Saudi troubles

""Saudi Arabia is well known for its status as the world’s top exporter of crude oil and its strategic alliance with the United States. It is also one of the world’s most culturally and politically repressive countries. The rigid brand of ultraconservative Sunni Islam espoused by the Kingdom treats Shi’a Muslims as apostates and differing schools of Islam as heretical.  The Saudi clerical establishment regularly refers to Shi’a Muslims, for instance, with the pejorative label of rafidah (rejectionists). Estimated to represent approximately 10 to 15 % of Saudi Arabia’s population of around 28 million, the Shi’a minority is concentrated in Eastern Province, a region where the majority of the Kingdom’s oil reserves are located. The Eastern Province has been fertile ground for organized opposition to the Saudi monarchy extending back decades.  Despite the widely acknowledged social and economic problems endemic to Saudi society, the Kingdom continues to be seen as relatively immune to the political turbulence on display in other Arab countries.  This assessment is derived from Saudi Arabia’s strategic importance as an oil producer, which provides the Kingdom with the ability to ward off internal rebellion by doling out social services and other benefits as well as its alliance with the United States.  However, the recent events in Eastern Province indicate otherwise."" (thanks Jack)