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Sir, For Gerard Batten’s information (letter, April 2) it is not only Christian places of worship that are banned in Saudi Arabia. Quite a few Islamic ones are as well. Any building designated a khanaqah, zawiya, takiyya or dergah is demolished, likewise any site associated with the Prophet — eg his birthplace or the house of Khadija, where he dwelt after his marriage.
A madrasa (collegiate mosque) teaching a theology that differed in any respect from the wahhabi magisterium would be demolished with the same promptitude with which the Saudis demolished the law schools that the Ottomans set up in Mecca and Medina during their 400-year rule.
As to the devotional books whose ban so worries the Rev Michael Bentley (letters, April 5), these include certain commentaries on the Koran not sparing the sacred text (which is alongside the exegesis), routinely seized from pilgrims on arrival and burned, a ban that extends even to recordings such as the one I made in 1977 jointly with the famous cantor Qari Ghulam Rasul, whose recitation of the Koran opens the sessions of the Pakistan National Assembly.
Yaqub Zaki
Deputy Director, The Muslim Institute
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To Bigib UK
Get your facts right. Christians, and for that matter all minorities, in Pakistan have the same voting rights as Muslims. All citizens are equal in the eyes of the state. Its true that churches are sometimes at danger from extremist groups but the state provides security whenever needed
Meera, Durham, USA
I write this from India where at 5am in the morning- they call the faithful for prayers and wake us all up- now did Koran ask for the faithful to be called over loudspeakers, no? . We all have to listen to the loudspeakers - we are a classic example appeasement. We should bring out the moderate face
swaminathan, madras, india
The Saudis are vicious and extreme. They seek to control the future course and direction of Islam in the world by controlling all aspects of the Hajj pilgrimage. Wahabism needs to be stamped out, and the monarchy in Saudi Arabia dethroned from power.
Robert Tilford, McCracken, USA, Kansas
1st - It's not only in Pakistan that the minority of Christians are "oppressed", look in India. 2nd- The poor in Pakistan often change religion when offered money and promise of better jobs from Christian missionaries.
There is a lot to say here, I don't have time.
Bottom line is, there is no absolute right or wrong, as everyone thinks they are right!
hr, Chico,
it is UK who put the saudis/wahabi regime into power. it is the UK who created the mess throughtout the arab and islamic world.
and it is the traditional sunni muslims who have to suffer.
as for having christian churches in saudi. i think it wont happen unless christians missionarys stop their method of getting converts using the power of money.
Irfan, kerala,
It's good that the Saudi government does that. They are places and books of deviation and misguidance. May Allaah protect the Kingdom from misguidance and deviation...Aameen!!!!
Dawud, Philadelphia, USA
So that's OK then !
Sorry, this is not a powerful apologia for Saudi intolerance. To become a Christian there means death. In Pakistan Christians are oppressed and do not have the same voting rights; Egypt likewise, so called 'secular' but no right to change religion etc etc etc.
Islam gets away with all this because our curiously named 'liberal' media 'don't want to know the score, and look away now'.
Bigib, Dalston, UK
...And your point?
Do you want the UK/US to "invade" Saudi Arabia?
jayil, london, uk