Analyst: Riyadh waging war on Saudi Arabia’s Shia minority

An American university lecturer says Saudi Arabia is waging a war on the country’s Shia minority, slaughtering members of the community instead of engaging in dialog with them, media reports.

An American university lecturer says Saudi Arabia is waging a war on the country’s Shia minority, slaughtering members of the community instead of engaging in dialog with them, media reports.

“The Saudis are essentially waging war on the minority citizenry and this is not unique to the Saudis at this present time,” Lawrence Davidson, a professor at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, said in an interview on Friday.

Since February 2011, Saudi Arabia has stepped up security measures in the Shia-dominated Eastern Province, which has been rocked by anti-regime demonstrations, with protesters demanding free speech, the release of political prisoners, and an end to economic and religious discrimination.