Austrian Muslims call for construction of Christian churches in Saudi Arabia

October 02, 2012: A Muslim association in Vienna "Initiative of liberal Muslims Austria" (ILMOE), has sought to build a church in Saudi Arabia, a country where the public profession of the Christian religion is prohibited. "The way Islam is in Europe, Christianity must see recognition of the right to freedom of worship," the organization said in a paper sent to the Saudi ambassador in Vienna, Mohammed al-Salloum.

The President of ILMOE, Amer Al-Bayati, the diplomat asked for an interview, "to expose the ideas for the project." The fact that the public profession of the Christian faith is banned in Saudi Arabia is "a blatant violation of the principle of freedom of confession," writes Bayati. Since Saudi Arabia supports massively, even financially, the construction of mosques and places of worship in Europe, the lack of freedom of religion for Christians is a source of "great disappointment." The organization announced in the spring to the Saudi authorities for permission to build a church after the Saudi grand mufti had called for the destruction of all Christian churches in the Arabian Peninsula. Ilmoe had stressed that Islam does not prohibit the construction of Christian churches.

In the Arabian Peninsula, life for the Christians is not easy, especially in countries where it is forbidden to build churches and celebrate mass. Since 2006, the Saudi authorities have undertaken to ensure that non-Muslims have the right to pray in private, in their homes. But for the lay faithful, Muslims continue to prohibit to pray in public. Also prohibited is any conversion from Islam to Christianity.

On 15 September in Riyadh, the Saudi capital begins the trial of a Christian Lebanese and a Saudi citizen accused of converting to Christianity, a girl, employed in an insurance agency, who now resides in Britain. The public demands that the two Saudi men should be punished in an exemplary way for forced conversion.