Professor of chemical engineering at USC Muhammad Sahimi returns to the show to discuss the latest Saudi crackdown on the local Shia population. Sahimi explains how Wahhabi clerics have ratcheted up tensions and violence against Saudi Shiites who face continual oppression from the Saudi government. Saudi hostility toward Shia in the region often receives attention, but now it’s time to pay more attention to how they treat their own people, Sahimi says, which includes mass torture and execution of dissidents. Sahimi explains that the reason we don’t hear about Saudi atrocities in the United States is because the Saudis are protected by the establishment in the United States and believes that the Saudis are exploiting its alliance with the U.S. and its fear of Iran to lobby the U.S. to fight Shias in the Middle East.

Muhammad Sahimi is the NIOC Chair in petroleum engineering at the University of Southern California and a contributor at Antiwar.com and the Huffington Post.

Discussed on the show:

• Shia Islam in Saudi Arabia
• Wahhabism
• Nimr Baqir al-Nimr
• “Saudi Arabia executes 47 people in one day including Shia cleric” (The Guardian)
• “Saudi Arabia: Death penalty used as political weapon against Shi’a as executions spike across country” (Amnesty International)
• “Saudi Arabia: Treat Shia Equally” (Human Rights Watch)
• “When Beheading Won’t Do the Job, the Saudis Resort to Crucifixion” (The Atlantic)
• Sophie Scholl
• Mohammad bin Salman
• “Saudi Arabia’s mounting security challenges” (Al Monitor)
• “Saudi Arabia: 14 Protesters Facing Execution After Unfair Trials” (Human Rights Watch)
• “After Decisive Reelection, Rouhani Pushes More Diplomacy With the West” (Antiwar.com)
• “The Proxy Battle for Bahrain” (New York Times)
• Al-Awamiyah
• Rafah Border Crossing (Egypt)
• “The Shia are in power in Iraq – but not in control,” by Patrick Cockburn (The Independent)
• Saudi King: “U.S. policy had now given Iraq to Iran as a ‘gift on a golden platter.'” (WikiLeaks)
• Prince Saud al-Faisal
• “The toxic rivalry of Saudi Arabia and Isis” (Financial Times)
• “Iran Warned Houthis Against Yemen Takeover” (Huffington Post)
• “Iran outflanking Saudi Arabia in Yemen” (Al Monitor)
• “Saudi Arabia urges US attack on Iran to stop nuclear programme” (The Guardian)
• “Sharon Says U.S. Should Also Disarm Iran, Libya and Syria” (Haaretz)
• “David Ignatius’ 15 Years of Running Spin for Saudi Regime,” by Adam Johnson (FAIR.org)”
• Emails Expose How Saudi Arabia and UAE Work the U.S. Media to Push for War,” by Ben Norton (Alternet)
• “Germany Rebukes Its Own Intelligence Agency for Criticizing Saudi Policy” (New York Times)
• “Prince Mohammed bin Salman: Naive, arrogant Saudi prince is playing with fire,” by Patrick Cockburn (The Independent)
• Operation Decisive Storm

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