I read this story that was on Newshub New Zealand with shock and horror. (https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2019/02/saudia-arabian-6yo-beheaded-in-front-of-mother-over-religious-beliefs.html)
It's a story that should have been covered more widely. Sadly, it wasn't. This is the true face of Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabian 6yo beheaded in front of mother over religious beliefs
A six-year-old boy was reportedly beheaded in front of his mother at a Saudi Arabian mosque for belonging to the wrong branch of Islam.
Zakaria Al-Jaber's mother reportedly watched her son being stabbed in the neck with a piece of glass until he was beheaded.
Zakaria and his mother were approached while visiting a shrine to the Prophet Muhammad in Medina and asked if they were Shia Muslims, The Mirror reports.
The mother allegedly said yes, and shortly after a car pulled up beside them, an occupant from the car snatched Zakaria away from her and stabbed him repeatedly.
Saudi Arabia's prominent branch of Islam is Sunni, accounting for almost three-quarters of the population.
A social media campaign has since emerged online called #JusticeforZakaria. The hashtag has already spread widely, with people sharing heartfelt tributes to the young boy.
The Shia community in Saudi Arabia are also mourning for Zakaria.
Washington DC-based human rights group, Shia Rights Watch, told The Mirror there has been no intervention from Saudi authorities.