Saudi Arabia prides itself on stability in a wider Middle East torn apart by conflict and strife, but Awamiya—on the kingdom’s oil-rich east coast—has a longstanding reputation of resistance to Sunni rule
Unrest in Awamiya
Awamiya, a town of around 25,000 people, has seen bouts of unrest since 2011 when protesters emboldened by the Arab Spring uprisings called for an end to perceived discrimination of Shia minorities. Saudi Arabia’s Shia community makes up an estimated 10 to 15 per cent of the country’s population of 32 million
Awamiya was also home to Nimr al-Nimr, a fiery Shia cleric and government critic who was executed last year on terrorism charges, sparking widespread outrage and leading to renewed tensions with regional rival Iran
Attack against Shias?
The latest wave of violence erupted when authorities began tearing down the neighbourhood of Musawara, a walled area dating back to the Ottoman Empire, saying its labyrinthine streets and maze-like structures had become a breeding ground for “terrorists”, according to AFP. Militants clashed with government forces, bringing death and destruction on a scale that evoked comparisons to a war zone. In August, the government announced the end of a three-month campaign to flush out gunmen from Musawara
Villas after battle
The government, meanwhile, is pressing ahead with the multi-million-dollar plan to redevelop the area. The town’s mayor brushed aside criticism from the UN that the destruction would erase the neighbourhood’s “unique regional heritage”, saying that efforts were in place to maintain the ancient structures