The Saudi decision to halt diplomatic relations came after their mass execution Saturday of Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others – the largest carried out by Saudi Arabia in three and a half decades – laid bare the sectarian divisions gripping the region. Shiite protesters took to the streets from Bahrain to Pakistan while Arab allies of Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia quickly lined up behind the kingdom.
Open this photo in gallery: Shi'ite Muslims try to cross a barricade during a protest against the execution of cleric Nimr al-Nimr, who was executed along with others in Saudi Arabia, in front of Saudi Arabia embassy in New Delhi, India. Adnan Abidi/Reuters
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Open this photo in gallery: Muslim Americans protest against the execution of Shi'ite Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr in Saudi Arabia, during a rally in Dearborn, Michigan. Rebecca Cook/Reuters
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Open this photo in gallery: Supporters of Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr protest against the execution of Shi'ite Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr in Saudi Arabia, during a demonstration in Baghdad. Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters
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Open this photo in gallery: Indian paramilitary troopers patrol during restrictions in the Saidakadal locality of downtown Srinagar. Tauseef Mustafa/AFP / Getty Images
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Open this photo in gallery: Shi'ite Muslims scuffle with police during a protest against the execution of cleric Nimr al-Nimr, who was executed along with others in Saudi Arabia, in front of Saudi Arabia embassy in New Delhi, India. Adnan Abidi/Reuters
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Open this photo in gallery: Supporters of Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr protest against the execution of Shi'ite Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr in Saudi Arabia, during a demonstration in Baghdad. Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters
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Open this photo in gallery: A Shi'ite Muslim man holds a picture of cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr during a protest against the execution of Nimr, who was executed along with others in Saudi Arabia, in front of Saudi Arabia embassy in New Delhi, India. Adnan Abidi/Reuters
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Open this photo in gallery: Iranian protesters hold pictures of prominent Shi'ite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr during a demonstration against the execution of al-Nimr in Saudi Arabia, at Imam Hussein square in Tehran. Reuters
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Open this photo in gallery: Riot police patrol the streets to keep protesters from gathering to demonstrate against the execution of Shi'ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr in Saudi Arabia, in the village of Sanabis, west of Manama, Bahrain. Hamad Mohammed/Reuters
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Open this photo in gallery: Bahraini women shout slogan during clashes with riot police following a protest against the execution of prominent Shiite Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr by Saudi authorities, in the village of Daih, west of the capital Manama, Bahrain. Mohammed Al-Shaikh/AFP / Getty Images
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