(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - The 45-year-old Shiite man, named in media reports as father of five Mansor Almaribe, had initially been sentenced to two years' jail and 500 lashes, but the judge subsequently reduced the length of the jail term to one year.
Reports said Mr Almaribe was detained in the city of Medina on November 14 while making the hajj pilgrimage and accused of insulting Wahhabi's figures.
Australia's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Neil Hawkins, has contacted authorities after the man's sentence was handed down yesterday.
A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the Ambassador would "urgently pursue avenues for leniency with relevant authorities".
An Australian consular official was present for the man's court appearance and sentencing yesterday.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to the man's family in Australia.
Fairfax has previously reported that Mr Almaribe, who could not afford a lawyer, suffers from diabetes and heart disease, with grave fears for his health.
His eldest son, Jamal, said his father had been reading and praying in a group when accosted by religious police and arrested.
Saudi Arabia enforces a strict form of Sharia or Islamic law and the dominant form of Islam in the country is Wahhabism, an ultra-conservative strand of Sunni Islam.
Who are Wahhabis; Click the following Links:
1- Wahhabism by Grand Ayatullah Jafar Subhani
2- A New Analysis of Wahhabi Doctrines
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6 December 2011 - 20:30
News ID: 282483
The 45-year-old Shiite man, named in media reports as father of five Mansor Almaribe, had initially been sentenced to two years' jail and 500 lashes, but the judge subsequently reduced the length of the jail term to one year.
