The Shi‘is of Saudi Arabia

The Shi’is of Saudi Arabia offers a comprehensive overview of the evolution of Shi’i opposition in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, from the Iranian Revolution in 1979 to the ascension of Abdullah to the throne in 2005.Fouad Ibrahim examines the Reform Movement, which replaced the Islamic Revolution Organization following the Shi’i uprisings in al-Hasa and Qatif. Since its initiation, the Movement has campaigned for an Islamic state similar to the Iranian model. It became more moderate in the early nineties, when it began advocating democracy, human rights and civil society. It also succeeded in bringing issues of political and individual liberty in Saudi Arabia to the attention of human rights organizations, Western governments and political...