SAUDI SHI'A CELEBRATE ARBAEEN, BUT NOT WITHOUT

C O N F I D E N T I A L RIYADH 000372

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DS/IP/NEA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/04/2018
TAGS: KIRF KISL PGOV PHUM PREL SA
SUBJECT: SAUDI SHI'A CELEBRATE ARBAEEN, BUT NOT WITHOUT
CONFLICT

REF: A. 08 RIYADH 121

B. 07 RIYADH 2223

Classified By: Consul General John Kincannon for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d
).


1. (C) SUMMARY: On February 27 and 28th, Eastern Province
(EP) Shi'a celebrated Arbaeen, a religious festival marking
the end of the forty days of mourning that follow the death
of Imam Hussein (commemorated during Ashura). Along with
Ashura, the foremost bellwether of SAG/Shi'a relations,
celebrations such as Arbaeen help provide a barometer for the
tone of relationships between both the Shi'a and the
government and the Shi'a and their Sunni neighbors. 2008 saw
an increase in both the number and size of the Arbaeen
celebrations in Qatif, and a decrease in the presence of
government security agents. While there were no disturbances
during this year's Ashura, Arbaeen saw a confrontation in the
Qatif village of Anak that reminded locals of the serious
religious tensions that still exist in the area. Meanwhile,
Shi'a in al-Ahsa were again prevented from any public
commemoration of Arbaeen. END SUMMARY.

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CELEBRATIONS LARGER IN NUMBER AND SIZE, SECURITY MINIMAL
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2. (C) Just as Arbaeen is a lesser holiday relative to
Ashura, the celebration of Arbaeen sees smaller crowds, fewer
processions, and less emotional displays of spirituality.
PolOff attended numerous Arbaeen celebrations in the
Qatif-area on February 27 and 28. Similar to Ashura,
commemorations centered on lectures by shaykhs at local
husseiniyyas, processions of young people performing haza
(the three primary types of haza being beating one's chest,
flagellating oneself, or cutting one's scalp),and community
plays re-enacting the ordeals of Hussein, Zainab (mother of
Hussein),and Zahra (sister of Hussein). Also present was a
market in downtown Qatif, slightly smaller than its Ashura
counterpart, in which Shi'a books, videos, CDs, pictures and
clothing were sold. Prominent among the goods were works by
Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and radood (cantor) Basim
Karbalai. There was no security presence at the various
Arbaeen events held, and the only overt extra law enforcement
activity in the city was a handful of Ministry of Interior
Special Security Force checkpoints stationed at the entrances
to the Qatif area on the night of February 27.

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CLASHES IN THE VILLAGE OF ANAK
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3. (C) Despite continued positive movement in the degree of
religious autonomy granted by the SAG to the Shi'a of Qatif,
violence in the village of Anak reminded the area that
underlying Sunni-Shi'a tensions exist. According to media
reports and second-hand accounts from Post contacts, in the
early morning of February 28, in Anak village, one of the few
Sunni majority pockets in the Qatif oasis, Sunni and Shi'a
young men clashed, throwing rocks and firing gunshots.
Although various car windows and windshields were smashed,
there are no reports of serious injuries or deaths. Several
police cars reportedly arrived on the scene to disperse the
crowd soon after the firing of shots.


4. (C) The series of events that culminated in the conflict
began when, days before Arbaeen, Shi'a youth in Anak - who
have traditionally gone to other Shi'a villages to celebrate
religious occasions - decided to hang flags, banners, and
posters in the area for the commemoration of the holiday.
The Sunni in the area soon responded by tearing down these
materials and confronting their Shi'a neighbors with obscene
words and threats. The Shi'a supposedly countered these
actions by calling in friends and family from surrounding
villages to answer the Sunni bullying, escalating the
situation until violence erupted. Shi'a contacts note that
the sectarian situation in the village has shown signs of
tension in previous weeks, as there has been a recent
increase in incidences of Salafis in the Anak area handing
out inflammatory leaflets, fliers, and recordings. Two days
after the clash, the village remained under stringent police
control, as the authorities sought to arrest those involved
in the incident. Post contacts feel that, despite continued
calls from members of both sides to reignite the
confrontation, cooler heads will prevail between the Sunni of
Anak - largely of the Beni Khalid tribe - and their Shi'a
neighbors.

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NO PUBLIC CELEBRATIONS OR VIOLENCE IN AL-AHSA

--------------


5. (C) As has been the case in all previous religious
celebrations in al-Ahsa over the past years, there was no
public celebration of Arbaeen in the majority-Shi'a city.
Hasawi contacts report that the January 5 warning from
al-Ahsa regional Governor Badr bin Jiluwi to local Shaykhs
regarding the prohibition of public celebrations for Ashura
2008 was still "in effect" (Reftel A). The private
celebration of Arbaeen, taking place in homes and
husseiniyyas, continued without problem, and there were no
reports of violence or arrests in the al-Ahsa area. Contacts
expressed surprise and cautious optimism that there had still
been no religiously-motivated arrests in al-Ahsa by the SAG
since Ashura. With the commemorations for the death and
birth of Prophet Mohammad upcoming and having faced increased
local efforts to prevent Shi'a religious activities (Reftel
B),the Hasawi Shi'a are still worried that "the other shoe
will drop."


6. COMMENT: The events of Arbaeen 2008 are consistent with
Post's analysis of trends in the EP community. Qatif Shi'a
continue to receive more religious autonomy from the SAG, and
are experiencing more freedom in their religious lives. In
spite of this, there clearly remain many Saudis who regard
Shi'ism with deep suspicion, if not outright hostility. The
events of Anak village indicate that some might not be
willing to simply stand idly by while Shi'ism blossoms in
Qatif. Post will continue to monitor any further signs of
Sunni reaction to increasing freedom of Shi'a expression.
Meanwhile, al-Ahsa continues to experience stagnation or
regression in religious rights, depending on one's opinion.
And while recent weeks have seen a slight calm, leading
Hasawi Shi'a do not believe that this indicates the beginning
of any greater religious liberty in their area. END COMMENT.

(APPROVED: KINCANNON)
FRAKER