- Saudi Arabia is printing 1.5 million copies of an edict by religious scholars outlawing protests in the conservative kingdom as un-Islamic, the state news agency said on Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter and major U.S. ally, is an absolute monarchy that does not tolerate any form of public dissent.
It managed to stifle an attempt to stage a mass protest on March 11 with a large security presence on the streets.
Religious scholars issued their fatwa, or religious edict, and senior princes issued warnings in advance.
"The Grand Mufti requested that a number of government and private firms print and distribute more than a million copies," SPA said, adding that 500,000 copies already had been printed.
SPA said the fatwa "called for strengthening cohesion and affinity" and called on the Saudi people to "have a united front... under its wise and legitimate leadership, warning (against) and forbidding demonstrations."
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/saudi-prints-1-5-million-copies-anti-demo-20110329-041823-710.html
Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter and major U.S. ally, is an absolute monarchy that does not tolerate any form of public dissent.
It managed to stifle an attempt to stage a mass protest on March 11 with a large security presence on the streets.
Religious scholars issued their fatwa, or religious edict, and senior princes issued warnings in advance.
"The Grand Mufti requested that a number of government and private firms print and distribute more than a million copies," SPA said, adding that 500,000 copies already had been printed.
SPA said the fatwa "called for strengthening cohesion and affinity" and called on the Saudi people to "have a united front... under its wise and legitimate leadership, warning (against) and forbidding demonstrations."
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/saudi-prints-1-5-million-copies-anti-demo-20110329-041823-710.html
