SHAFAQNA

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) — Saudi authorities stopped human rights defender Fowzan Alharbi at the King Khalid airport in Riyadh and prevented him from travelling to Geneva to attend a human rights conference. Fowzan Alharbi is a member of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (HSM). A co-founder of this human rights organization Mohammed Albajady is currently serving a four-year prison sentence following a grossly unfair trial. On 22 May 2012, at approximately 11:30pm, having received his boarding…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – Hundreds of Iranian university students have staged a rally to protest against a bid for the merger of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. During the rally held in front of the UN mission in Tehran on Sunday, the Iranian demonstrators chanted slogans in condemnation of the proposal, and expressed solidarity with the Bahraini people. “We are here to show our support for the innocent people of Bahrain and to protest against the plan to merge…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – An American author and Islamic studies expert says a Saudi proposal to merge with Bahrain is analogous to Adolf Hitler’s Anschluss, Press TV reports. “I think this is more of an alliance of Hitler’s Anschluss, when Nazi Germany invaded Austria,” said Kevin Barrett in an interview with Press TV on Saturday. The American expert was referring to recent reports saying Saudi Arabia is seeking to merge with Bahrain in line with plans to unify…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) - Saudi Arabia’s Eastern province has been hit by yet another anti-government protest rally in which demonstrators have condemned the long-time rule of Al Saud for its suppression of protests. The protest erupted in the Qatif region on Wednesday following the beating of two women by Saudi forces. The protesters also called for an end to Riyadh’s military intervention in neighboring Bahrain and the regime’s violation of people’s privacy in their homes. The demonstration was…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – Saudi King Abdullah has sacked one of his most hardline advisers, Sheikh Abdelmohsen al-Obeikan. Sheikh Obeikan, who was an adviser to the royal cabinet, opposed moves to relax gender segregation. The dismissal comes shortly after Sheikh Obeikan attacked plans by "influential people to corrupt Muslim society by trying to change the natural status of women". Saudi officials did not give a reason for Sheikh Obeikan's departure. His recent comments were taken to be an…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – Saudi Arabia is a strictly Muslim country where Shariah is the law supposed to be followed by the citizens and the expats. But things are not always as clean as we wish them to be. Jeddah newspaper, Arab News, last year carried a report about the profitable business opportunities that Saudi prisons offer. Narcotic peddling under the nose of the guards, directing criminal activities over the phone from within the four walls of the…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) — In an interview with Egyptian Newspaper “Al-Youm” that would be published today, Amani said that certain sections of media that are dependent on Saudi Arabia are disseminating fake accusations against Iran. He added sources of these accusations are always unknown and their inaccuracy is always proved later. He underlined that Saudi envoy and government tell lies and Saudi attaché in Cairo has claimed that Iran has tried to assassinate Saudi ambassador in Cairo and…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) — The First underwater mosque is ready for prayers in the Saudi Arabian town of Tabuk, according to Emirates24/7.com. “When we put the final touches on it, it was time for afternoon prayers," said diver Hamadan bin Salim Al Masoudi, "so we performed group prayers in the first underwater mosque in history.” A private group of Saudi Arabian divers built the mosque using plastic pipes filled with sand under the sea close to the border…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) — On 7 May 2012, a lot of members of Saudi General Intelligence (Al-Mabahith Al-'Aamma) raided a farm in the district of Shweika in Qatif. The security group raided the farm, damaged the plants and other materials. They arrested two Shi'a citizens, Haj Ali al-Kheiyat, 47 years, from Koweikib district in Qatif, and Abdul Hadi Al Obeid, 25 years, from Shweika district in Qatif. - www.shafaqna.com

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) — A recent report by Tel Aviv University says Saudi Arabia is the last hope and defense line for Israel and has described the Saudis as Tel Aviv’s last chance to protect its political interests in the Arab world. The report said that most of Israel’s allies in the region have collapsed and cannot play a significant role in the Arab world. It added that Saudi Arabia is the only country that stands against the…