2 min readDubaiMar 8, 2011 06:20 PM IST
First published on: Mar 8, 2011 at 06:20 PM IST
As mass uprisings erupt in its neighbourhood,Saudi Arabia on Tuesday announced that it will not allow any demonstrations in the kingdom and ordered its security forces to clamp down on any dissent.
The kingdom banned all demonstrations saying they contradicted Islamic laws and society values,according to a statement issued by the Interior Ministry.
The new clampdown came a day after about 100 members of the Shia minority staged a protest in the western region of the kingdom.
“Security forces are authorised to act against anyone violating the ban,” the statement said.
The restrictions come as a group of influential intellectuals urged King Abdullah to adopt far-reaching political and social reforms.
They said the country’s rulers should take a lesson from the uprisings in Tunisia,Egypt and Libya and listen to the voice of disillusioned young people.
The group included renowned Islamic scholars,a poet and a former diplomat.
Like Egypt and Tunisia,social networking site Facebook has a page calling for a “March 11 revolution in Saudi Arabia.
The message posted on Facebook calls for the ousting of “regime of al-Saud clan.”
Meanwhile,the Organisation of the Islamic Conference OIC has backed the call to the UN to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya.
An emergency meeting of the 57 member OIC said,”We join our voice in the voices asking for no-fly zone over Libya and we call on the Security Council to do its duty in this regard.”
The statement was issued by the Secretary General of the OIC.
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