Alwaght- In light of the Saudi regime’s discriminatory policies, another deadly shooting targeting Shiite Muslims in eastern Saudi Arabia has marred the commemoration of Ashura.
The Saudi interior ministry confirmed that a gunman opened fire on a Husseiniya, a Shiite gathering hall where people were commemorating Ashura, killing five people and wounding another nine on Friday.
A group calling itself Islamic State-Bahrain State, linked to ISIS, claimed responsibility for the attack saying one of its Saudi members attacked a “"a Shia infidel temple.”
In the absence of government protection, Shiite security volunteers were guarding the hall. They were the ones who stopped the gunman from entering and inflicting even greater human loss. When police arrived, the damage had already been done. However, the gunman was shot dead during clashes. This case was not the only one that witnessed violence against Shiites on Friday.
Shiite Muslims in Saudi Arabia have accused Riyadh of doing little to protect them within the kingdom where they are frequently targeted based on religiously-motivated hatred and bigotry.
Earlier this year, ISIS took credit for a deadly explosion outside a mosque frequented by Shiites in the city of Damman shortly after more than 20 people were killed in the village of al-Qadeeh during Friday prayers.
The Shiite community in the Persian Gulf State mostly concentrated in the eastern province of al-Qatif has come more frequently under fire and has protested against regime-sanctioned discrimination.
Reports have emerged suggesting that Saudi authorities have waged a campaign against Shiite commemorations of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, Prophet Mohammad’s grandson, which culminate on the 10th of Muharram, a day known as Ashura.
Hardliner Sunnis regard Shiites as heretics and therefore permit the shedding of their blood.
Shiites both in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are at the center of a crackdown.
For example, Bahraini activists on social media reported that Bahraini security forces took down all banners and flags related to Ashura in Shiite-populated areas, a clear violation of freedom of religion.
These regimes regard Shiites as a threat, since they uphold revolutionary values and seek to fight injustice. In an oppressive monarchy, these are enough to instigate fears of an uprising and the toppling of its rulers.
Since the Shiites can neither be wiped out nor utterly disregarded, these regimes target religious ceremonies as a political means of oppression.
Riyadh and Manama also accuse the Shiites of building strong relations with Iran, a charge that is the basis of the waves of suppression. The more they are concerned over Iran’s influence in the region as a rival, the more brutal their crackdown is on the Shiites even if they are Saudi and Bahraini nationals.
Also in Yemen, the Saudi-led war is sectarian-based. The Saudi regime has launched a fierce campaign against Ansarullah fighters who are also minority Shiites among the Arab states in the Persian Gulf who were fighting against al-Qaeda in Yemen. The Saudi-led coalition has been met with resilience and this has triggered a wave of anger which will likely manifest in further measures of suppression against the Shiites in the days leading up to the day of Ashura.
