Sectarian conflict flares after Saudi executions: #tellusatoday

Saudi Arabia cut ties with Iran after protesters in Tehran set fires at the Saudi Embassy. They were demonstrating against the Saudis executing a Shiite cleric on Saturday. Comments from Facebook are edited for clarity and grammar:

Neither country wants war at this time. Unless something unforeseen happens, this split will blow over in the short term. In the long term, this Sunni/Shiite schism could lead to a lot of bloodshed.

— Carl Danese

Tensions between Sunnis and Shiites are exploding! It is the Middle East version of the Hatfields and McCoys.

— LaShonda Barnett

Sunni vs. Shiite is an excuse. Saudis are Arabs, and most Iranians are Persians. They both want to dominate the region.

— Jack Rice

Iran will ultimately prove to be a much better friend to us than Saudi Arabia ever was. Of course, that would be the first smart thing we’ve ever done in that area of the world. Our Mideast policy has been disastrous for decades.

— Ted Chu

We want no part in a conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Saudis are armed with U.S. weapons. Even if we are not directly involved, we’ll certainly look like we’re participating. That is not good.

— Thomas Krueger

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We asked what our followers thought about the mass execution of 47 people, including a Shiite cleric, in Saudi Arabia. Comments from Twitter are edited for clarity and grammar:

It’s not very smart on the part of Saudis if they truly want stability in the region.

— @rtmiller97

These things create only hate between peoples of the world and are against freedom of expression.

— @WaseemAhmadOne

Capital punishment should never be acceptable. What about the numerous executions in Saudi Arabia before? This isn’t new.

— @JonFRice

It’s the country’s laws, and the number of executions equals about one per each of our states. Who are we to question their laws?

— @tom_oshea

For more discussions, follow @USATOpinion or #tellusatoday.