Human rights society: Saudi security quelled pro-Gaza rally, arrest Sheikh Awas Al-Qarni

RIYADH, (PIC)-- The Saudi security forces have arrested two Saudi citizens attempted to organize a pro-Gaza rally in the Saudi capital Riyadh, the AFP quoted member of the Saudi "human rights first" society as saying.

The source, who asked for anonymity, identified the two arrested activists as Khaled Al-Omair, and Mohammed Al-Otaibi, adding that the Saudi security forces quelled a pro-Gaza rally in the Saudi city of Al-Qateef, east of the oil-rich kingdom, using rubber-coated bullets, and arrested tens of the protesters. 

The AFP also quoted the source as asserting that the Saudi security forces rounded up the prominent Saudi scholar Sheikh Awad Al-Qarni, who earlier issued a Fatwa (religious edict) calling for targeting Zionist interests everywhere in retaliation to the ongoing brutal IOF troops aggression on the Gaza Strip that reaped around 430 Palestinian lives, and wounded more than 2200 others so far.

Moreover, the sources revealed that Saudi activists have cancelled a pro-Gaza rally they were planning to hold after Saudi interior ministry warned them not to do so.

A number of prominent Saudi religious scholars issued a statement legitimizing the Palestinian resistance, and urging Arab and Muslim countries to help the Palestinian resistance without hesitation.

According to local observers, the official Saudi stand was considered as "indifferent" to the IOF troops' killing of hundreds of innocent Palestinian citizens in Gaza Strip.

Sheikh Naser Al-Omar, one of the famous scholars in the kingdom, had earlier condemned a number of Arab satellite TV channels and media outlets for turning their back to the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza, describing them as "Hebrew channels" alluding to Saudi owned Al-Arabia TV channels and other Saudi government TV channels.

02-01-2008