Geography

Andrew Stuttaford quotes the always-reliable Washington Times:

If the pope called for the destruction of all the mosques in Europe, the uproar would be cataclysmic. Pundits would lambaste the church, the White House would rush out a statement of deep concern, and rioters in the Middle East would kill each other in their grief. But when the most influential leader in the Muslim world issues a fatwa to destroy Christian churches, the silence is deafening.

On March 12, Sheik Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, the grand mufti of Saudi Arabia, declared that it is “necessary to destroy all the churches of the region.” The ruling came in response to a query from a Kuwaiti delegation over proposed legislation to prevent construction of churches in the emirate. The mufti based his decision on a story that on his deathbed, Muhammad declared, “There are not to be two religions in the [Arabian] Peninsula.” This passage has long been used to justify intolerance in the kingdom. Churches have always been banned in Saudi Arabia, and until recently Jews were not even allowed in the country. Those wishing to worship in the manner of their choosing must do so hidden away in private, and even then the morality police have been known to show up unexpectedly and halt proceedings.

Obviously Sheik Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah and the Saudi government are worthless assholes, but the idea of having no infidels on the Arabian peninsula is not really a new thing, having its most recent and most notorious expresson as a part of Al Qaeda's general platform. Stuttaford adds:

It is something of an exaggeration to describe the grand mufti as the “most influential leader in the Muslim world” (and the writer seems to backtrack on that claim a little later), but his views certainly carry a great deal of weight, and, doubtless, Egypt’s Saudi-inspired Salafists will be amongst those paying attention.

That’s yet more bad news for the Copts.

Now obviously the Copts have had a bad time of it, and maybe this will in fact increase the antipathy that has already been expressed in murder and church burnings. BUT FUNDAMENTALISTS AND LITERALISTS OF OTHER STRIPES KNOW THE ARABIAN PENINSULA IS OVER THERE






☞ AND EGYPT IS OVER THERE






☜.