HIJAZIS COMMENT ON RECENT MEDINA CLASHES AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JEDDAH 000085 SIPDIS FOR NEA/ARP, IRF, DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/02/2014 TAGS: KIRF KISL PGOV PHUM SA SUBJECT: HIJAZIS COMMENT ON RECENT MEDINA CLASHES AND DEMONSTRATIONS REF: A. RIYADH346 ¶B. 08JEDDAH415 JEDDAH 00000085 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Consul General Martin Quinn for reasons 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Post met with Hijazi Shi'a to get their views of recent demonstrations in Medina following clashes after Shi'a pilgrims were not allowed to enter Baqi'a cemetery on February 20. Poloffs also spoke to a local Sunni contact with ties to Medina who claims the situation has been blown out of proportion. From review of video footage capturing scenes of the initial clash and subsequent demonstrations, it is unclear if pilgrims were denied access because of sectarian bias or merely turned away because the cemetery was closed for the day. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) Jeddah poloffs met February 25 with members of the Hijazi Shi'a community, a Sheikh, Mohammad A., and an airline pilot, Captain Abdulaziz. The two have provided strong views to the consulate before on the challenges that Shi'a face in the Kingdom (ref A) and offered thoughts on the recent demonstrations in Medina after an apparent attempt by Shi'a worshippers to enter the Baqi'a cemetery after hours (ref B). SHI'A FRUSTRATION AND ANXIETY -------------- ¶3. (C) According to Mohammad and Abdulaziz, the Shi'a in Medina, including Sheikh Fahed Abu Al-Asary, met with the Medina Governor after the initial incident to discuss the crisis and to insure that pilgrims returning to the East via the Qassim route would not be harassed. Both claim that police continued to harass pilgrims by searching buses and removing any injured Shi'a and further stated that police had been waiting for the injured to leave hospitals before taking them immediately into custody (an apparent move to discourage witnesses from talking). Additionally, the two note that at least one demonstrator was killed and others were injured in Medina and expect that clashes will continue. Both felt strongly that the local media is not adequately covering the situation, probably operating under an Interior Ministry ban, and were frustrated that there was no outlet to the foreign press. (The chief editor of Al Watan Arabic daily remarked to CG that his paper's "toned down" coverage of Medina events is, in fact, the result of what he regards as "considerations of National Unity.") Mohammad and Abdulaziz solicited support from the consulate and alluded to continuing fear for their own safety from the Mutawwa (religious police) and even the national police. Providing contact information for well-placed Shi'a in the Eastern Province and in Medina, they offered to set up meetings and telcons with Shi'a in the now. SUNNI VIEW: INCIDENT BLOWN OUT OF PROPORTIN -------------- ¶4. (C) Adel Abdu, a longterm, trusted consulate cntact and a Sunni originally from Medina, strongl believes that the incident has been blown out o proportion by the media. He asserted that he matter has little to do with the fact that the individuals trying to enter the Baqi'a cemetery were Shi'a. Abdu argues instead that incidents such as these happen due to the large numbers of pilgrims who visit the cemetery and the difficulty of crowd control in such situations. He said there was no evidence of any continued demonstrations during the past week he spent in Medina. ¶5. (C) Providing practical information, Abdu noted that the cemetery is open every day between Maghrib and Aisha prayers for all to come and pray. He described the cemetery as a holy place for both Shi'a and Sunni("My father and grandfather are buried there.") and portrayed the Shi'a rituals at the cemetery as unusual, even abhorrent to Sunni sensibilities: "Some want to kiss the grave and this is not allowed in our religion. I think the Shi'a do this. They hit themselves and do very strange things." Abdu says the crush of worshippers wishing to visit the cemetery makes it impossible simply to open and close the doors on a whim: "People will never leave, people will sleep there!" IMAGES FROM VIDEOS -------------- ¶6. (C) Poloffs reviewed a small clip of the initial incident which shows Shi'a women screaming and throwing shoes; due to the length and poor quality of the video not much else can be seen. Videos from Friday, February 20, show small to medium size crowds of Shi'a men protesting outside JEDDAH 00000085 002.2 OF 002 the Baqi'a cemetery. The crowd can be heard chanting: "With spirit, with blood, we die for you, oh Hussein!" Several videos taken on Monday, February 23, show a much larger crowd of Shi'a men gathered in Medina screaming and pumping their fists in protest. Several Shi'a blogs claim that the Mutawwa prevented pilgrims from visiting the cemetery because they believed they were committing the sin of heresy. According to one blogger, some demonstrators threw rocks and shoes, and in response Saudi security forces forcibly dispersed them with tear gas and water cannon. ¶7. (C) COMMENT: It remains uncertain what truly sparked the round of clashes and demonstrations involving the Shi'a in Medina. Reports indicate Shi'a pilgrims attempted to enter the cemetery at a time when it was officially closed. It is not clear that they were excluded owing solely to sectarian bias. Similarly, it is possible that the religious police in Medina were trying to antagonize the Shi'a, and also conceivable that the Shi'a were looking for an excuse to launch a round of political protest. Given the precarious state of Sunni/Shi'a relations in Saudi Arabia, the fact a venerated cemetery was at least temporarily closed to Shi'a pilgrims was enough to spark demonstrations in Medina and unrest in the Eastern Province that has yet to play itself out. END COMMENT. QUINN