Now this is funny. Look who is calling whom a fanatic. Another fine example of our cultured allies. BTW, there is absolutely no religious grounds for this. There were in fact Churches in Mecca and Medina during Mohammed's life.
ST
AP World News
Saudis Won't Allow Churches on Its Land
03/10/2003 14:43:24 EST
Saudi Arabia, as the birthplace of Islam, will not allow churches to be built on its land,
according to Defense Minister Prince Sultan.
Islam is the only accepted religion in Saudi Arabia, home to the faith's holiest shrines
in Mecca and Medina.
"This country was the launch pad for the prophecy and the message, and nothing can
contradict this, even if we lose our necks," Sultan told reporters Saturday. His
comments were published by Saudi newspapers and confirmed by several journalists
who attended the press conference.
Sultan said that foreigners have been allowed to worship freely in their homes since
they began arriving in Saudi Arabia in 1951 but permitting a church in the country
"would affect Islam and all Muslims."
On Thursday, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, an
independent federal agency, complained that a new State Department list of countries
that severely limit religious freedom omits several that deserve censure, including U.S.
ally Saudi Arabia. The commission's annual reports say that religious freedom "does
not exist" in the Gulf Kingdom.
"Those who talked (about churches in Saudi Arabia) are church people and they are,
unfortunately, fanatics," Sultan said, according to Monday's Okaz daily newspaper.
"We are not against religions at all ... but there are no churches - not in the past, the
present or future." |
