Establishing houses of worship for non-Muslims is a sensitive issue but the Kingdom does not restrict non-Muslims to practice their religion in private, a senior human rights official said here Saturday. Zeid Al-Hussein, Vice President of the Saudi Human Rights Commission, said the Kingdom is not only an Islamic state, but it is also the cradle of Islam and of Islamic civilization. It is the land of the Two Holy Mosques and the destination of Muslims from around the world. Therefore, he said, the Kingdom is charged with the responsibility of preserving Islam, its rituals and its sanctities. The Kingdom's report on human rights was prepared in accordance with international guidelines and involved all government authorities and civil society institutions, Al-Hussein said. The Kingdom, he said, has undergone a rapid transformation from a tribal society, characterized by conflicts and widely dispersed regions where people lived in isolation and in economic and educational backwardness, to an advanced political, economic, social and cultural way of life. Islam supplements, rather than undermines, international human rights standards and Saudi Arabia derives its values from all sources provided that they are compatible with the objectives called for by the Islamic Shariah, Al-Hussein said. The Shariah pays special attention to the rights of vulnerable groups, such as, minorities and non-Muslims, and, in fact, the Shariah grants women extensive rights. The government of Saudi Arabia acknowledges that there are some human rights violations attributable to individual practices, and many of these violations fall within the context of domestic violence, he said. However, during the past two years, great efforts have been made to bolster the rights of children and women and to promote the role of the family in society, he added. Women's awareness of their rights, Al-Hussein said, has been considerably increased in recent years through the work of social development centers, women's associations and the National Society for Human Rights. The Kingdom has also sought to achieve a balance between the requirements of the campaign against terrorism and the need to respect human rights, Al-Hussein said. By the end of 2008, more than SR100 million had been paid in compensation to terror suspects who were later found to be innocent, Al-Hussein said. In Islam, rights are derived from the Holy Qur'an and the Sunna of the Prophet (pbuh), which constitute the source of all legislation and a comprehensive way of life in the Kingdom, he said. The Kingdom has adopted a promising human rights initiative, which includes the adoption of a comprehensive program sponsored by the Human Rights Commission and includes the participation of all government agencies and civil society institutions, Al-Hussein said. Like other states, the Kingdom is not exempt from certain manifestations of human trafficking and the government is adopting rigorous measures to combat such violations. Numerous symposia and training courses held in collaboration with various local and international bodies culminated in drafting of a prevention of human trafficking act designed to deal with this problem. The Saudi Human Rights Commission is in close conformity with the Paris principles and achieves its objectives within the limits of its mandate, Al-Hussein added. Regarding not allowing the establishment of places of worship for non-Muslims in the Kingdom, Al-Hussein said, we believe that Islam is the seal of religions and that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the cradle of Islam, the land of the Two Holy Mosques, and the destination of 1.5 billion Muslims. Therefore, the religious peculiarities make it difficult to establish worship places in the holy land. However, non-Muslims in Saudi Arabia are completely enjoy the freedom of worship and can practice the rituals of their religions in their own places. In terms of freedom of religion and belief, the aim of the initiative of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, for dialogue among followers of the predominant global religions and cultures was to promote mutual understanding and to highlight the beneficial aspects of these cultures and to affirm the importance of common denominators and the need to use them to develop human civilization and pave the way for universal peace and harmony, Al-Hussein said. The Kingdom, he said, appreciates the initiative taken by the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in organizing a symposium last October on the difference between freedom of expression and incitement of religious hatred. – SPA The Kingdom hopes that other steps will be taken as a follow
