Rare show of Islamic unity in Saudi Arabia By Mariam Al Hakeem, Correspondent http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/08/06/16/10221429.html
Qatif: In a rare gesture of unity and amity with their brothers in Islam, a delegation of Sunnis performed Juma prayers at one of the Shiite Mosques in the eastern city of Qatif, the only part of Saudi Arabia where Shiites are a majority. Observers see it as an unprecedented move to soothe the feelings of alienation among the Shiite minority in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The delegation, headed by Shaikh Mukhlef Bin Daham Al Shamri, were attentive to the Friday sermon delivered by the well-known Shiite Shaikh Hassan Al Safar, in which the preacher underscored the significance of strengthening Islamic and national unity and closing ranks among followers of Islam. "This is part of our duty to promote virtue and prevent vice," he noted. The new initiative on the part of Sunnis and Shiites to close their ranks received wide media coverage and some foreign media such as BBC also covered it extensively. Shaikh Al Shamri is one of the shaikhs of Shamr tribe, which spreads over a vast area in various regions of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries. In yet another gesture to express the significance of national unity, Shaikh Al Shamri and those accompanying him, covered their shoulders with the Saudi flags while they were praying at the mosque, according to witnesses. During the talks with the Shiite community, Shaikh Al Shamri proposed that a similar delegation of Shiites would come over to one of the Sunni mosques in Al Khobar next Friday. This move was regarded as a bold initiative from the part of the majority Sunnis to bury the hatchet and show their reciprocal respect to fellow members of the community. This also comes as part of repairing the damage caused by a statement issued two weeks ago by some 22 Sunni clerics blaming Shiites. In their statement, radical Sunni clerics accused Shiites of destabilising Muslim countries and humiliating Sunnis. However, the Saudi officials disclosed then that the clerics who issued the statement do not represent the official Saudi religious establishment, and their views do not reflect those adopted by the government.
