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Kuwait Bans Sectarian Demonstrations As Sunni-Shiite Tensions Increase

By Howard M. Friedman

Zawaya reports today that in Kuwait, the Ministry of Interior has placed a total ban on "sectarian" gatherings as tensions between Shiites and Sunnis in the country increase. The move comes after Shiite activist Yasser Al-Habeeb, who in 2004 fled Kuwait to London to avoid re-imprisonment, disparaged the Prophet Muhammed's wife Aisha by holding a ceremony in London to celebrate her death anniversary. Al-Habeeb's original arrest in 2003 grew out of an audiotape recording of a lecture in which he advanced the Shiite belief that Muhammad's wife along with several others were involved in the assassination of the Prophet. (Wikipedia). Several Sunni groups in Kuwait had planned to hold demonstrations in support of Aisha. However the demonstrations were called off to give the government time to take legal action against Habeeb, including revoking of his Kuwaiti citizenship.

Full post as published by Religion Clause on September 20, 2010 (boomark / email).