Saudi Grand Mufti Calls for Destruction of all Churches

Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah Al al-Sheikh, Saudi Arabia’s grand mufti and top authority on Sunni religious law, has called for all churches in the Arabian Peninsula to be destroyed, in accordance with Muhammad’s command to rid the region of all Jews and Christians.

The statement was made on 17 March, after Kuwaiti MP Osama al-Munawar made a statement in February that he was planning to submit a bill to remove all churches in the country. The same MP later clarified that what he really meant to say was that he would submit a bill to prevent the construction of any new churches in the country, not the destruction of existing church buildings.

Nevertheless, the grand mufti said that as part of the Arabian Peninsula, it is necessary that Kuwait destroy all of its churches.

In Saudi Arabia, Wahhabism (Salafism) is the state religion. This form of Islam rejects interpretations by the traditional Sunni legal schools of thought, insisting that only the Quran and Sunna can be used as authorities. It also opposes Shia and Sufi interpretations and practice. It declares there must only be one religion on the Arabian Peninsula, hence there are no church buildings permitted in Saudi Arabia, although expatriate Christians are permitted a certain degree of freedom to practise their religion in private.

• Pray for Saudi Arabia, and for other countries on the Arabian Peninsular, for an out- pouring of the Holy Spirit that will break through the deception of Islam and reveal the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
• Pray for protection for Saudi Christians, who face severe persecution and death if they are discovered.
• Pray for the growing use of the Internet by Saudi Christians to evangelise and to meet together anonymously.
• Pray that the media will be a significant source of both comfort and help for Christians, and a channel for the Holy Spirit to touch many more lives.

Joel 2 vs 28: “Then afterwards I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.“

Source: https://www.barnabasfund.org