Rally Shooting Precedes Planned Protests Friday Throughout Kingdom
by SARAH EL DEEB, Associated Press
Posted: 1:36 pm EST March 10, 2011Updated: 5:07 pm EST March 10, 2011
CAIRO -- Saudi police opened fire Thursday to disperse a protest in the section where minority Shiites live, leaving at least one man injured, as the government toughened its efforts to prevent a wave of unrest sweeping the Arab world from reaching the kingdom. The rare violence raised concern about a crackdown ahead of planned protests after Friday prayers in different cities throughout the oil-rich kingdom. Violence there could reverberate through the world's markets because of the importance of Saudi oil exports. Discord is common between authorities and the country's Shiites, who make up 10 percent of the kingdom's 23 million citizens. They have long complained of discrimination, saying they are barred from key positions in the military and government and are not given an equal share of the country's wealth. Eyeing rising discontent across the Middle East and North Africa, Saudi authorities are increasingly determined to prevent the unrest from spreading to other cities. Saudi security forces have deployed around the capital of Riyadh on the eve of planned protests calling for democratic reforms.
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