Sheikh Nimr’s Son: I Am Proud of What My Dad Did

Talking to the NPR website, Mohammad said that his father preached non-violence.

“He told people that the roar of the word is mightier than the sound of bullets,” he added.

“I’m proud of what he did,” Nimr said of his father’s outspoken criticism of the Saudi government.

“We tried to make our sound heard in the world for like more than 100 years right now. But by his action, what he did made the whole world see what kind of government is Saudi Arabia government. They can’t face words, so they kill people,” Mohammad said.

Asked about the Saudi government’s claim that his father was a terrorist, he said, “I just want to ask anyone who would claim that, anyone, to bring one proof — just one proof — that my father said a violent word against anyone.”

“He was shot four times when he was not armed. But ok, if he was armed, basically, why couldn’t they show the people that? Even though none of them got hurt. He was the only one who got hurt,” Mohammad said.

Nimr said that he got news of his father’s execution while he was at home in his apartment. He said at first he was in shock but later felt what he described as relief.

“He was in solitary from 2012,” Nimr said of his father. “I knew that they’re not going to let him go. He was basically in, I can say a dungeon, he couldn’t even see the sun.”

On January 2, Saudi Arabia executed prominent Shiite cleric and political activist Nimr al-Nimr, sparking outrage among Muslims worldwide.

Saudi Arabia executed Sheikh Nimr and 46 others for terrorism, the country’s Interior Ministry said in a statement. Most of those executed were said to be involved in a series of attacks carried out by Al-Qaeda between 2003 and 2006. 45 of those executed were of Saudi nationality, one Chadian, one Egyptian.

After the announcement, Sunni and Shiite Muslims from across the world rushed to condemn his execution, vowing revenge.