"Saudi Arabia has officially identified atheists as terrorists in sweeping new laws that threaten up to 20 years in prison for almost any criticism of the government or Islam," The Daily Mail reported on April 1.
According to reports, the regulations place secular citizens who commit thought crimes in the same category as violent terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda's Yemen branch and Saudi Hezbollah.
In what is believed to be a move to deter Saudis from joining rebels in Syria, the new decree by King Abdullah, Saudi Arabia will jail anyone who fights in conflicts abroad for up to 20 years.
But the law also applies to any Saudi citizen or a foreigner residing in the kingdom that 'calls for atheist thought in any form or calls into question the fundamentals of the Islamic religion on which this country is based.'
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