Mikhlif Alshammari (; born 21 February 1955) is a

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...

writer and human rights defender. He was sanctioned on several occasions by the Saudi government for his pro- Shia sympathy. He was born in Baq'a, Ha'il.

Education

He holds a BBA in

Business Administration Business administration, also known as business management, is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. From the point of view of management ...

from Armstrong College (California),

Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California * George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer ...

, California, United States 1987. SPM 2003.

Work experience

Mikhlif Alshammari was one of the leaders of the

Shammar The tribe of Shammar ( ar, شَمَّر, Šammar) is a tribal Arab Qahtan confederation, descended from the Yemeni tribe of Tayy as they originated in Yemen before migrating into present day Saudi Arabia, It is the biggest branch of Tayy tribe. I ...

tribe. He was a writer and critic for several Saudi newspapers. After being banned from writing, he continued to publish his articles on the internet. He was well known as a human rights defender and advocate of reforming democracy. Also, he was one of the promoters to unite the

with the

Shiites Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most n ...

under one umbrella. He was trusted by international organizations like by Human Rights Watch, Human Rights Council,

Front Line Defenders Front Line Defenders, or The International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, is an Irish-based human rights organisation founded in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland in 2001 to protect those who work non-violently to uph ...

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

and ALKarama HR Org. He was self-employed as a director of his own contracting company "DAHAMCO". In 2007, Mr. Alshammari’s company went bankrupt as a result of his arrest without charge by the General Investigation in Dammam. After he was released from that arbitrary detention and tasted the injustice, he changed his career totally. He became a human rights defender and worked a full-time human right defender to help oppressed people, men and women, Saudis and non-Saudis at all levels. Due to his activities and his writings, Alshammari was detained three times in four years. The last arrest took place on 15 June 2010, accused of "annoying others." In 2013, he was sentenced to five years in prison for exposing human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia. In 2015, he was sentenced to two years in prison and 200 lashes for "associating with Shia Muslims".

Activities

* Founder of Environment's Friends organization in the Eastern Province. * Founder and Chairman of Shammar Tribe Board in the Eastern Province. * Was invited as an independents activist by the High Commissioner to the United Nations to report on the status of

women in Saudi Arabia Women's rights in Saudi Arabia are a topic of concern and controversy internationally. Saudi women have experienced major rights reforms since 2017, after facing religious fundamentalist dominance dating from 1979. According to Human Rig ...

. * Attended several human rights training workshops. * Arranged and participated in the first Friday prayer between Shiites and Sunnis in Qatif area. * Worked to resolve many family and tribal disputes including the revenge disputes.

Memberships

* Member and collaborator with the Saudi Human Rights Commission (until his latest arrest) * An active member of the National Family Safety Program, Riyadh * Member of WHO's WHO OF professional international * Member of the Saudi Management Association * Member of the Saudi Cancer Society

Awards

* Shield trophy from the Forum Dialogue between different Cultures * Shield trophy of trust from "Shammar" Tribe

References

* * * * * * * * *

External links

Mikhlif D Al-shammari's account on Facebook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alshammari, Mikhlif 1955 births 2016 deaths Possibly living people Saudi Arabian human rights activists People from Ha'il Shia–Sunni relations