From getreligion.org:
The Saudis have recently asked permission to build a mosque in Moscow, a city where there are only four mosques and 2 million Muslims. The Russians, however, are saying they want, in return, an Orthodox church in Saudi Arabia.
As we all know, the Saudis have a habit of constructing mosques in dozens of world capitals while forbidding houses of worship for any religion whatsoever outside its Wahabist brand of Islam. They’ve gotten some bad PR locally for some of the hate language in textbooks at the Saudi Academy in northern Virginia. Not only are hapless Christians terrorized and jailed for daring to hold private prayer services in Saudi Arabia, but God help them should they try to convert someone to their religion. And that’s for a fellow People of the Book: One can only guess at what the treatment of Buddhists and Hindus must be like.
Wouldn’t it be so ironic if the Russians were the first Christian body to win acceptance of the right to build a church in, say, Riyadh? (Some of the Russians are calling for a church in Mecca, but the chances of any other religion getting a foothold within walking distance of the world center of Islam is less than zero.) Of course we all know the Saudis aren’t about ready to let Bibles or other religious literature, let alone a church, anywhere near their homeland, but all the same, it’s amusing to see the Russians give the Saudis a taste of their own medicine.
Many people may hate Vladimir Putin, but let’s face it, we would gladly trade our leaders for a guy like Putin in the White House and in European capital.
Putin was also my dream candidate for American President.
Saudi customs does not object to Bibles and other religious literature for personal use. Saudi censorship does not block non-Islamic relgious websites and they do not block you.
Yes, yes, yes, Putin for President. He must be laughing at the weak kneed halfbreed we are about to put in there.
Hell yes! What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.
I agree with you. Putin is a great man, who is very popular in Russia. Even people who opposed him during his 2nd term election told me that he was popular among Russians and was going to win.
I bet that America’s new administration with its infantile leader is going to be bloodied bad by the Russians. Their naive and idealistic views on world political situation stand no chance in the face of Russian Realpolitik that we are seeing as of late. This incoming administration is going to cause huge damage to America not only internally, but also internationally.
By the way, the article says there about 2 million muslims in Moscow. That seems to be way infated. Even counting “guest workers” and illegals there may be 800 thousand. And maybe about 1 in 10 is a practising Muslim. The rest don’t care too much for religion. Aversion to pork dishes is their only claim to fame.
Putin is a tinpot thug, running a deeply corrupt KGBocracy / kleptocracy. Like Brezhnev in the 70s, he’s been riding high lately because of the run-up in world oil prices, for which he has the Saudis to thank. Soon, like the Soviets in the 80s, he will be feeling the pinch, and the muscle-flexing and trouble-making will have to be dialed back sharply.
Putin’s vicious secret police has a nasty habit of murdering journalists, and thus far the tremulous West has imposed a grand total of zero consequences on him for this, even when it was done in London in a spectacular fashion designed for maximum publicity and intimidation.
He is making common cause with China, Iran, Venezuela, and every odious hostile Third World anti-white anti-Western regime on Earth.
Pro-whites who look to him for inspiration are making a grave mistake.
To Irish: Wake up. The Cold War is over. RIP. The world is a different place now. Russia is not without its faults, but it does a lot of things right: http://theoccidentalobserver.net/articles/Editorial-RussianNationalism.html