Mishaal bin Saud

Governorship

Mishaal bin Saud was made governor of the Najran Province in 1996. He replaced Fahd bin Khalid Al Sudairi in the post and became the first governor of the province from Al Saud family. Najran Province is border-area with Yemen. Therefore, the possibility of terror cells crossing from Yemen into Saudi Arabia is a serious threat. Tensions among the Ismaili community remained high since Prince Mishaal's arrival as governor, leading to major protests in 2000. Ismailis accused the local government of harassment, discrimination and arbitrary arrest and detention. As a result, activists from Najran petitioned King Abdullah to remove Prince Mishaal. To succeed, Mishaal bin Saud must be able to govern the local Ismaili population and maintain stability. However, Najran Province became the scene of violent clashes in 2000 when hundreds of Ismailis clashed with police. Ismailis told that it was the spur for plans to reduce their presence in the province, but that the settlement policy could provoke more social unrest. On 23 April 2000, three months after the authorities closed down their mosques on the Ismaili day of Eid al Fitr, strained relations between Ismaili Najranis and the governor, Mishaal bin Saud, came to a head over the arrest of an Ismaili cleric.