Perspective: Saudi Arabia casts wary eye on its Shi'ites

Although Shi'ites are allowed to journey to Mecca on the annual pilgrimage, there is only one Shi'ite mosque allowed in all of Saudi Arabia.

AL HUFUF, SAUDI ARABIA - Sadek al-Jubran says he's all too familiar with fatwas that declare him an infidel.

As a member of a religious minority in a country without religious freedom, Mr. Jubran grew up with discrimination. It's something Shiites like him have regularly faced in this conservative Sunni-ruled kingdom – in the streets and at school, in courtrooms and at the office.

Over the past decade, however, Shiites have managed to gain a larger stake in Saudi Arabian society. They've seen incremental reforms, getting elected to local councils and being allowed to observe religious holidays openly.

But now, many worry that their steady progress is being checked. With a Sunni-Shiite cold war descending on the region, Saudi Arabia appears to be hardening its sectarian battle lines. That, experts say, could mean that it once again will regard its Shiite minority, mainly clustered in eastern oases like this one, solely as enemies of the state.

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