The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia has ordered “sinful” statues depicting horses to be demolished from the centre of a roundabout in the kingdom’s far southwest.
Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Sheikh, the kingdom’s top cleric, ordered the governor of Jazan, a coastal city, to smash the statues because they are forbidden in Islam.
“The sculptures [must] be removed because they are a great sin and are prohibited under Sharia (Islamic law),” a letter from the Sheikh said, according to local Arabic media.
Artworks depicting people and animals is prohibited under Islam, which considers it a form of idolatry. The religion does allow artworks depicting plants and landscapes.
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