World
A suicide bomber has attacked a Shia mosque in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, causing casualties, reports the BBC. One witness said there was a huge explosion at the Imam Ali mosque in the village of al-Qadeeh.
He estimated there were at least 30 casualties in the attack at the mosque, where more than 150 people were said to be praying.
There has so far been no claim of responsibility for the bombing. Television pictures on Lebanon's Hezbollah al-Manar network showed shattered glass and debris next to the tiled pillars inside the mosque. Bodies covered in sheets could be seen laid out on the floor.
Saudi Arabia's Shia population is mostly based in two oasis districts of the Eastern Province - Qatif on the Gulf coast, and al-Ahsa, southwest of the provincial capital al-Khobar. Qatif and al-Ahsa have historically been the focal point of anti-government demonstrations, writes Al Jazeera.
The kingdom's Shia community accounts for between 10 to 15 percent of the total population. They say they face discrimination in seeking educational opportunities or government employment and that they are referred to disparagingly in text books and by some Sunni officials and state-funded clerics.
They also complain of restrictions on setting up places of worship and marking Shia holidays, and say that Qatif and al-Ahsa receive less state funding than Sunni communities of equivalent size.
