Bahrain received a 'pat on back' from the US State Department for religious freedom in the country where people of different religions practise their faiths without interference from the government.
| Unlike next door, where they're much holier... |
The report stressed that non-Muslims were allowed to maintain their own places of worship and display the symbols of their religion. The American Mission Hospital, which is affiliated with the National Evangelical Church, has operated in the country for more than a century. The church adjacent to the hospital holds weekly services and also serves as a meeting place for other Protestant denominations, the report noted.
The government discourages proselytising by non-Muslims and prohibits anti-Islamic writings. However, Bibles and other Christian publications are displayed and sold openly in local bookstores that also sell Islamic and other religious literature. Religious literature of all branches of Islam, cassettes of sermons delivered by Muslim preachers of other countries and publications of other religions are available. However, a government-controlled proxy server prohibits user access to Internet sites considered to be antigovernment or anti-Islamic, it said. It also pointed out that in 2001 Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar India, which is affiliated with the US Episcopal Church, applied for permission to build its own church building but it had still not received the clearance from the government authorities to begin construction. Members were considering other, less satisfactory, options to obtain or construct a building for their congregation. |