{"id":178542,"date":"2016-01-02T13:00:29","date_gmt":"2016-01-02T13:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=178542"},"modified":"2016-01-02T13:00:29","modified_gmt":"2016-01-02T13:00:29","slug":"saudi-execution-of-shia-cleric-sparks-outrage-in-middle-east","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2016\/01\/saudi-execution-of-shia-cleric-sparks-outrage-in-middle-east\/","title":{"rendered":"Saudi execution of Shia cleric sparks outrage in Middle East"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Iranian government and religious leaders across the Middle East have condemned Saudi Arabia\u2019s execution of a prominent Shia cleric and warned of repercussions that could bring down the country\u2019s royal family.<\/p>\n<p>In a serious escalation of religious and diplomatic tensions in the region, councils and clerics in Iran, Yemen and Lebanon said the killing of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr would prompt widespread anger.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"element element-rich-link element--thumbnail element-rich-link--upgraded\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-1 | 1\">\n<div class=\"rich-link tone-news--item \"><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Iran\u2019s foreign ministry spokesman, Hossein Jaber Ansari, accused Riyadh of hypocrisy. \u201cThe Saudi government supports terrorists and<em tabindex=\"-1\">takfiri<\/em> [radical Sunni] extremists, while executing and suppressing critics inside the country,\u201d he told the Iranian state news agency.<\/p>\n<p>In Bahrain, police fired teargas at several dozen people protesting against the cleric\u2019s execution, a witness said. Demonstrators carrying pictures of Nimr faced security forces in a standoff in Abu-Saiba, a Shia village west of the capital, Manama.<\/p>\n<p>Activists have called for protests in the Sunni-ruled kingdom, a sign that Nimr\u2019s death may further inflame sectarian tensions in the Middle East.<\/p>\n<p>The execution was described as a \u201cgrave mistake\u201d by the Supreme Islamic Shia Council in Lebanon and a \u201cflagrant violation of human rights\u201d by Yemen\u2019s Houthi movement.<\/p>\n<p>Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, a leading Iranian cleric, said repercussions would bring down the Saudi ruling family.<\/p>\n<p>He told the Mehr news agency: \u201cI have no doubt that this pure blood will stain the collar of the House of Saud and wipe them from the pages of history. The crime of executing Sheikh Nimr is part of a criminal pattern by this treacherous family \u2026 the Islamic world is expected to cry out and denounce this infamous regime as much as it can.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nimr was one of 47 people Saudi Arabian executed for terrorism on Friday. The interior ministry said most of those killed were involved in a series of al-Qaida attacks between 2003 and 2006.<\/p>\n<p>It also detained hundreds of minority Shia Muslims after protests between 2011 and 2013, during which several police officers were killed in shootings and petrol bomb attacks. Several of those held were sentenced to death.<\/p>\n<p>The interior ministry statement began with verses from the Qur\u2019an justifying the use of execution, and state television showed footage of the aftermath of al-Qaida attacks in the last decade. The Saudi grand mufti, Sheikh Abdulaziz Al al-Sheikh, appeared on television soon after to describe the executions as just.<\/p>\n<p>Iran\u2019s Shia leadership said the execution of Nimr \u201cwould cost Saudi Arabiadearly\u201d. The brother of the cleric said the family was shocked by news of his execution but hoped that any reaction would be peaceful.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSheikh Nimr enjoyed high esteem in his community and within Muslim society in general and no doubt there will be reaction,\u201d Mohammed al-Nimr told Reuters by telephone. \u201cWe hope that any reactions would be confined to a peaceful framework. No one should have any reaction outside this peaceful framework. Enough bloodshed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In October 2015 Saudi Arabia\u2019s supreme court rejected an appeal against the death sentence passed earlier on Nimr, who had called for pro-democracy demonstrations and whose arrest in 2012 sparked protests in which three people died.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"img-2\" class=\"element element-image img--landscape  fig--narrow-caption fig--has-shares \" data-component=\"image\" data-media-id=\"ea9cafeac85f1ad66d9812e65258805820599a4c\">\n<div class=\"u-responsive-ratio\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/ea9cafeac85f1ad66d9812e65258805820599a4c\/0_0_4491_2695\/master\/4491.jpg?w=620&amp;q=85&amp;auto=format&amp;sharp=10&amp;s=fc2a292c77011ade7c76a54220eccc75 620w\" media=\"(min-width: 660px)\" sizes=\"620px\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/ea9cafeac85f1ad66d9812e65258805820599a4c\/0_0_4491_2695\/master\/4491.jpg?w=605&amp;q=85&amp;auto=format&amp;sharp=10&amp;s=bf560a96fa5baaced8445aa9c76c0339 605w\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\" sizes=\"605px\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/ea9cafeac85f1ad66d9812e65258805820599a4c\/0_0_4491_2695\/master\/4491.jpg?w=445&amp;q=85&amp;auto=format&amp;sharp=10&amp;s=1882d5ac0ee34b17337353dbc227c657 445w\" media=\"(min-width: 0px)\" sizes=\"445px\" \/><img class=\"gu-image\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/ea9cafeac85f1ad66d9812e65258805820599a4c\/0_0_4491_2695\/master\/4491.jpg?w=300&amp;q=85&amp;auto=format&amp;sharp=10&amp;s=00b95dd01015b9f470841f3cf1246f50\" alt=\"Saudis carry a poster demanding freedom for Nimr during a funeral procession in May last year.\" \/><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"block-share block-share--article hide-on-mobile\" data-link-name=\"block share\"><span class=\"u-h\">Facebook<\/span><span class=\"u-h\">Twitter<\/span><span class=\"u-h\">Pinterest<\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"caption caption--img caption caption--img\"> Saudis carry a poster demanding freedom for Nimr during a funeral procession in May last year. Photograph: Hasan Jamali\/AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Nimr had long been regarded as the most vocal Shia leader in the eastern Saudi province of Qatif, willing to publicly criticise the ruling al-Saud family and call for elections. He was, however, careful to avoid calling for violence, analysts say.<\/p>\n<p>That did not prevent the interior ministry from accusing him of being behind attacks on police, alongside a group of other suspects it said were working on behalf of Iran, the kingdom\u2019s main regional rival.<\/p>\n<p>The simultaneous execution of 47 people on security grounds was the biggest such event in Saudi Arabia since the 1980 killing of 63 jihadi rebels who seized Mecca\u2019s Grand Mosque in 1979.<\/p>\n<p>The executions are Saudi Arabia\u2019s first in 2016. At least 157 people were put to death last year, a significant increase on the 90 people killed in 2014.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211;<\/p>\n<p>Source: The Guardian<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Iranian government and religious leaders across the Middle East have condemned Saudi Arabia\u2019s execution of a prominent Shia cleric and warned of repercussions that could bring down the country\u2019s royal family. In a serious escalation of religious and diplomatic tensions in the region, councils and clerics in Iran, Yemen and Lebanon said the killing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[107],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Saudi execution of Shia cleric sparks outrage in Middle East - Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2016\/01\/saudi-execution-of-shia-cleric-sparks-outrage-in-middle-east\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Saudi execution of Shia cleric sparks outrage in Middle East - Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Iranian government and religious leaders across the Middle East have condemned Saudi Arabia\u2019s execution of a prominent Shia cleric and warned of repercussions that could bring down the country\u2019s royal family. In a serious escalation of religious and diplomatic tensions in the region, councils and clerics in Iran, Yemen and Lebanon said the killing [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2016\/01\/saudi-execution-of-shia-cleric-sparks-outrage-in-middle-east\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/citi97.3\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-01-02T13:00:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/ea9cafeac85f1ad66d9812e65258805820599a4c\/0_0_4491_2695\/master\/4491.jpg?w=300&amp;q=85&amp;auto=format&amp;sharp=10&amp;s=00b95dd01015b9f470841f3cf1246f50\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kojo Akoto Boateng\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@citi973\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@citi973\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kojo Akoto Boateng\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2016\/01\/saudi-execution-of-shia-cleric-sparks-outrage-in-middle-east\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2016\/01\/saudi-execution-of-shia-cleric-sparks-outrage-in-middle-east\/\",\"name\":\"Saudi execution of Shia cleric sparks outrage in Middle East - Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-01-02T13:00:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-01-02T13:00:29+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1642ef473fe39bf0c4e2f2f252678eb1\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2016\/01\/saudi-execution-of-shia-cleric-sparks-outrage-in-middle-east\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2016\/01\/saudi-execution-of-shia-cleric-sparks-outrage-in-middle-east\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2016\/01\/saudi-execution-of-shia-cleric-sparks-outrage-in-middle-east\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Saudi execution of Shia cleric sparks outrage in Middle East\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/\",\"name\":\"Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always\",\"description\":\"Ghana News | Ghana Politics | Ghana Soccer | Ghana Showbiz\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1642ef473fe39bf0c4e2f2f252678eb1\",\"name\":\"Kojo Akoto Boateng\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ba51f5385119e83762c67ecd6aa410ab?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ba51f5385119e83762c67ecd6aa410ab?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Kojo Akoto Boateng\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/author\/kojo\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Saudi execution of Shia cleric sparks outrage in Middle East - Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2016\/01\/saudi-execution-of-shia-cleric-sparks-outrage-in-middle-east\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Saudi execution of Shia cleric sparks outrage in Middle East - Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always","og_description":"The Iranian government and religious leaders across the Middle East have condemned Saudi Arabia\u2019s execution of a prominent Shia cleric and warned of repercussions that could bring down the country\u2019s royal family. In a serious escalation of religious and diplomatic tensions in the region, councils and clerics in Iran, Yemen and Lebanon said the killing [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2016\/01\/saudi-execution-of-shia-cleric-sparks-outrage-in-middle-east\/","og_site_name":"Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/citi97.3","article_published_time":"2016-01-02T13:00:29+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/ea9cafeac85f1ad66d9812e65258805820599a4c\/0_0_4491_2695\/master\/4491.jpg?w=300&amp;q=85&amp;auto=format&amp;sharp=10&amp;s=00b95dd01015b9f470841f3cf1246f50"}],"author":"Kojo Akoto Boateng","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@citi973","twitter_site":"@citi973","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kojo Akoto Boateng","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2016\/01\/saudi-execution-of-shia-cleric-sparks-outrage-in-middle-east\/","url":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2016\/01\/saudi-execution-of-shia-cleric-sparks-outrage-in-middle-east\/","name":"Saudi execution of Shia cleric sparks outrage in Middle East - Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2016-01-02T13:00:29+00:00","dateModified":"2016-01-02T13:00:29+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1642ef473fe39bf0c4e2f2f252678eb1"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2016\/01\/saudi-execution-of-shia-cleric-sparks-outrage-in-middle-east\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2016\/01\/saudi-execution-of-shia-cleric-sparks-outrage-in-middle-east\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2016\/01\/saudi-execution-of-shia-cleric-sparks-outrage-in-middle-east\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Saudi execution of Shia cleric sparks outrage in Middle East"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/","name":"Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always","description":"Ghana News | Ghana Politics | Ghana Soccer | Ghana Showbiz","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1642ef473fe39bf0c4e2f2f252678eb1","name":"Kojo Akoto Boateng","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ba51f5385119e83762c67ecd6aa410ab?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ba51f5385119e83762c67ecd6aa410ab?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Kojo Akoto Boateng"},"url":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/author\/kojo\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178542"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=178542"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178542\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=178542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=178542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=178542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}