• Hundreds flee clashes in Saudi town
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[QUOTE]Hundreds of people have reportedly been fleeing a town in eastern Saudi Arabia after weeks of clashes between the security forces and armed men. The authorities have been trying since May to demolish the old quarter of Awamiya, saying Shia militants use its narrow streets as a hideout. Activists accuse security forces of trying to force out residents. It is the latest intensification of sporadic unrest in the Eastern Province, which is largely Shia. At least seven people, including two police officers, have been killed in the clashes, Reuters news agency said. Local activists say Saudi forces have been firing randomly towards homes and cars, and that buildings have been damaged or burned in the fighting. Some residents have appealed to the Saudi authorities to help them leave and families have been given accommodation in a nearby town, Saudi media reported. Shia residents of the region around the city of Qatif have long complained that they are marginalised and discriminated against by the Sunni monarchy. In May the UN criticised the Saudi attempt to demolish Awamiya's 400-year-old al-Masora quarter, home to between 2,000 and 3,000 people, saying it threatened historical and cultural heritage. The Saudi authorities had imposed power cuts on residents to try to make them leave, said the UN Special Rapporteur on housing, Leilani Farha. [/QUOTE] [url]http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-40800261[/url] [QUOTE]Hundreds of people have fled a town in Qatif governorate in eastern Saudi Arabia, where government forces are fighting Shia Muslim gunmen, activists and Saudi media reported on Tuesday. Fighting has intensified in recent days in Awamiya where authorities have been trying since May to tear down the old quarter to prevent fighters using the narrow streets to evade capture. Local activists said Saudi forces have facilitated the departure of people fleeing the clashes that have killed at least seven people, including two police officers. Dozens of families have been given temporary accommodation in a nearby town. Appeals for shelter for displaced families have appeared on social media and several people responded by opening their homes, while others offered to pay for temporary housing outside Awamiya. The government of Eastern Province has received requests from residents and farmers around Awamiya to help them flee clashes between security forces and what it calls armed "terrorists", al-Hayat newspaper reported. "Contracts have been signed for a number of furnished apartments in the city of Dammam to shelter those interested in leaving neighbourhoods near al-Musawara," al-Hayat quoted Falah al-Khalidi, governor of Qatif, as saying. Local activists accuse security forces of driving hundreds of residents out of Awamiya by firing randomly towards homes and cars as they confront armed men in the area, charges Saudi Arabia denies. They said several houses and shops have been burned or damaged by the fighting.[/QUOTE] [url]http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/08/hundreds-flee-clashes-saudi-security-operation-170801192118248.html[/url]
Considering the Saudi government has been trying to block Shia's from going to Mecca, I'm hardly surprised. It'd probably suck pretty hard to be a Shia in a Wahhabist state
I imagine stories like these will slowly become more common about Saudi arabia
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