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Iraqi Strife Seeping into Saudi Kingdom
(Los Angeles Times) Megan K. Stack - The conflict in Iraq has begun to spill over onto Saudi Arabia, breathing new life into the ancient rivalry between the country's powerful Sunni Muslim majority and the long-oppressed Shiite minority in one of the most oil-rich areas of the world. "Saudi Sunnis are defending Iraqi Sunnis, and Saudi Shiites are defending Iraqi Shiites," said Hassan Saffar, Saudi Arabia's most influential Shiite cleric. Many Saudi Shiites felt a surge of quiet hope when the U.S. arrived in Iraq three years ago. Emboldened by their Iraqi brethren's escape from the oppressive rule of Saddam Hussein, Saudi Shiites began to demand - and win - freedoms of their own. But today, Shiites are being accused of harboring links to Iran, a longtime nemesis of the Saudi government.