Incidents of Anti-Shiism in August, 2019 – Shia Rights Watch

Incidents of Anti-Shiism in August, 2019 During August, Shia Rights Watch celebrated the Eid al-Adha by illuminating Time Square, New York. The organization called for solidarity against intolerance and injustice. SRW Eid al- Adha activity can be found here and here. Analysis of anti-Shiism in the first six months of 2019 was published as well.

Saudi Iranian rivalry polarises Nigerian Muslims

“The Saudis watching the Iranians trying to break into northern Nigeria is almost like watching someone else try to befriend your best friend,” said Ini Dele-Adedeji, a Nigerian academic at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, referring to the region’s religious elites that have aligned themselves with the kingdom.

Tension in the Gulf: Not just maritime powder kegs

Speaking to Riyadh Daily, the English language sister of one of Saudi Arabia’s foremost newspapers, Al Riyadh, Mr. Baloch’s legitimization in the kingdom’s tightly controlled media constituted one more suggestion that Saudi Arabia may be tacitly supporting militants in Balochistan, a troubled Pakistani province that borders on Iran and is a crown jewel of China’s infrastructure and energy-driven Belt and Road initiative.

On the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, ADHRB Calls for an End to Impunity for Abusers in the GCC – Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain

26 June 2019 – Today, on the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) highlights victims of torture in the Gulf and calls on countries to halt this abusive practice, investigate all allegations of torture, and hold perpetrators accountable. In …

For ADHRB Weekly Number 304, click here.

Bahrain’s Rulers Last Chance to Save Their Country

AT THE height of Bahrain’s riots and protests in 2011 and 2012, some, including certain figures in the U.S. government, argued that Bahrain’s royal family had to give way to the protesters’ demands or be swept away by the tides of history. They were wrong.

Defying authority: Arab, Russia and Pakistan protesters learn lessons of 2011

The degree to which Sudanese protesters are willing to implement lessons learnt from the 2011 revolts will be determined by their willingness and ability to sustain their protests in the face of violence. The opposition this week rejected an offer by General Al-Burhan to reopen negotiations and hold elections within nine months.

Saudi religious moderation: How real is it?

Meet Mohammed bin Abdul-Karim Al-Issa, the public face of Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman’s version of moderate Islam. Mr. Al-Issa’s moves also serve to strengthen ties with US President Donald J. Trump’s Evangelist voter base and shape an environment that legitimizes Saudi Arabia’s close cooperation with Israel.

The Limits of Saudi ‘Reform’, 15
See also ‘Saudi ex-Imam of Mecca ‘no longer considers Shia Muslims as heretics’.

Opinion | Saudi Arabia’s repression shouldn’t be rewarded with a World Cup

May 15 at 11:24 AM Minky Worden is director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch and oversees the organization’s work on human rights and sports. In 2010, when FIFA announced that the 2022 World Cup would be held in Qatar, there was an outcry over that country’s human rights record.

Saudi state media: Eight ‘terrorist suspects’ killed in Qatif

Eight members of what Saudi authorities call a terrorist cell were killed on Saturday in a police raid in Saudi Arabia’s eastern Qatif region, a Shia minority stronghold, state media has reported. The recently-formed cell was preparing to carry out “terrorist activities” against the security of the country, the official Saudi Press Agency reported, citing a state security spokesperson.

Two bodies pinned to a pole in Saudi Arabia as 37 people killed in ‘chilling’ mass execution

Saudi Arabia executed 37 people for terror offences on Tuesday, the country’s interior minister said, in one of the largest mass executions in recent years. Human Rights Watch described the punishment as “grotesque,” and said the news represented a “day we have feared.”

See also The Washington Post.
See also Human Rights Watch.
See also The New York Times.