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Saudi Arabia's Shi'a quandary
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| 28 September 2005 |
As Saudi Arabia responds to increasing pressures to reform by granting a degree of public participation in political life, grievances expressed by a core element of its social fabric - the Shi'a minority in the east of the Kingdom - are likely to need serious attention, since these have the potential to constitute a major destabilising factor to the State.
Extreme anti-Shi'a sentiment and discrimination in predominantly Sunni cities compels the Shi'a to hide their faith. Even specifically Shi'a names have been banned by the government through the Ministry of Interior, a policy that has forced many Shi'a to change their names and led to some conversions.
The legal system also serves the Shi'a population poorly. According to the provisions of Sharia law in Saudi Arabia, judges are enabled to dismiss the testimony of non-Muslims, non-practicing Muslims or of individuals who do not practice the official interpretation of Islam. Legal sources have reported that testimony by Shi'a witnesses has often been ignored in courts of law or at least deemed to carry less weight than testimony by Sunnis.
The position of the Shi'a in Saudi Arabia as an effectively disenfranchised community will need to be addressed as political liberalisation gains momentum. While moves towards equality with Sunnis will cause problems for King Abdullah's administration and are unlikely to gain much domestic support (given the social and religious anomaly the Shi'a represent), changes in the region's political environment will eventually force the pace.
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