Free Republic

Jeddah // Saudi Arabia’s religious police have been forced to issue a rare apology after a member of one of the country’s most influential tribes said he was beaten by police for allegedly kissing his wife in public. Mohammed al Qahtani, of the Qahtan tribe – the largest in Saudi Arabia – had threatened to present his case to King Abdullah after the police spokesman issued a statement eight days ago accusing Mr al Qahtani of lying about the incident. Damaging the reputation of a tribal member in Saudi is considered an insult to the entire tribe, and releasing personal...

The Shia minority in Saudi Arabia has declared independence from the Kingdom, creating a country called the "The Republic of Eastern Arabia". The newly founded nation, which has received little media coverage, is formed in the eastern areas of Qatif and Al-Hasa, a website close to leading Shi'a cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Namr reported. "The decision of the proclamation of the Republic was based on the demands of the people of the region," the website added, denying any foreign links for the decision. Al-Namr, known for his fiery rhetoric, was the source of major turmoil earlier this year when he...

The “peace plan” of Crown Prince Abdullah has put the Saudi Kingdom at the center of Middle Eastern diplomacy, as well as at the center of media attention. Misconceptions about Saudi Arabia, which are rampant, need to be dispelled in order for the US to adopt policies which will be in the interests of the free world. Saudi Arabia is commonly thought to be an ancient kingdom with a homogeneous people. But, in fact, the kingdom is less than 80 years old, the result of the British-supported conquests of Abdul Assiz ibn Saud, a magnificent feudal potentate and shrewd diplomat...

Tiger said in his Friday sermon at the University of Imam Hussein in Awamiya: "It is ready to enter the prison and with the severity of torture and even murder," adding that "refuses to respect the Shiite," he said.

It's official - Cairo and Hizbullah are fighting a full-fledged media war. The Egyptian press and government officials have, for several consecutive days, been hurling insults at the Shi'ite group, in one instance comparing its leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah to a monkey.

DAMMAM // When Sayyid Hassan al Nemer was a young boy, Shiite clerics like himself were not permitted to wear a black turban. Nowadays, Sayyid al Nemer wears his turban everywhere, even when meeting senior officials in Riyadh. On the other hand, said Sayyid al Nemer, 47, “our children are being taught that we are non-believers” by Sunni Muslim teachers in government schools. Fifteen years after the Saudi government extended an amnesty to exiled Shiite leaders and began addressing their complaints, many in the Shiite minority say they still face widespread religious and political discrimination, according to recent interviews with...

Awwamiya, Saudi Arabia - Despite the vast oil fields underfoot, this rural village of struggling farmers and narrow streets is a long way from the gleaming riches and wide boulevards of Riyadh. It is also far from the strict Wahhabi version of Sunni Islam favored by the Saudi government, since most Awwamiya residents are Shiite Muslims. These religious and economic realities help explain the graffiti on view here: "Death to Wahhabi," "Down with the government," and "We will not forget our prisoners." Somewhere here, too, Sheikh Nimer Al-Nimer, a firebrand Shiite cleric in his late 40s, is hiding from police....