Official US report monitors the suffering of Shias in Saudi Arabia

An official US report on religious freedoms revealed the affliction suffered by Shias in Saudi Arabia, and while confirming that they are facing difficulties in accessing work and education opportunities, it pointed to

An official US report on religious freedoms revealed the affliction suffered by Shias in Saudi Arabia, and while confirming that they are facing difficulties in accessing work and education opportunities, it pointed to the authorities restricting them in supplication and prayer.

“The Shia Muslims in Saudi Arabia still face discrimination in education and work, and they face difficulty in accessing educational and employment opportunities and advanced positions in the political and military institutions,” the US State Department’s Committee on International Religious Freedom said in its annual report.

It added, “The Saudi authorities often prohibit the Shia prayers in the predominantly Shia eastern areas,” noting that “the authorities arrest and imprison Shia Muslims on charges of organizing religious gatherings in private homes without permits and reading religious material in Husseiniyat.”

On the other hand, the report indicated that “Saudi Arabia used terrible violence against women, such as Lujain al-Hathloul.”