling Shi'ite coalition told al-Sumaria TV on Saturday. "This measure taken by the ruling family (of Saudi Arabia) aims at re-igniting the region, provoking sectarian fighting between Sunnis and Shi'ites," Mohammed al-Sayhud said, according to the TV station's website.....snip~ http://news.yahoo.com/iraq-mp-says-nimr-execution-fuel-sunni-shiite-090534400.html Also Hezbollah. Lebanon's Shi'ite Hezbollah condemned the execution of a prominent Shi'ite cleric in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, calling it an "assassination" and blaming it on the United States and its allies' support for Riyadh. The "real reason" for the execution was "that Sheikh Nimr... demanded the squandered rights of an oppressed people," Hezbollah said in a statement, apparently referring to Saudi Arabia's Shi'ite minority. It said it held the United States and its allies directly responsible through their support for the Saudi government, and urged the international community and rights groups to condemn the execution. Lebanon's Supreme Islamic Shi'ite Council earlier said Nimr's execution was a "grave mistake... and an execution of reason, moderation and dialogue." The simultaneous execution of 47 people - 45 Saudis, one Egytian and a man from Chad - was the biggest mass execution for security offences in Saudi Arabia since the 1980 killing of 63 jihadist rebels who seized Mecca's Grand Mosque in 1979.....snip~ http://news.yahoo.com/hezbollah-slams-saudi-execution-shiite-cleric-assassination-130112609.html
You were saying? Did you note that the Shia are not talking about the Sunni Jihadists and are only focused on the Shia Cleric? Iraq and others are saying this will cause more strife with the Sunni and Shia divide. They are being quit vocal about that.....and currently they have planned for protests outside the Saud Embassy in Tehran. It appears that the Shia believe he was killed for trying to get pro democracy protests going against the Saud. Not that he was part of AQ. Scores of Saudi Shi'ites march in protest at cleric's execution..... Scores of Shi'ite Muslims marched through the Qatif district of Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province on Saturday in protest at the execution of a prominent Shi'ite cleric, an eyewitness said. The protesters chanted "down with the Al Saud", the name of the ruling Saudi royal family, as they marched from Nimr's home village of al-Awamiya to the region's main town of Qatif, the only district in Saudi Arabia where Shi'ites are a majority......snip~ http://news.yahoo.com/scores-saudi-shiites-march-protest-clerics-execution-122247372.html
I know.. Over the past 50-60 years the SAG has bent over backwards to improve housing, education , healthcare, etc for the Shia in Arabia. If they want to cause trouble, they should move to Iran or Iraq.
Yeah, I have mentioned that as a solution for the ME, before. The Sunni moving out of Shia Controlled countries and the Shia out of Sunni. Cut down some on that sectarian strife they are always getting into. But that's not going to happen. So the Saud can expect a little pay back coming their way all over this. Ala Shia style.
It appears the Saud didn't like what the Iranians were saying. Their kind of like the Demos with that PC language, huh? Saudi summons Iran envoy over 'aggressive' Tehran statement..... Saudi Arabia summoned Iran's envoy to protest an "aggressive" statement by Tehran on the Saturday execution of prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, the foreign ministry said. The ministry "handed the Iranian ambassador... a stern protest letter over the aggressive Iranian statements on the legal sentences carried out today against terrorists in the kingdom," said a statement published by the official SPA news agency. Riyadh expressed its "complete rejection of these aggressive statements, which it considers a flagrant interference in the kingdom's affairs". It also held the "Iranian government completely responsible for protecting" the kingdom's missions in Iran and all their employees from any "aggressive acts". Nimr had been the driving force behind Shiite-led anti-government protests in Saudi Arabia since 2011.....snip~ http://news.yahoo.com/saudi-summons-iran-envoy-over-aggressive-tehran-statement-192839766.html
The Saudis treat their Shia well.. and the Shia have made their mark as merchants and oil workers.. Iran and Iraq were developed under the British model and have had years of conflict and turmoil as a result.. Very unlike Saudi Arabia.. Fact is that KSA doesn't want anything from Iran or Iraq.. They don't want their oil and they don't want to govern them.. Its strictly one sided.. Iran wants control of the Straits of Hormuz and the Bab al Mandab and the port of Aden.
Did you want to try and deny that there is a sectarian divide with the Arabs, Margot? You always seem to deflect with the realities at hand concerning Arabs. Always downplay the realities that are taking place. Did you like the Sunni's fake Kings think that it could be ignored. Do you have any links that the Shia in Saudi land are even close to being in support of the Sunni appointed King? How does any of what you said stop the Shia in other countries jumping all into the Sauds ass?
Abdel Aziz ibn Saudi united the kingdom and the tribes.. The Shia can celebrate Ashoura, but not the cutting ritual. Why don't you look up takfir.... In Islamic law, takfir or takfeer (Arabic: تكفير‎ takfīr) refers to the practice of excommunication, one Muslim declaring another Muslim as kafir (infidel). The act which precipitates takfir is termed the mukaffir.
Okay they united the tribes in Saudi Land. So what. Why was the Shia cleric instigating pro democracy protests against the Saud ruling family? Again Margot.....is there a Sectarian divide taking place between Shia and Sunni Arabs? Yes or no.....there is only an answer without an explanation.
What happened......the Iranians sacked the Saud Embassy in Tehran? Where is Margot? Wasn't this much about nothing. Just the usual, Right.....the Saud executing a Shia Cleric. Doesn't mean much at all, huh? Iranian Protesters Ransack Saudi Embassy After Execution of Shiite Cleric...... Iranian protesters ransacked and set fire to the Saudi Embassy in Tehran on Saturday after Saudi Arabia executed an outspoken Shiite cleric who had criticized the kingdom’s treatment of its Shiite minority. Sheikh Nimr was an outspoken critic of the Saudi monarchy and was adopted as a symbolic leader by Shiite protesters in several Persian Gulf countries during the Arab Spring uprisings. Saudi officials said the mass execution, one of the largest in the kingdom in decades, was aimed at deterring violence against the state. But analysts said that the grouping of Sheikh Nimr with hardened jihadists was a warning to domestic dissidents that could ripple across the region. In Tehran, protesters broke furniture and smashed windows in an annex to the embassy, a witness who was reached by telephone said. The protesters also set fire to the room, said the witness, who would provide only his first name, Abolfazl, because he had been involved in the protest. The protest turned violent after participants began throwing fire bombs at the embassy and then broke into the compound. The police arrived and cleared the embassy grounds of protesters and extinguished the fire, he said. Hundreds of Shiites took to the streets to protest in eastern Saudi Arabia and in Bahrain, witnesses said.....snip~ http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/03/w...ecutes-47-sheikh-nimr-shiite-cleric.html?_r=1
Because he is a religious fanatic who wants al Hasa to secede from Saudi Arabia... The sectarian divide in KSA is rarely problematic.. Periodically the Shia will issue a statement that they are loyal citizens, but Iran is always inciting friction. If you lived there, you wouldn't notice any discrimination between Shia and Sunni. The Shia that are unhappy are usually terribly poor and won't work or go to school.
It appears some in the West are now concerned how this looks. Are they unhappy in the Saud's Eastern Oil Rich province? Sheikh Nimr was an outspoken critic of the Saudi monarchy and was adopted as a symbolic leader by Shiite protesters in several Persian Gulf countries during the Arab Spring uprisings. But analysts said that the grouping of Sheikh Nimr with hardened jihadists was a warning to domestic dissidents that could ripple across the region. But some Western analysts said that executing Sheikh Nimr along with Qaeda militants conflated his outspoken activism with a grave national threat. “This is indicative of the hard-line tilt the regime has taken,” said Frederic Wehrey, an analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace who has traveled in Shiite parts of Saudi Arabia. Sheikh Nimr, said to be in his mid-50s, was from Awamiyah, a poor town surrounded by palm groves in eastern Saudi Arabia and known for opposition to the monarchy. The Saudi authorities arrested Sheikh Nimr in July 2012, while the kingdom was leading a regional push to end the pro-democratic activism of the Arab Spring. These efforts included sending tanks to prop up the Sunni monarchy in Bahrain, which faced protests led by the country’s Shiite majority. Shiites also protested in Saudi Arabia’s oil-rich Eastern Province, where many Shiites live and complain of discrimination. “To lump this guy with terrorists is a stretch,” Mr. Wehrey said. “To my knowledge, he never called for armed insurrection.” John Kirby, a State Department spokesman, said the United States government was concerned that Sheikh Nimr’s execution “risks exacerbating sectarian tensions at a time when they urgently need to be reduced.” “We reiterate the need for leaders throughout the region to redouble efforts aimed at de-escalating regional tensions,” he said in a statement.....snip~ http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/03/w...ecutes-47-sheikh-nimr-shiite-cleric.html?_r=1
Oh my.....now the UN, and the EU condemn the killing. The UN's High commissioner on human rights is condemning the execution. Also, Iran's Supreme Leader. Iran’s Supreme Leader Condemns Saudi Arabia’s Execution of Shiite Cleric.... Iran’s supreme leader warned Sunday that Saudi Arabia would face divine vengeance for the execution of an outspoken Shiite cleric, a day after Iranian protesters ransacked the Saudi Embassy in Tehran in outrage over the execution. “God’s hand of retaliation will grip the neck of Saudi politicians,” said the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in comments reported on his official website. On Sunday, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Al-Hussein, issued a stern rebuke to Saudi Arabia, “deploring” the execution of the cleric, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, and expressing concern about the surge in Saudi executions and the quality of the judicial process that resulted in them. The United Nations secretary general and the European Union have also condemned the execution of Sheikh Nimr, one of 47 people put to death on terrorism-related charges. The United States said it was concerned that the execution could exacerbate sectarian tensions in the region. The sheikh had been a vocal critic of the Sunni kingdom’s treatment of its Shiite minority. “The oppressed scholar neither encouraged people to take armed action nor engaged in secret plotting,” Ayatollah Khamenei said of Sheikh Nimr. His “only action,” Ayatollah Khamenei said, was “openly criticizing” the Saudis and “promoting virtue and prohibiting vice — something that stemmed from his religious ardor and devotion.” Ayatollah Khamenei criticized all those “who claim to support freedom, democracy and human rights and keep silent and support the Saudi regime,” and added, “The Islamic world and the whole world should feel responsible for this issue.”....snip~ http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/04/w...column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news
Saudi Arabia has finally gone too far. they killed a peaceful man who simply calls for free elections. he has never called for violence. The Saudis clearly hate Shia, and want to start a Shia-Sunni world war that will engulf Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Pakistan, and everywhere else that Shia reside.
The Secretary General of the UN, high Commissioner and the E.U. all jumping up saying something. Now isn't that a surprise? Seems none but the Saud thinks he is a terrorist or connected to them.
Iran is now protecting their Embassy and Consulate in Iran.....albeit after it was firebombed and ransacked.
The Truth About the Saudi Execution of The Shia Cleric He was NOT a “reformer” or “dissident”. He was a Shia agent of Iran out to topple the Sunni house of Saud. Another case of the success of Obama's foreign policy. Again, it all comes down to the bloody and seemingly endless squabbles between Shia and Sunni over who “inherited” the prophet's mantle. Such a stupid, petty thing to cause so much death. Read the detailed article @ http://www.redstate.com/2016/01/03/media-getting-wrong-execution-nimr-al-nimr/
Nimr was a radical calling for the overthrow of the SAG.. He may also have been a madman since the Shia population of Arabia is about 13% and most of them are gainfully employed as merchants or in the oil business. The Persians hate the Saudis because while Iran has an old and by comparison enlightened heritage, they have also had decades of turmoil... while KSA is more prosperous, stable and investing in their future.
