THE GUARDIAN: Ruling by senior clerical council follows two weeks of Shia demonstrations and 22 arrestsPublic protests have been banned in Saudi Arabia following demonstrations by minority Shia groups.
The ruling comes after widespread demonstrations in the Middle East – including those that led to the downfall of regimes in Egypt and Tunisia – and two weeks of Shia agitation in Saudi Arabia itself, during which 22 people were arrested.
A statement issued by the country's council of senior clerics said: "The council ... affirms that demonstrations are forbidden in this country. The correct way in sharia [law] of realising common interest is by advising, which is what the Prophet Muhammad established.
"Reform and advice should not be via demonstrations and ways that provoke strife and division, this is what the religious scholars of this country in the past and now have forbidden and warned against."
The statement goes on to make clear the council's stance against political parties, which are banned as they are deemed to be not in keeping with Islam. >>> Agencies | Sunday, March 06, 2011
