It was too early for the residents of Rumaila town, Al-Ahsa to rejoice the release of two of its prisoners, Aoun Taher Al-Hashim and Hashim Nasser AL-Ali, last week when the criminal investigation unit arrested on Friday both Sheikh Ali al-Khalifa - 40 years - and Murtada Hussain AL-Harby - 18 years - from the same town due to their participation in religious events held recently.
Saudi authorities have launched a wave of sectarian arrests that swept several cities and towns in AL-Ahsa area, located east of the Kingdom, and is expected to continue in the coming weeks as sources informed ShiaPrisoners.Org .
Charges against the detainees vary from participating in religious events without a license to possession of books dealing with the Shia doctrine.
While many Shia citizens were afraid of the regional political instability reflection on their relationship with the state and the ruling family, some observers believe that the royal family is using Shia as a bargaining card to approach the radical Wahhabi wing.
This contributes to increased sectarian tension among the Saudi population, one political analyst stated.
