Members of Toronto’s Muslim community held a rally downtown on Sunday to condemn the execution of a Shiite cleric in Saudi Arabia.
On Saturday, Saudi Arabia announced the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others, including other Shiite opponents to the county’s Sunni regime and several alleged al Qaeda militants.
“We condemned and invite all people of conscience to join hands on the tragic loss of Ayatollah Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a world–renowned grand Muslim cleric, advocated for equality and democratic elections within Saudi Arabia,” the Muslim Society of Ottawa said in a release. The group also helped organize the rally in Toronto with Canadians Against Injustice.
Dozens of protesters gathered outside the U.S. Consulate at 360 University Ave., chanting and carrying signs with quotes from al-Nimr.
The group is also set to hold a similar protest in Ottawa on Wednesday.
A petition calling on groups such as Amnesty International to respond to the deaths has started online.
News of the cleric’s death quickly spread across social media using the hashtag #IamNimr.
“After years of imprisonment and torture, Saudi Arabia executed top Shi'a cleric Sheikh Nimr in Saudi Arabia. Sheikh Nimr was executed simply because he spoke out. He spoke for the freedom of the minorities in Saudi Arabia and denounced the oppression and human rights violations against them,” the Muslim Society of Ottawa said.
The society said al-Nimr will be remembered as a promoter of unity and peace.
“Sheikh Nimr was brave enough to vocally stand against one of the most authoritarian states on the planet, not only that, but also put aside all ascribed tensions and rivalries between sects.”
The cleric’s death has sparked outrage from both government groups and civilians around the world.
On Sunday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei spoke out against the execution in a statement on his website, saying al-Nimr "neither invited people to take up arms nor hatched covert plots." He also promised “divine revenge” over the cleric’s death.
Iran’s president and several other political figures made similar comments about al-Nimr’s death.
Later in the day, Saudi Arabia responded by announcing it will cut diplomatic ties with Iran.
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said representatives of the Iranian government had 48 hours to leave Saudi Arabia.
All Saudi diplomats in Iran have also been ordered to return home.
York University political science professor Saeed Rahnema said it is unlikely that the cleric’s death will have a dramatic impact on the already tense relationship between Iran and Saudi Arabia in the long term, calling Khamenei’s warning “pure rhetoric.”
“It is going to worsen the relationship…between Iran and Saudi Arabia,” Rahnema said. He added that the two governments will likely be forced to negotiate because of their costly involvements in other conflicts in the region, and because of the plummeting price of oil.
Meanwhile, some 400 protesters gathered outside the Saudi Embassy in Tehran on Sunday and set fire to part of the building.
Large demonstrations also took place in Beirut.
The execution was Saudi Arabia’s largest in more than 30 years.
With files from the Associated Press
