RIYADH, Saudi Arabia: The head of the Shia religious courts in the oil-rich Mo’minin-dominated Eastern Province has been sacked by Saudi authorities while Shias said it could curb their freedom.

Shias often complain of treatment as second class citizens in Saudi Arabia.

Sheikh Mohammed al-Obaidan, head of the Qatif court, confirmed his sudden removal.

"There is a wave of resentment over what happened and even more resentment over the situation of the court," said a leading local activist who did not wish to be identified.

"Shi'tes say the Saudi government wants to transform the court into an adjunct of the major (Sunni) court and marginalise the authority of Shi'ite judges."

He said there are less than 10 judges covering the main Shi'ite areas of Qatif and al-Ahsa in the Eastern Province, where most Saudi Shi'ites live.

There are no clear figures on their number but they are usually estimated at 15 percent of the Saudi nationals, around 17 million.

A Shi'ite website (rasid.net) said Shi'ites were considering action including petitioning King Abdullah.

Alya al-Farid, a Shi'ite commentator in Qatif, said the court system for Shi'ites was too limited to meet the needs of a burgeoning youth population and many Shi'ites were obliged to use the Sunni courts, where the laws differ.

"I called the Sunni court once and a sheikh told me 'I don't talk to women'," Farid said, citing some differences.

"We want to have an independent court with real authority. The judge should be chosen by the people of the region," she said, citing the status of Shi'ite courts in Kuwait and Bahrain.

Saudi Arabia's founder King Abdul-Aziz bin Saud promised Shi'ites autonomy for their courts when he conquered the eastern regions of Qatif and al-Ahsa in 1914.