U.S. Accuses Government of “Particularly Severe Violations” of Religious Freedom

(ANS) – Saudi Arabia has been accused by the Bush administration of “particularly severe violations” of religious freedom. The criticism came in the U.S. Department of State sixth Annual Report on International Religious Freedom released on September 15, which examines the “status of religious freedom around the world.” The report stated, “Freedom of religion does not exist” in Saudi Arabia and concluded that those who do not hold fast to the officially sanctioned strain of Sunni Islam practiced in the country can face “severe repercussions” from the religious police. It also cited instances in which government-paid mosque preachers “used violent anti-Jewish and anti-Christian language in their sermons.”