The Arrest of Shiite Cleric Nimr Al-Nirm - Essay Example

Analysis The cleric has always been critical of the government. In fact in 2009 he had called for the secession of the Eastern province. As things stand now Nimr’s role has been elevated from a mere regional cleric to the main focal point of the many disgruntled Shiite youths. The matter is complicated further by the fact that he resides in the town of Awamiya which is a hotbed of radicalism and is rife with weapons (Matthiesen, 2). There has been some information that the rise and prominence of the cleric had been instigated, boosted and funded by elements within the ruling family itself.

It is believed that Nimr has been covertly encouraged and even financed by the hardliners in the royal family in order to scuttle the attempt by the king to reach out to the Shiite through the interfaith dialogue that he had initiated. Hardliners in the inner circle like Prince Naif bin Abdullazziz. The Interior Minister did not want to see this peace initiative succeed (Press TV, 1). The part that raised questions is the timing of the arrest. It is more than two years now since he started his so called campaign against the ruling family.

Protests that had been taking place in the Eastern province had all but died down. Much of the mass actions in terms of demonstrations had fizzled out. In fact, there had been no significant protests in the region since November 2011.The protests had largely lost steam and the region was relatively calm. So it is difficult to comprehend the decision to arrest the cleric now.