Page 3 of 8: Status of Religious Freedom

Section II.  Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework

Freedom of religion does not exist.  Islam is the official religion, and all citizens must be Muslims.  The Government prohibits the public practice of other religions.  The Government recognizes the right of private worship by non-Muslims; however, it does not always respect this right in practice.  Saudi Arabia is an Islamic monarchy and the Government has declared the Holy Koran and the Sunna (tradition) of the Prophet Muhammad to be the country's Constitution.  The Government bases its legitimacy on governance according to the precepts of the rigorously conservative and strict interpretation of the Hanbali school of the Sunni branch of Islam and discriminates against other branches of Islam.  Neither the Government nor society in general accepts the concepts of separation of religion and state, and such separation does not exist.

The legal system is based on Shari'a (Islamic law), with   Shari'a courts basing their judgments largely on a code derived from the Holy Koran and the Sunna.  The Government permits Shi'a Muslims to use their own legal tradition to adjudicate noncriminal cases within their community.