The majority religion in Saudi Arabia is Islam. Islam is the official religion of Saudi Arabia, and all citizens are legally accepted to be Muslims.[1] The government does not legally protect the freedom of religion.[1] As a matter of fact, any overseas national must convert to Islam, should he or she intend acquiring Saudi nationality. [2] There are many news report which criticize the Saudi government for its harsh implementation of Islamic rule, its double standards and its poor Human Rights record.
Religious groups [edit]
The official form of Islam is Sunni of the Hanbali school, in its Salafi or Wahhabi version. Nearly 5-10% of the population are Shia Muslims. Two holiest cities of Islam, Mecca and Medina, are in Saudi Arabia. For many reasons, non-Muslims are not permitted to enter the holy cities, although there are reports of certain Westerners who disguised themselves as devout Muslims and were able to enter.
Christianity [edit]
There are significant populations of Roman Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox Christians, primarily[citation needed] non-citizens from a variety of countries.
Hinduism [edit]
There is a significant population of Hindus, primarily[citation needed] non-citizens from India. Hindus are not permitted to worship in Saudi Arabia.[citation needed]
Freedom of religion [edit]
Saudi Arabia is an Islamic theocracy, without protections on the rights of minorities to practice freedom of religion. Non-Muslim propagation is banned, and conversion from Islam to another religion is punishable by death as apostasy.[3]
References [edit]
