--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Saudi Arabia inflames the Sunni-Shiite…" description: "\"Saudi Arabia inflames the Sunni-Shiite divide and sets a pernicious example of intolerance by banning churches.\" — Nicholas Kristof" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33c/nicholas-kristof-6723_churches_saudi-arabia-inflames-the-sunni-shiite-d_763439.jpg" --- # Saudi Arabia inflames the Sunni-Shiite divide and sets a… ![“Saudi Arabia inflames the Sunni-Shiite divide and sets a pernicious example of intolerance by banning churches.” quote by Nicholas Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33c/nicholas-kristof-6723_churches_saudi-arabia-inflames-the-sunni-shiite-d_763439.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33c/nicholas-kristof-6723_churches_saudi-arabia-inflames-the-sunni-shiite-d_763439.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33c/nicholas-kristof-6723_churches_saudi-arabia-inflames-the-sunni-shiite-d_763439.jpg) > “Saudi Arabia inflames the Sunni-Shiite divide and sets a pernicious example of intolerance by banning churches.” [Nicholas Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-kristof/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Accuses Saudi Arabia of deepening sectarian divide by banning churches, illustrating intolerance. **In simple terms:** Saudi bans churches, fueling Sunni‑Shiite tension. Key Takeaway Highlight religious freedom issues. Themes politics religion conflict Mood concerned analytical Type news opinion When to use this quote - journalism - policy analysis - advocacy - academic study Key Concepts intolerance human rights Questions to Reflect On - What are the broader impacts of such bans? - How can interfaith dialogue improve tolerance? A Different Perspective Complex geopolitics may not be solely religious. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Churches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/churches/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) ## Related quotes > [The great divide is not between faiths, but one between intolerant zealots of any tradition and the large numbers of decent, peaceful believers likewise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-kristof/the-great-divide-is-not-between-faiths-but-one-between-intolerant/) [Nicholas Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-kristof/) > [Churches that should be talking about the work of Christ on the cross and the grace of God for sinners are stuck on recycled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/churches-that-should-be-talking-about-the-work-of-christ-on-the-cross/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [If real churches exist, such persons are not called on to make them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-nelson-darby/if-real-churches-exist-such-persons-are-not-called-on-to-make-them/) [John Nelson Darby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-nelson-darby/) > [If there were no ministers and no priests, how long would there be any churches?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemuel-k-washburn-2/if-there-were-no-ministers-and-no-priests-how-long-would-there-be-any/) Lemuel K. Washburn > [Many new churches, I regret to say, can be described from the design point of view only as holy terrors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-boyd/many-new-churches-i-regret-to-say-can-be-described-from-the-design/) [Robin Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-boyd/) > [people say churches are half empty, they're not, they're too big](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-lock/people-say-churches-are-half-empty-they-re-not-they-re-too-big/) [Sean Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-lock/) > [“Gukora icyaha uri wenyine biroroha ariko kuramya Imana wenyine biragora”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-paul-gitwaza/gukora-icyaha-uri-wenyine-biroroha-ariko-kuramya-imana-wenyine/) [Dr Paul Gitwaza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-paul-gitwaza/) > [It takes more than a great church to reach a city, it takes a great movement of churches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/it-takes-more-than-a-great-church-to-reach-a-city-it-takes-a-great/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [By comparison with a night-club, churches are positively gay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/by-comparison-with-a-night-club-churches-are-positively-gay/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [Prior to the Civil War, most libraries were either privately owned or housed in universities or churches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/prior-to-the-civil-war-most-libraries-were-either-privately-owned-or/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I am writing to all the churches to let it be known that I will gladly die for God if only you do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignatius-of-antioch/i-am-writing-to-all-the-churches-to-let-it-be-known-that-i-will/) [Ignatius of Antioch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignatius-of-antioch/) > [I support gay unions. I think the government should get out of the marriage business completely - leave marriages to the churches. And grant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-johnson/i-support-gay-unions-i-think-the-government-should-get-out-of-the/) [Gary Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-johnson/) > [Churches have given us great treasures such as music and architecture. Whether that pays for the harm they have done is another matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/churches-have-given-us-great-treasures-such-as-music-and-architecture/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [Those churches have closed down or have been merged with a church that has a more positive vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hybels/those-churches-have-closed-down-or-have-been-merged-with-a-church/) [Bill Hybels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hybels/) > [Good churches are not built by bad men; at least, there must be probity and enthusiasm somewhere in the society. These minsters were neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/good-churches-are-not-built-by-bad-men-at-least-there-must-be-probity/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## More by Nicholas Kristof > [I have a one-question language test that people who have lived abroad do better on than those who studied in a classroom. Try my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-kristof/i-have-a-one-question-language-test-that-people-who-have-lived-abroad/) [Nicholas Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-kristof/) > [There's something to be said for CEOs' entering politics: In theory, they have management expertise and financial savvy. Then again, it didn't work so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-kristof/there-s-something-to-be-said-for-ceos-entering-politics-in-theory/) [Nicholas Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-kristof/) > [A basic element of the American dream is equal access to education as the lubricant of social and economic mobility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-kristof/a-basic-element-of-the-american-dream-is-equal-access-to-education-as/) [Nicholas Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-kristof/) > [Every high school and college graduate in America should, I think, have some familiarity with statistics, economics and a foreign language such as Spanish.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-kristof/every-high-school-and-college-graduate-in-america-should-i-think-have/) [Nicholas Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-kristof/) > [However imperfectly, subsidies for the poor do actually reduce hunger, ease suffering and create opportunity, while subsidies for the rich result in more private…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-kristof/however-imperfectly-subsidies-for-the-poor-do-actually-reduce-hunger/) [Nicholas Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-kristof/) > [One of the aims of higher education is to broaden perspectives, and what better way than by a home stay in a really different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-kristof/one-of-the-aims-of-higher-education-is-to-broaden-perspectives-and/) [Nicholas Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-kristof/) > [I suspect unconscious bias has been far more of a factor for President Obama than overt racism and will also be a challenge for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-kristof/i-suspect-unconscious-bias-has-been-far-more-of-a-factor-for/) [Nicholas Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-kristof/) > [Utah may well be the most cosmopolitan state in America. Vast numbers of young Mormons - increasingly women as well as men - spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-kristof/utah-may-well-be-the-most-cosmopolitan-state-in-america-vast-numbers/) [Nicholas Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-kristof/) > [Most of the time in the 21st century, we dominate our surroundings: We tweak the thermostat, and the temperature falls one degree. We push…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-kristof/most-of-the-time-in-the-21st-century-we-dominate-our-surroundings-we/) [Nicholas Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-kristof/) > [My take is that the optimal approach to food, for health and ethical reasons, may be vegetarianism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-kristof/my-take-is-that-the-optimal-approach-to-food-for-health-and-ethical/) [Nicholas Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-kristof/) > [Our world is enriched when coders and marketers dazzle us with smartphones and tablets, but, by themselves, they are just slabs. It is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-kristof/our-world-is-enriched-when-coders-and-marketers-dazzle-us-with/) [Nicholas Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-kristof/) > [One of the most crucial kinds of intervention is in advocacy. We can think about charities in the context of delivering services, and indeed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-kristof/one-of-the-most-crucial-kinds-of-intervention-is-in-advocacy-we-can/) [Nicholas Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-kristof/) > [There are very few things I've done just twice in my life, 40 years apart, and one is to backpack on the Pacific Crest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-kristof/there-are-very-few-things-i-ve-done-just-twice-in-my-life-40-years/) [Nicholas Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-kristof/) > [We journalists are a bit like vultures, feasting on war, scandal and disaster. Turn on the news, and you see Syrian refugees, Volkswagen corruption,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-kristof/we-journalists-are-a-bit-like-vultures-feasting-on-war-scandal-and/) [Nicholas Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-kristof/) > [Gays and lesbians began to gain civil rights when Americans realized that their brothers, cousins, daughters were gay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-kristof/gays-and-lesbians-began-to-gain-civil-rights-when-americans-realized/) [Nicholas Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-kristof/) [Explore all 98 Nicholas Kristof quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-kristof/) ## More Churches quotes > [Good churches are not built by bad men; at least, there must be probity and enthusiasm somewhere in the society. These minsters were neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/good-churches-are-not-built-by-bad-men-at-least-there-must-be-probity/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Those churches have closed down or have been merged with a church that has a more positive vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hybels/those-churches-have-closed-down-or-have-been-merged-with-a-church/) [Bill Hybels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hybels/) > [Churches have given us great treasures such as music and architecture. Whether that pays for the harm they have done is another matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/churches-have-given-us-great-treasures-such-as-music-and-architecture/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [I support gay unions. I think the government should get out of the marriage business completely - leave marriages to the churches. And grant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-johnson/i-support-gay-unions-i-think-the-government-should-get-out-of-the/) [Gary Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-johnson/) > [I am writing to all the churches to let it be known that I will gladly die for God if only you do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignatius-of-antioch/i-am-writing-to-all-the-churches-to-let-it-be-known-that-i-will/) [Ignatius of Antioch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignatius-of-antioch/) > [Prior to the Civil War, most libraries were either privately owned or housed in universities or churches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/prior-to-the-civil-war-most-libraries-were-either-privately-owned-or/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [By comparison with a night-club, churches are positively gay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/by-comparison-with-a-night-club-churches-are-positively-gay/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [It takes more than a great church to reach a city, it takes a great movement of churches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/it-takes-more-than-a-great-church-to-reach-a-city-it-takes-a-great/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“Gukora icyaha uri wenyine biroroha ariko kuramya Imana wenyine biragora”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-paul-gitwaza/gukora-icyaha-uri-wenyine-biroroha-ariko-kuramya-imana-wenyine/) [Dr Paul Gitwaza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-paul-gitwaza/) > [people say churches are half empty, they're not, they're too big](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-lock/people-say-churches-are-half-empty-they-re-not-they-re-too-big/) [Sean Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-lock/) > [Many new churches, I regret to say, can be described from the design point of view only as holy terrors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-boyd/many-new-churches-i-regret-to-say-can-be-described-from-the-design/) [Robin Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-boyd/) > [If there were no ministers and no priests, how long would there be any churches?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemuel-k-washburn-2/if-there-were-no-ministers-and-no-priests-how-long-would-there-be-any/) Lemuel K. Washburn > [If real churches exist, such persons are not called on to make them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-nelson-darby/if-real-churches-exist-such-persons-are-not-called-on-to-make-them/) [John Nelson Darby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-nelson-darby/) > [Churches that should be talking about the work of Christ on the cross and the grace of God for sinners are stuck on recycled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/churches-that-should-be-talking-about-the-work-of-christ-on-the-cross/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [It teaches us how to run our lives individually. How to run our families, how to run our churches. 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