SHAFAQNA – Following the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr on January 2, 2016, the Grand Ayatollah Sistani issued a statement in which he condemned the death of the prominent cleric.
A man of peace, for whom justice and freedom remained important principles, Sheikh al-Nimr was the voice of a people, the banner behind which the oppressed of Saudi Arabia came to rally.
Before Muslims’ outcries of despair, the Grand Ayatollah Sistani offered words of peace and guidance, calling for all to stand in the light of Ahlulbayt by exercising patience before oppression.
In his message to the people of Qatif (eastern province of Saudi Arabia), the Grand Ayatollah Sistani condemned the execution of Sheikh Nimr.
The statement of the Grand Ayatollah Sistani reads: “With great sadness and sorrow we heard the news of the martyrdom of believing brothers including the late Sheikh Nimr in Qatif in Arabia, whose pure blood was spilled through oppression and aggression. So we severely condemn this act and express our condolences to all the believers, especially the families of the martyrs and we sympathize with them. We pray to the Almighty God to grant them peace and mercy, as well as placing them with Divine saints and we ask for their families to be granted patience and peace.”
