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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: TimF who wrote (10565)	4/5/2001 2:15:15 PM
From: Gordon A. Langston	Respond to of 82486

An overview of religion by human rights organizations. No deaths or executions reported. c. Freedom of Religion Freedom of religion does not exist. Islam is the official religion, and all citizens must be Muslims. The Government prohibits the public practice of other religions. Conversion by a Muslim to another religion is considered apostasy. Public apostasy is a crime under Shari'a law and punishable by death. Islamic practice is generally limited to that of the Wahhabi sect's interpretation of the Hanbali school of the Sunni branch of Islam. Practices contrary to this interpretation, such as visits to the graves of renowned Muslims, are discouraged. The Ministry of Islamic Affairs directly supervises and is a major source of funds for the construction and maintenance of almost all mosques in the country. The Ministry pays the salaries of imams and others who work in the mosques. A governmental committee is responsible for defining the qualifications of imams. The Mutawwa'in receive their funding from the Government, and the general president of the Mutawwa'in holds the rank of cabinet minister. The Shi'a Muslim minority (roughly 500,000 of over 13 million citizens) lives mostly in the eastern province. They are the objects of officially sanctioned political and economic discrimination (see Section 5). Prior to 1990, the Government prohibited Shi'ite public processions during the Islamic month of Muharram and restricted other processions and congregations to designated areas in the major Shi'ite cities. Since 1990 the authorities have permitted marches on the Shi'ite holiday of Ashura, provided the marchers do not display banners or engage in self-flagellation. Ashura commemorations took place in 1997 without incident. The Government seldom permits private construction of Shi'ite mosques. The Shi'a have declined government offers to build state-supported mosques because the Government would prohibit the incorporation and display of Shi'ite motifs in any such mosques. The Government does not permit public non-Muslim religious activities. Non-Muslim worshippers risk arrest, lashing, and deportation for engaging in religious activity that attracts official attention. There were no reports of government action against private religious services in 1997. Furthermore, for the first time, a senior Saudi leader stated publicly that the Government does not "prevent" private non-Muslim religious worship in the home. Such private non-Muslim worship activities occur on a wide scale through the country, including on the premises of several embassies. Other high level Saudi authorities have privately confirmed that the Government's policy allows for private non-Muslim worship and that the Government does not sanction investigation or harassment of such private worship services. The Government ascribes any residual harassment of private worship services to individuals and organizations acting on their own authority and in contradiction of government policy. In 1997 there were unverifiable, second-hand reports indicating that the Mutawwa'in broke up two non-Muslim worship services in private homes in Hafr Al-Batn and Hail. Persons wearing religious symbols of any kind in public risk confrontation with the Mutawwa'in. This general prohibition against religious symbols also applies to Muslims. A Christian wearing a crucifix or a Muslim wearing a Koranic necklace in public would be admonished. There were credible reports that Mutawwa'in arrested and beat foreigners found trafficking in religious symbols.

To: TimF who wrote (10565)	4/5/2001 2:15:38 PM
From: Lazarus_Long	Respond to of 82486

No. Finding it could be tough, too. I have a feeling they're not going to advertise one worldwide. Let me see what I can dig up. The social pressure in many Islamic countries, and Saudi in particular, is so high that EVERYONE assumes protective coloration. Not to do so is dangerous. In many cases, I suspect those of heterodox opinions would be killed by their neighbors before the government could act. Remember, public practice of religions other than Islam are ILLEGAL in Saudi.