Saudi Arabia eliminating opposition figures through terrorism charge: Pundit

Press TV has conducted an interview with Jahangir Mohammad, the director of Center for Muslims’ Affairs from Manchester, to ask his take on the execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr by the Saudi regime.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: I like to pick up on a point that was made by the Iraqi lawmakers saying that the execution of Sheikh Nimr was intended to fuel Shia-Sunni strife. Is that how it is going to play out?

Mohammad: Well, first of all they probably did not intend that but it will play out. Let’s not forget that the Saudi regime has been executing political opponents, Sunni ones as well as recently Shia ones for a long time. But given the timing, I think what we are seeing is at least polarization between Sunni and Shia communities where people do not see things for what is right or what is wrong. They take sides on the basis of which community they belong to.

So, a large segment of the Sunni community that supports Saudi Arabia will see this as an act of terrorism and the Saudis were legitimate whereas the Shia community will see this clearly as an example of somebody who is fighting for rights and a political dissident being executed and this is unfortunate because the way we have to see this is these are unrepresentative regimes in the Middle East who are declaring all their political opponents as terrorists and using that charge to kill people. We have seen it in Egypt and we have seen Saudi Arabia and Egypt declare the Muslim Brotherhood a main political opposition group in the large parts of the Middle East as a terrorist organization.

So, the charge of terrorism and the killing of political opponents we should not see this as a Sunni-Shia divide but as a reaction of unrepresentative despotic regimes and rulers in the area who want to eliminate any probable opposition through the charge of terrorism and they take people’s lives by doing so which is a terrible crime and we need to find a way of stopping this and …

Press TV: Indeed as you just said Saudi Arabia has been executing both Shia and Sunni critics of its policies. However, at times like this one looks at the Muslim world’s leadership for the path to take us as far as condemning or taking sides, etc. Iran has also called on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to show reaction. Will that be sort of a path to emulate or do you think this organization is going to fail in the Muslim world?

Mohammad:  Well, definitely we need to see the signs of that leadership. This is the time for the reputable leaders of the Muslim world to say quite clearly that this is not a Sunni-Shia divide. What is happening in the Middle East is a process and demands for political change for rights and they need to accommodate it and support it and those that repressed them and those regimes who benefit from sectarianism and stoke sectarianism because it protects the regimes and diverts attention away from legitimate demands for reforms in those countries are the real enemies of the people in that region.