THE Kingdom's Civil Affairs system does not differentiate between citizens. It does not classify them as first class, second class or third class nationals as is the situation in Iran where Persians come first, followed by Baluchis and then Arabs. In the Kingdom, all citizens are equal as long as they are Saudi. They enjoy the same rights and duties without any consideration for where they live geographically, or their religious or ideological differences. The Sunni and the Shiite citizens are equal before the law as long as they possess Saudi ID cards. When a Saudi goes to a government department, they are not questioned regarding their religious sect, creed or thoughts. Officials will simply ask them to show their ID cards or Civil Affairs' numbers. The same thing happens at police checkpoints. No policeman will obstruct a citizen as long as he is carrying the correct identity documents. Shiite citizens enjoy the same civil rights as Sunnis. No consideration is given to the fact that Sunnis form the majority whereas Shiites form the minority. Sunnis and Shiites are all brothers in terms of citizenship. Has any Shiite ever been prevented from the right to education, healthcare or public sector employment? Has any Shiite ever been denied a Real Estate Development Fund loan? The government gives all citizens the same rights on an equal footing. If there are any shortcomings in services, then they equally apply to all Saudis. Let the Shiites who claim they are being oppressed or persecuted come out into the open with a single case to prove their claims instead of making idle accusations that have no credibility whatsoever. Taking these facts into consideration, all citizens should exert the same efforts in serving the Kingdom. They should work together to serve the Kingdom with dedication and loyalty. Any Shiite citizen living in this land is a legitimate son or daughter of this country. The government treats all of its citizens as equals unless one of them deviates from the right path or crosses a red line. This is not just in the Kingdom, but takes place in all countries. The red lines not to be crossed by any citizen, regardless of his religious sect, revolve around issues of religion, security and authority of the state. In matters of security, the government does not differentiate between its subjects. It does not favor anyone over the other. Since terrorism first struck the Kingdom a few years ago, terrorists have been closely monitored. Anyone proved to be a terrorist faces a heavy sentence and a huge number of such individuals were actually Sunni. There are extremists in both sects but you cannot condemn one because of a few terrorists. There are rational people in each sect propagating peaceful coexistence. I was deeply impressed by what Sheikh Abdullah Bin Manie, a moderate Sunni Muslim, told the Saudi Shiites. “We are brothers in citizenship of the same country. We all worship the same God. I appeal to you to join hands with your Sunni brothers in defending our homeland,” he said. The sentencing of some Shiite citizens for certain violations should not drive the other followers of this sect to spread sedition or agitation on the streets of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Shiites should not be misled into believing that they are oppressed or persecuted. We are all equal before the law unless we violate the system. Sensible Shiite parents should educate their children to be loyal citizens and keep away from demonstrations that will only serve foreign agenda.
