PARIS (Reuters) - Turkey's top Muslim cleric has stepped into an international row over Christianity on the Arabian Peninsula, rejecting comments attributed to the Saudi grand mufti that all churches there should be destroyed.

Mehmet Gormez, head of the Religious Affairs Directorate in Ankara, told a Turkish newspaper that Islam respected the rights of other faiths and calls for the destruction of churches went against centuries of tolerance.

Reports that Saudi Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al al-Shaikh had issued a fatwa, or religious order, against churches last month prompted protests from Christian bishops in Austria, Germany and Russia and provoked a storm on Christian websites around the world.

Gormez, in an interview published by Turkish newspaper Today's Zaman on Friday, said: "The mentioned opinion is evidently against the aims of Islam (and) against the Muslim tradition's established practice of respecting non-Muslims' rights as well."

"We strongly believe that this declaration has left dark shadows upon the concept of rights and freedoms in Islam that have always been observed," he added.

Saudi Arabia does not allow churches on its territory, citing a saying of the Prophet Mohammad that there cannot be two religions on the Arabian Peninsula. But neighbouring Gulf states have long had churches and some allow new ones to be built.

PERSONAL OPINION OR OFFICIAL STATEMENT?

The row started when Kuwaiti daily newspaper Al-Anba on March 11 quoted the grand mufti as saying churches were not allowed on the Arabian Peninsula and existing ones should be demolished.

"Kuwait is part of the Arabian Peninsula, and the Arabian Peninsula must demolish any churches that exist, because... the Prophet instructed us that there is no place for two religions in," Shaikh said according to a copy of the Al-Anba interview published by the Middle East Media Research Institute.

The interview went unnoticed in local media but was picked up in Arabic and English translation by websites outside Kuwait, some of which described the statement as a fatwa.

The reports of Shaikh's comment provoked rare and sharp criticism from leading bishops in the Russian Orthodox Church and Catholic churches in Germany and Austria.

German Archbishop Robert Zollitsch said it "shows no respect for the religious freedom and free co-existence of religions", especially concerning foreign workers.

At least 3.5 million Christians live in the Gulf Arab region, mostly Catholic workers from India and the Philippines.

It was not clear how the reported statement came to be described as a fatwa, which would make it an official ruling reflecting the view of Saudi Islam, rather than Shaikh's personal opinion.

A Saudi official, who asked not to be named, noted that fatwas were officially issued by the Dar al Iftaa, the office responsible for such religious rulings, and said no such document could be found in its records.

He declined to say more on the issue and Shaikh was not available for a comment.

(Additional reporting by Asma Alsharif in Jeddah, Angus McDowall in Riyad and Sylvia Westall in Kuwait; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

Copyright © 2013 Reuters

• Malaysia tycoon Vincent Tan plans IPO of football club Cardiff City
• Google, like Facebook, in talks to buy Waze for about US$1bil
• Crown selling entire 10% in rival Echo, partly owned by Genting(Update)
• First edition of 'Great Gatsby' to be sold at auction, can fetch US$150,000
• Malaysia leads the way in Basel III debt
• Markets face rough summer ride as Fed pullback feared
• Wall Street sags, HP hits 52-week high
• Commodities trader sues BP, Shell others for alleged oil price fixing
• Billionaire Icahn seeks up to US$7bil for Dell bid
• Google faces new federal antitrust probe
• Goldman Sachs unveils checks on conflicts in bid to fix tarnished image
• Air Asia's Tony Fernandes to ‘fire up’ investors
• Maybank bullish on growth, to expand regionally under new leadership
• Khazanah appoints Nor Mohamed deputy chairman
• Lafarge Malayan Cement to finalise next expansion plans by August

• US bridge collapse sends cars, people into river
• Strong quake strikes off Tonga
• Jury fails to decide on US murderer death sentence
• One killed in Brazil giant fuel depot blaze

• Kingston leads, McIlroy in Wentworth woe
• LPGA plans 12-hole rounds in water-logged Bahamas
• Ryan Palmer sizzles with 62 to seize lead at Colonial
• Kelly overcomes scare to clinch title in KLGCC
• Time to make amends Garcia wants to meet Woods to defuse racist row
• American Johnson back to defend Colonial crown
• Rain dampens debut of LPGA Bahamas event
• Tianlang adds another US event to schedule
• Clock ticking for next golden generation
• Nadal wants to create history at Roland Garros
• Serena out to tame French Open demons
• Zheng Jie stuns Wozniacki in Brussels
• British Open: Ramy Ashour racks up 38th successive win
• Nicol David sails into quarter-finals of British Open in 35 minutes
• BAM must stop rewarding mediocrity or be doomed

• Please wait.

• Singapore GDP growth surprises, beats economists’ forecast of contraction
• Air Asia's Tony Fernandes to ‘fire up’ investors
• KL car number plates to bear ‘W1A’
• Malaysia leads the way in Basel III debt
• Three held over May 13 statements
• Inventions a-plenty, but no real innovation
• Fernandes does his first firing in Apprentice Asia
• Malaysia tycoon Vincent Tan plans IPO of football club Cardiff City
• Lower profit for Unico-Desa, hit by depressed CPO prices
• Daibochi expanding exports to S-E Asia and Australia