Executing Saudi Cleric Will Outrage Shiites

A senior parliamentarian has said if Saudi Arabia carries out the death sentence for prominent Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, it will “ignite a fire” in the region which will “engulf” the ruling group in the Arab kingdom.  Such a mistake would prove costly for Saudi government officials, Mansour Haqiqatpour, member of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, told the Fars news agency on Sunday. The execution of the cleric would outrage Shiites in Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and Bahrain, he said.  The lawmaker also called on the foreign ministry to pressure the Saudi government to reverse the decision.