Christians and Jews are still not allowed to bring non-Islamic religious items into Saudi Arabia , including Bibles, Stars of David and crucifixes — and if they do, the government will confiscate them, according to a report in The Jerusalem Post.
“Saudi customs authorities enforce strict regulations concerning importation into Saudi Arabia of such banned items as alcohol products, weapons and any item that is held to be contrary to the tenets of Islam,” reads the U.S. State Department’s travel advisory on Saudi Arabia. “This includes non-Islamic religious materials, pork products and pornography.”
Click here to read the entire story in The Jerusalem Post.
The restriction isn’t new, but the government seems to have recently stepped up its enforcement of it.
Saudi Arabian Airlines warns of the rule on its Web site, the Post reported.
"Items and articles belonging to religions other than Islam are prohibited,” the national airline states. “These may include Bibles, crucifixes, statues, carvings, items with religious symbols such as the Star of David and others."
An unidentified official with the Saudi Consulate in New York told the Post that entering the country with any of those materials will mean losing them.
“You’re not allowed to bring that stuff into the kingdom,” the official told the Post. “If you do, they will take it away.”
The U.S. State Department disputed the Jerusalem Post report late Thursday, telling FOXNews.com that the regulation restrictions are no longer in place.
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