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Summary Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry said that demonstrations would not be tolerated following a protest by about 100 members of the Shiite minority in the eastern region of the kingdom.
The Saudi Interior Ministry, in a statement on Saturday, said the kingdom has banned all demonstrations because they contradicted Islamic laws and societys values. The ministry said that some people had tried to go around the law to achieve illegitimate aims, and it warned that security forces were authorized to act against violators.The demonstration came after Friday prayers in the town of al-Hufouf when the Shiites demanded the release of detainees, including a Shiite cleric who was arrested last week for calling for a constitutional monarchy.Meanwhile, Omans ruler replaced three top government positions on Saturday in an attempt to quell more than a week of widening demonstrations calling for jobs and political reforms that in the latest burst spread to a key oil region. Oman, ruled by a powerful family dynasty, is the latest Arab nation to be swept up in a wave of turmoil that has already brought down two leaders and threatened the rule of others.Sultan Qaboos bin Said ordered the second top-level shake-up in a week Saturday in the tightly controlled Arabian peninsula nation. He dumped the head of the Palace Office, which oversees security affairs, and replaced the minister who holds the most senior adviser post. He also replaced another minister who deals with internal matters within the ruling structure.Last week, the sultan replaced six other Cabinet ministers. He later promised 50,000 new civil service jobs and offered a monthly stipend of 150 rials ($390) for job seekers.
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