Saudi Arabia: Fierce battle for supremacy in the region – Sunnis against Shiites

Saudi Arabia, the oil power in the Gulf, which the West wants to have as an ally and tries rather to ingratiate than to criticize, has to struggle with the gap between traditions and modernity more and more.

Especially the young people of Saudi Arabia strive for more freedom and the limiting of religious prohibitions, which are set and monitored by the religious scholars and the Conservatives within Saudi Arabia.

The West is happy about the oil supplies of the monarchy as well as about the new orders in the millions, but whether the country will really remain quiet for a long time, or rather, whether the Saudi population will stay quiet, is questionable.


Although the Saudi royal family and especially the religion taught systematically oppress the people and use the religion even downright fanatical as the ne plus ultra of their oil state, the situation in Saudi Arabia is not really quiet anymore. The Saudi youth wants more freedom; the situation could be described as “seething”.

The discontent of large segments of the Saudi population is larger. The clashes between Sunnis and Shiites are sadly increasing. Political reforms, such as they were demanded in Saudi Arabia at the beginning of the demonstrations against the Saudi ruling family, as in other countries, are also not yet been implemented. (Of course, somehow…)

The Saudi King Abdullah, who is well regarded as a “cautious reformer”, invested about $ 130 billion in order to support social housing projects. Whether the money for social projects, however, will be sufficient enough to avert further unrests, is not really to predict.

Particularly, the evident dissatisfaction of the population can be seen especially in the revolt of women in Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi king tries to listen to the demands of the women, up to a certain degree and even defends the women`s demands in Saudi Arabia, but the Saudi king is not able (or doesn`t really want to) start a real “fight” against the radical religious scholars in his country.

The religion governs their lives in Saudi Arabia; the Islam determines life and politics. But only the Sunni Islam is seen as a pure Islam in Saudi Arabia. Not to mention that this holy religion is sometimes misinterpreted or misused (for worldly purposes) in Saudi Arabia.

In Saudi Arabia, they practiced a form of Sunni Islam – known as the “Wahhabism”. The Wahhabism (Wahhabis) has enormous Islamistic traits. The Shiite minority, which lives in some regions in Saudi Arabia, are yet tolerated (grudgingly). Many Shiites live in the east of Saudi Arabia, especially in the area, where many Saudi oil fields are located.

Since the outbreak of turmoil in the Arab world (mistakenly known as the “Arab Spring”), also the people of Saudi Arabia try to communicate their demands in peaceful demonstrations. In the end, demonstrations in Saudi Arabia were banned because they are against Islam. The religion scholars in Saudi Arabia know what to do if they realize that they might get some problems.

Those people, who try to oppose the ban of demonstrations in Saudi Arabia, have to reckon with draconian penalties. But in the east of Saudi Arabia, there are still some people now and then, who go on the streets to demonstrate for political reforms.

The demonstrations were mostly resolved quickly and violently by the Saudi ruling house. There were multiple victims. The West still doesn`t discuss about humanitarian intervention in Saudi Arabia (or Bahrain or Qatar), despite the brutally crackdowns of peaceful protests. In contrast to Syria, the protesters in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are not well-armed and violent.

Not to mention that the real protesters in Syria are gone since a long time, and that armed gangs and violent groups of religious extremists, criminals and mercenaries use the “uprising” for worldly and religion goals. Not to mention the interests and machinations of the United States, Turkey, Israel, France, Britain, Germany, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and so on.. Axis of evil (Iran-Hezbollah-Syria), new US-slaves as leaders, less danger for Israel and other hypocritically statements and reasons…

In Saudi Arabia, especially the confrontations with the Shiites have increased in recent weeks. For example, while the Shiites celebrate the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, this is prohibited in the Saudi interpretation of Islam (Wahabbism).

For example, last week some young Shiites have held a commemoration event for the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. These young Shiites also started to call for political reforms and demanded the release of political prisoners (there are a lot in Saudi Arabia…).

While the crackdown of this procession by the Saudi security forces, a Shiite teenager was so badly injured that he has died because of his injuries in hospital. Shiites and other “enemies of Islam” (Wahabbism) have a hard stand in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi ruling family and the religion scholars use harsh actions as useful method against those “enemies of Wahabbism”.

One was able to clearly realize this radical behavior when the majority Shiite population was on the streets in Bahrain to demonstrate for reforms.

Almost a year ago, Saudi Arabia has even sent tanks and troops into the neighboring country (Bahrain) to end the demonstrations there. The West said nothing, Barack Obama`s words were hypocritically and a shame. Since then, there is little or no news about Bahrain and the developments there (in Western media). Why should they?

The Sunni leaders are still firmly sitting on their throne and the United States of America has no interest that the Bahraini ruling house is overrun. After all, the U.S. administration is more interested in a somehow “stabile” Bahrain, where one of their biggest U.S. military bases is located.

Of course, own interests count more for the U.S. administration than brutally crackdowns of peaceful protests by the Bahraini government. In Syria, the U.S. administration has a different interest. Hypocritically interpretation of democracy, isn`t it?

The United States (U.S. administration) are not interested in the “methods” of the Bahraini and Saudi ruling houses to prevent chaos or how to brutally crackdown peaceful protests. For own interests, the U.S. government goes over corpses. Simple said, but true.

It’s about the struggle between Sunnis and Shiites and the associated dominance of Saudi Arabia or the Iran.

Iran is neither a premise for Saudi Arabia nor the Gulf States or even America. The Iran is the enemy. Iran is the “religious and worldly enemy”. America and Saudi Arabia share the same goal, only the motivation is different.

Against this backdrop of fear in Saudi Arabia prior to the loss of its religious authority, it is not surprising, that Saudi tanks were sent to Bahrain and that the Saudi royal family acts against Syria and its government and wants to increase its influence there by the overthrow of the Syrian government and President Bashar al-Assad.

After the draft resolution put forward by Morocco (originally edited by Britain behind the curtains) to Syria failed in the Security Council, Saudi Arabia wants to bring a similar resolution to the United States General Assembly (UN General Assembly).

According to CNN and other sources, this three-page Saudi pamphlet shall vehemently condemn the human rights violations by the Syrian regime.  Just as well that Saudi Arabia is so democratic and knows how to respect human rights and enforce them. (Irony) This draft resolution is nothing new and still one-sided, hypocritically and promoting false facts.

Shall we recall the driving ban for Saudi women? Or recall the strange cucumber-statements? Indeed, the Saudi ruling house knows human rights and democracy.  Not to mention the persecution of homosexuals or the execution of a woman who was accused of witchcraft, not long ago…

These are just a few examples how Saudi Arabia interprets human right in its own area.

But as long as Saudi Arabia is against Syria and Iran and as long as the Saudis deliver oil and have nothing against U.S. military bases, nobody in the West cares about all these human rights violations and the brutally crackdowns of peaceful protests.

Even a kid learns that you cannot demand something from others, which you do not esteem yourself. Don’t throw bricks when you live in a glass house.

Image: Image: Getideaka / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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