I missed this piece from yesterday’s ‘On Faith’ section of The Washington Post, unfortunately. It reports that 85 Saudi Shi’a clerics publicly responded to a tediously retroactive comment by Sunni clerics last month. The King is trying to get Saudis to respect each other, no matter their sectarian beliefs. Hide bound Sunni clerics haven’t gotten the message and need to… soon.

Saudi Shi’ites hit back at Sunni critics

RIYADH (Reuters) - Shi’ite Muslim clerics in Saudi Arabia have criticized a religious edict from Sunni Muslim counterparts branding them infidels, saying that its authors were suffering from psychological problems.

A group of 22 hardline Sunni clerics last month said the Shi’ite branch of Islam was having “infidel precepts.” The statement came after Lebanon’s Shi’ite Hezbollah movement routed supporters of the Sunni-led government in the Lebanese capital.

It was the latest in a series of statements against Shi’ites since sectarian tension dragged Iraq to the brink of civil war in 2006 and Iranian-backed Hezbollah began mobilizing opposition to the Sunni-led government in Lebanon.

A prominent Sunni Muslim Saudi cleric met with minority Shi’ite Muslim leaders last month in an attempt to soothe anger over the edict.
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