Muslims in the Northern Indian City of Lucknow called for India to cut ties with Saudi Arabia, accusing the Middle Eastern country of spreading extremism and militancy throughout the world.
On Monday, July 3, protesters filled the streets holding signs and banners, raising slogans, and denouncing countries such as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Afghanistan for propagating extremism and discriminating against Shiite Muslims.
The city of Lucknow is considered to be the center of Shiite Islam in India, with the highest population of Shiite Muslims in the country.
Last month, Iran blamed Saudi Arabia for attacks on its Parliament and Ayatollah Khomeini’s mausoleum that left 13 people dead, which may give some weight to the protesters’ accusations.
This was the first such attack claimed by the ISIS in Iran, which is predominantly Shiite Muslim. Iran has been one of the leading countries in the fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
Also, while not widely reported, information from leaked sources, such as Hillary Clinton’s private emails from 2009, reveal that U.S. intelligence has found Saudi Arabia providing clandestine financial and logistical support for terror groups such as al-Qaeda and ISIS.
Although there may be some legitimacy to the protesters’ mission, the Indian government is unlikely to listen. Since former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Saudi Arabia in 2010 with his wife, bilateral relations between the two countries have only grown, and the relationship has been profitable for both countries.
Shiite Muslims have long complained of discrimination in Saudi Arabia where the Wahhabi Sunni School of Sunni Islam is the state religion, endorsed by the monarchy. The Wahhabi sect of Sunni Islam regards Shiite Muslim beliefs as heretical, and vice versa.
