The fear of unrest in Saudi Arabia and
the intensifying civil war in Libya has raised concern throughout the
world over oil prices. If Saudi Arabia, a key ally of the United States
and an oil giant plunges into chaos, there are fears the price of crude
oil which currently stands at US$120 a barrel may exceed US$200 in the
world market.
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| A protest march in Saudi Arabia |
The soaring oil prices will hit hard on
the Maldives economy sending prices of consumer items sky rocketing and
perhaps causing a near collapse of law and order in the country.
Last week, the demonstrators have taken
to the streets of Qatif, Awamiya and Hofuf in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern
Province calling for an end to the despotic rule of the Al-Saud royal
dynasty and the release of all political prisoners in the country. Even
before the protests erupted in the oil rich Eastern half of the country,
the Saudi king Abdullah had announced benefits worth up to US$37
billion to Saudi citizens to prevent an uprising against his tyrannical
rule.
Over 25,000 people have already backed a call on Facebook,
the social networking website to hold two demonstrations in the kingdom
this month. The first of the two mass demonstrations scheduled to take
place on next Friday (11 March 2011). The anti-government protesters are
planning a ‘Day of Rage’ on that day and the repressive Saudi regime
has mobilised 10,000 troops to quell any dissent.
In the meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s council
of senior religious scholars has issued a fatwa forbidding public
protests and petitions calling for reforms in the desert kingdom.
“Reform and advice should not be via
demonstrations and ways that provoke strife and division, this is what
the religious scholars of this country in the past and now have
forbidden and warned against,” the statement released by 10 member
council of paid preachers said.
The Al-Saud has long used their
petro-dollars to bribe religious scholars in the kingdom and those
around the world to remain silent over their irreligious practices.
There has been widespread speculation in the Maldives that many of the
so called ‘undercover or silent’ scholars in this country remain hooked
on to Saudi government money in the form of monthly allowances.
Eye witnesses have confirmed that in the
capital of Riyadh hundreds of men gathered at one of the city’s main
mosques to raise slogans denouncing the monarchy and the long tradition
of oppression in the kingdom. Concerning the recent events, the Saudi
government is trying to give the impression that the unrest in the
country is solely the work of the Shia minority against its Sunni rulers.
If 88 year old king Abdullah of Saudi
Arabia decides to use maximum violence against demonstrators that will
be the beginning of his downfall and the US President Barack Obama, his
master in Washington is likely to ditch him in the same manner as they
did to Ben Ali, Hosni Mubarak and Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi.
Like Libya, Saudi Arabia has all the
potential for a civil war – tribal rivalry, decades of despotic rule,
oil (black gold) and corruption.
In addition to all these,
anti-government groups might try to take control of two of Islam’s
holiest sites in the cities of Mecca and Medina to justify their rule
over the country.
One of the worst nightmares for
Maldivians and Muslims around the world is the brewing unrest in Saudi
Arabia causing any travel disruptions or ban on hajj or umrah pilgrims.
………………………………………Written by: Ibrahim Nazim
10 March 2011, Thursday
5 Raby`al-THaany 1432
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