Saudi regime detains prominent religious scholar

Saudi Arabia has arrested a senior religious scholar as the kingdom continues to impose more restrictions on religious activities of people in its oil-rich east.

Reports on Tuesday suggested that Saudi authorities had arrested Sheikh Mohammad Hassan al-Habib, a prominent cleric in the Safavi region in Qatif.

Locals said Habib, along with three of his companions, were arrested on Saturday and were reportedly transferred to a security facility in the capital, Riyadh, for questioning.

Habib's family said they have yet to receive any information about the fate of the cleric and the whereabouts he is being held in.

Habib is known in Qatif, a hub of anti-regime protests in Saudi Arabia in 2012, for his vocal criticism of the government and its policies toward the Shia Muslims.

The cleric intensified its anti-regime rhetoric earlier this year when Riyadh executed Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr along with a number of activists in the region.

The execution sparked outrage in the Middle East and across the world, with many condemning the move as a sign of Saudi Arabia’s lack of tolerance for dissent.

SS