Building Churches Allowed: Qaradawi

DOHA — Prominent scholar Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi approves building churches for Christian citizens of or residents in Muslim countries to meet their needs just as Muslims are being allowed to build mosques in the West.

"There is nothing wrong in building churches for Christian citizens if there is such a need because their numbers have multiplied or because they lack a place to worship as long as it is authorized by the ruler," Qaradawi said.

"This also applies to non-Muslims who came to a Muslim country for work or residence and have grown in numbers and need a church to worship."
Protection of Non-Muslims' Places of Worship

Religious Freedom in Shari`ah

Minorities in Islam

The fatwa came in response to a question regarding the building of the first-ever church in the Gulf emirate of Qatar.

The land was given by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani.

Qaradawi, the president of the International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS), said the presence of a Christian minority, whether it was of a local community or of expatriates, justifies this.

"It is completely permissible that they should be allowed to have churches."

full article here http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=12093577971...