Saudi Arabia Razes Shiite Mosque to Ground in Eastern Province

The regime’s forces razed the Imam al-Hussein (AS) Mosque in al-Zarah, south of the town of al- Awamiyah, after surrounding it in the morning without any prior notice, Al-Ahed news website reported on Monday.

According to the report, the razing was part of a heavy-handed crackdown on dissent in the Shiite-populated region.

Since 2011, the Eastern Province has been the scene of anti-regime demonstrations, with the protesters calling for freedom of speech, the release of political prisoners, and an end to economic and religious discrimination exercised by authorities.

Saudi regime forces have particularly imposed a deadly crackdown on Awamiyah – the hometown of late prominent Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr—since May 2016. Nimr’s execution by the Al Saud regime drew firm international condemnation and sparked mass protests across the Middle East.

Saudi authorities call the clampdown a “security campaign” against the gunmen there, and have used the measure as a pretext to launch almost daily attacks against the town, destroying residential areas, setting fire to buildings, and reportedly threatening the residents to either leave or face potentially deadly swoops.