The grand mufti of Saudi Arabia has called for the destruction of all churches in the Arabian Peninsula, claiming that the move is in line with Islamic law.
Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, told a delegation from Kuwait last week that it was “necessary to destroy all the churches of the region”.
The sheikh is head of the Supreme Council of Ulema [Islamic scholars] and of the Standing Committee for Scientific Research and Issuing of Fatwas.
He is seen as the highest official of religious law in the Sunni Muslim kingdom.
The Arabian Gulf is home to around 2 million Christian migrant workers, and new churches have been built to accommodate them.
But church building is forbidden in Saudi Arabia.
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