The World Federation of Khoja Shias along with other Muslim bodies, groups and organisations have issued a joint statement denouncing the death sentence passed on Wednesday 15th October by the Saudi Arabian government against Ayatullah Nimr Baqir al-Nimr.
The statement reads as follows:
We are extremely alarmed about the recent death sentence which has been passed against Ayatollah Nimr Baqir Al-nimr as reported by the media for “sowing discord” and “undermining national unity”. Ayatollah al-Nimr is a respected Muslim figure in Saudi Arabia. He is a faith leader, reformist and human rights activist, who has long campaigned for an end to discriminatory laws against the Shia minority population of the country. This sentence follows a lengthy two year detention in a Saudi prison, which has sparked outrage, not only from the Muslim community but also from the international human rights organisations. We strongly believe that the sentencing of Ayatollah Nimr as a leader of the minority Shia community will further inflame sectarian tensions and provide encouragement to extremist groups such as ISIS to continue their persecution of religious minorities.
Therefore, we strongly expect the government of Saudi Arabia to act with responsibility and refrain from implementing the death sentence of Ayatollah al-Nimr. We ask the government of Saudi Arabia to consider the negative and detrimental impact that any sentence of Ayatollah al-Nimr will have to their national image and demand that Ayatollah al-Nimr is released. We implore the government of Saudi Arabia to behave as a responsible role model to both Muslims and Muslim governments around the world.
Signed by:
Al-Khoei Foundation
AlulBayt Foundation
British Muslim Forum
Council of European Jamaats
Imamsonline
Islamic Centre of England
London Fatwa Council
Majlis-e-ulama Shia
Mecca Mosque Leeds
Radical Middle Way
World Federation of Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri Muslim Communities
Saudi Arabia is facing an international outcry and accusations of promoting sectarian hatred after a Shia Muslim religious leader from the country’s volatile eastern province was sentenced to death.
Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr, who led protests in Qatif at the height of the Arab spring in 2011, was convicted on Wednesday of sedition and other charges in a case that has been followed closely by Shias in the kingdom and neighbouring Bahrain.
Shia Muslims make up 10%-15% of the population of Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia, which bills itself as playing a lead role in the fight against the jihadis of Islamic State (Isis) in Syria and Iraq. Riyadh has supported Sunni groups fighting to overthrow Bashar al-Assad but denies backing Isis.
In Iran, Saudi Arabia’s chief regional rival and the political centre of the Shia world, the foreign ministry warned on Thursday that execution would have “dire consequences”.
In London the Foreign Office stated that it was aware of the sentencing, adding: “The UK opposes the death penalty as a matter of principle.”
The Saudi authorities have portrayed the cleric as an “instigator of discord and rioting”. But Nimr’s supporters and family have denied that he incited violence.
In a BBC interview, Nimr said he backed “the roar of the word against authorities rather than weapons”. The arrest of his brother and other relatives after sentencing has fuelled anger that is being ventilated on Twitter and other social media.
“Saudi Arabia’s harsh treatment of a prominent Shia cleric is only adding to existing sectarian discord and unrest,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “Saudi Arabia’s path to stability in the eastern province lies in ending systematic discrimination against Shia citizens, not in death sentences.”
Amnesty International described Nimr’s sentencing as part of a wider Saudi government crackdown on dissent.
Shia and Sunni groups said they were extremely alarmed by the sentence. “Ayatollah al-Nimr is a respected Muslim figure in Saudi Arabia,” 10 organisations said in statement. “He is a faith leader, reformist and human rights activist, who has campaigned for an end to discriminatory laws against the Shia minority. The sentencing will further inflame sectarian tensions and provide encouragement to extremist groups such as Isis to continue their persecution of religious minorities.”
Toby Matthiesen, a Cambridge expert on Saudi Arabia, said: “In the last two years Nimr has become known by Shia across the world. For many Salafis and Sunnis with anti-Shia leanings he has become a real hate figure. In the context of Isis, the Saudi royal family is trying to legitimise itself in the eyes of Sunnis by being tough. Nimr was a revolutionary who called for non-violent protests and the downfall of the Al Saud, but also for Assad to go. He wasn’t sectarian.”
Yusif al-Khoei, of the London-based Al-Khoei Foundation, said he was “appalled” by the news and with others was considering boycotting a Saudi-organised conference on inter-religious dialogue in Vienna.
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