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SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints became an officially recognized religion in Kuwait, according to a Wednesday news release from church officials.
There are nearly 300 members of the church who live and work in Kuwait, a small Muslim-majority country in the Middle East, though they come from various countries around the world. Kuwait’s formal recognition of the church allows leaders to “better serve the needs of the members” there, the church’s statement reads.
“We are grateful to the Government of Kuwait and in particular to His Highness, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al -Sabah, Emir of Kuwait, for his exemplary leadership in allowing freedom of worship in the State of Kuwait, in particular for the expatriate workforce," Bishop Terry Harradine, Kuwait’s Latter-day Saint congregational leader, said in the news release.
While the state religion of Kuwait is Islam, there are seven officially-registered Christian churches: National Evangelical, Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic, Coptic Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox and Anglican, according to the U.S. Department of State’s 2017 International Religious Freedom Report.
Groups that wish to register as official religions are often left to navigate the process without much official guidance from the government, the state department’s report reads. Once officially registered, however, a religious group may “hire its own staff, sponsor visitors to the country, open bank accounts and import texts needed for its congregation.”
It is unclear how the church’s official recognition in Kuwait will change its practice there, though it is unlikely it opens the region for missionary work, as the law prohibits proselytizing by non-Muslims — even for officially recognized churches. The law also prohibits any practices the government deems to be against Islamic law, including eating, drinking and smoking in public between sunrise and sunset during Ramadan.
When contacted for comment, the church said it has no additional information to offer.
