Manama (Bahrain), Feb 22 (DPA) A group of 150 Saudi academics, intellectuals, professionals and citizens released a communique Thursday warning of sectarian divisions in their own country as well as other Arab nations and calling for comprehensive reforms.

The petition, which was co-signed by well-known Saudi authors Abdul Kareem Abdul Aziz al-Johiman and Mohammad al-Harfi, called on Arab leaders at all levels to protect their countries from such divisions.

The communique, bearing the title "So that there not be sedition," said that the Arab world faces growing threats.

It accused the "forces of hegemony" of seeking to break up Arab societies and restructure them along sectarian lines to create a new Middle East, the authors claimed.

"There is no better way to safeguard our societies against such threats then through accelerating the process of comprehensive reform," the communique said.

"The establishment of modern civil institutions which are based on open participation, freedom, pluralism and equal rights will help uphold values of citizenship ... and the voice of moderation and tolerance overcome instincts and extremism."

Sectarian tension between Sunni and Shiites in the Arab world has been a destabilizing concern for the region since the fall of the former Iraqi regime and the rise of the Shiite-dominated government to power in Iraq.

The ongoing power struggle between the Sunni-led government in Lebanon and the opposition led by the Shiite militia Hezbollah, along with Iran's nuclear ambitions, has also added to the concerns of Sunni-led governments in the region.