1979 Qatif Uprising

The 1979 Qatif Uprising, also known as the Muharram Intifada was a period of unprecedented civil unrest that occurred in Qatif and Al-Hasa, Saudi Arabia, in late November 1979. The unrest resulted in 20–24 people killed in what was described as a sectarian outburst of violence between the Shi'a minority and Sunni majority in Saudi Arabia and the beginning of the modern phase of the Qatif conflict.

1979 Qatif Uprising
Part of the Qatif conflict
Demonstrators in Safwa City during November 1979
Date26 November – 3 December 1979
Location
Qatif and Al-Hasa
Caused by
  • Discrimination against Shias
  • Corruption
  • Lack of free speech and freedom of the press
  • Saudi hostility to the Iranian Revolution
Methods
  • Demonstrations
  • Strike actions
Resulted in
  • Crackdown on Shiite opposition groups
  • Extra government spending announced in Qatif region to address inequalities
  • Religious intolerance and state discrimination continue until 2015
Parties

Saudi Arabian opposition groups

  • Shia Islamists
    • Organization for the Islamic Revolution in the Arabian Peninsula (OIR)
  • Leftists
    • Communist Party in Saudi Arabia
    • National Union of Students of Saudi Arabia
    • Democratic Women's League of Saudi Arabia
    • Assembly of Saudi Citizens
    • CDHR
    • Union of Democratic Youth
    • The Workers' Committee

Saudi Arabian government

  • National Guard
  • Mabahith
Lead figures
  • Hassan al-Saffar
    Leader of the OIR
  • Hussein Mansur al-Qalaf 
    Student Opposition Leader
  • Mohammad al-Husayni al-Shirazi
    Influential Shiite religious leader
Casualties
Death(s)20–24
182–219 killed (by 1983)
InjuriesHundreds
ArrestedThousands
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