Protests Rage After Assassination Of Shiite Cleric In Saudi Arabia

Protests Rage After Assassination Of Shiite Cleric In Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Arabian government followed through with the execution of 47 people accused of terrorism on Saturday, according to media reports. Included in the group of 47 executed was Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a Shiite cleric from the eastern part of Saudi Arabia who was a vocal critic of the Saudi Royal family, which has spurred massive protests across the Middle East.

The Saudi Arabian embassy was ransacked in the Iranian capital of Tehran, which is a predominantly Shiite country and one of the most vocal supporters of Shia followers globally. According to CNN and BBC reports, angry protesters set part of the Saudi Arabian embassy ablaze with Molotov cocktails and then broke into the facility ransacking its offices.

 

There were no embassy staff present during the siege, according to CNN.

The execution of Sheikh al-Nimr has exacerbated sectarian tensions in select pockets around the Middle East and Muslim world with anger being directed toward the Saudi authorities.

 

This tension comes four weeks after the Nigerian military brutally massacred Shiite protesters in the Kaduna city of Zaria with reports of the military burying the victims in secret mass graves. The international human rights community and advocacy groups have condemned both the actions by the Nigerian military and the execution of Sheikh al-Nimr. This later led to the sacking of the Iranian ambassador, whose country is largely made of the shi’ia sect of the Islam