Mutawa units, Saudi Arabia’s religious police, have been busy this month arresting Christians who practice their faith in the Kingdom. While Saudi Arabia has led the fight to create an international blasphemy crime and objected to every minor slight to Islam, it is one of the most repressive and intolerant regimes for religious freedom in the world. It will not allow the building of a single church in the Kingdom and now is cracking down on those who pray to a Christian God. The latest arrests occurred among foreign workers at a private residence in Dammam.
Three Christian leaders were charged with the serious offense of seeking to convert Muslims to Christianity. Most nations on Earth believe that it is a human right to be able to choose your religion. Saudi Arabia and many Arab nation however treat conversion as a crime punishable by death or long incarceration. However, Saudi Arabia has objected to any limitations on Muslims building mosques or converting individuals in other nations.
Christians have recounted horrific tales of torture and abuse after their arrests. Dozens were arrested in 2011 in Jeddah. Recently, Abdulaziz ibn Abdullah Al al-Sheikh, the grand mufti of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, declared it is “necessary to destroy all the churches in the Arabian Peninsula.”
Source: Asia Net
Frankly,
You just don’t understand…. They are right…. Lol… Everyone else is wrong mentality….
I do understand…..
I apologize, my above comment was for Justice Holmes. Saving Kuwait is a small point – maybe just remember they too have an abundance of oil.
Earlier, I thought I had posted a comment in reply to Lrobby99 regarding my experiences while working in the mideast, primarily Kuwait and Iran (I know Persia) and to a lesser extent S.A.
My observations taught me that the Saudis and to a lesser extent the Arabs live by multiple standards. BTW, regarding the term ‘Arab” read Raphael Patai; The Arab Mind, a must for serious students of Arabia and Persia.
What many condemn as sinful practice (short of Christianity) is conducted by the accusers in the privacy of their own homes. And while in a foreign country, esp. Europe and America, they have been known to ‘sin’ to an extreme.
There are other examples of this multiplicity and often conflict of values and standards. I think it is part of their ‘culture’ and change is a concept that will only come from within. There is little evidence of any form of religious or cultural change in S.A. Not much of an Arab Spring in the Arabian peninsula. It is still an homogenous culture.
Mark Twain once said: “Generalizations are no damn good – including this one.” Yet, there is some truth in what I have experience. But why not understand instead of complain or try to change??
Spindell, your comment does not disprove my post. And no nation executes more than does the USA. Well, maybe NK does..
P Smith.Christians and Jews in the U.S. didn’t become violent when they became majoritys
Jesus was not violent when he was only one. How can numbers make a good person? Jesus needs to be in every one of us. People think safety in numbers. That is a false sense of security That false sense of security can be broken easily resulting in a cry for war. That is not safety with Jesus in the soul.
Prayer is to be constant according to KJV without ceasing. Muslims are the religious sodomites wanting worse for whoever.
Justice Holmes – Instead of whining about fair comparisons, why not address the fact that ALL religions try to oppress and eliminate competing religions? Hindus do it, christians do it, jews do it, buddhists do it, etc. ad nauseum.
Wherever religions have achieved a majority, they always become violent.
The people in the US who will be the most bothered by this are the people who want to do it – the rabidly religious who want to ban any religious practice except for christianity, as well as enforce christianity on others. Seeing christians arrested in another country doesn’t bother them as much as being unable to arrest non-christians in the US.
Maybe those that are saying the christians did it are proposing that we should allow and encourage such behavior? Why else would you make such a comparison other than to advocate they have the right to make a’s of themselves, and in the process kill hundreds of thousands or millions of people.
Islam the new natizem
“Saudi women are pushing hard to drive cars. I believe it will happen, and will be a huge step forward when it does. Until then they stumble along and we watch.”
Lrobby99,
I’m sure if you explained that to the three Christians facing death, or a long imprisonment, they would be quite relieved at the progress.
AY – USED to? You have not been paying attention to what those peace-loving Christians in the US have been doing when Muslims try to build a mosque here. Hell, we had a Buddhist temple trashed near Minneapolis a little while back by a group that apparently can’t ell one group of towel heads from another (to speak in their vernacular).
This whole deal is religious insanity at its finest. I might be willing to give some groups a little more leeway as they do not actively attempt to convert people of other beliefs but this falls well outside that tiny strip.
The Saudi Kingdom, in an historic first ever, just appointed 30 women to the 120 member Shura Council. The King himself pushed this through. The operative word being used in the Kingdom for what you and I would term badly needed progress is “slow”. The progress itself is deliberate, but slow. Picture a rural Southern grade school of the ’50’s suddenly hiring all black male teachers. Think of the outrage. The Kingdom is filled with people equally adamant to protect their own old ways. Saudi women are pushing hard to drive cars. I believe it will happen, and will be a huge step forward when it does. Until then they stumble along and we watch.
Justice Holmes:
I agree with you. Well said.
Come to think of it, it is cold and bleak here today.
AY:
how does what happened 100’s of years in the past have any bearing on those living today?
At some point in the past, I will bet one of my ancestors was a slave to someone. How does that effect me? Or how does the Crusades or the Moorish incursion into Spain in the 700’s have any bearing on people today except as a history lesson?
I am really tired of people giving the Saudis a pass under the cover of “the Christians did the same thing”. The House of Saud is an intolerant, mysogonistic, anti democratic, theocratic dictatorship that bankrolls terrorists in the 21st Century. The US saved them and their oil from Sadam During the first “Gulf War” and how did they repay that collosial mistake. Let me count the ways they turned on us. Until the US makes up its mind that throwing money at theocratic dictators and dictator wannabes in the Middle East does nothing but buy us enemies as one of our newest friend/enemy Mr. Morsi of Egypt has told us we will continue to bankrupt ourselves while fueling the violence and destruction in the Middle East.
I agree with the suggestion that all the women and and all the Christians in Saudi Arabia leave the country forthwith. Let us see how the House of Saud does then.
You wrote; The US saved them and their oil from Sadam During the first “Gulf War” …..
I think we saved Kuwait not Saudi Arabia.
Oilah Akbar.
rafflaw:
Time? I think it was time 60-70 years ago. We never needed their oil and it probably delayed production of our fields and alternative energy since theirs was so cheap.
Now, now…. The Christians used to do the same things….yes, to the Muslims…..
Because of God’s curse on Adam and Eve, the Saudis despise work that soils their hands. When women and those of other religions leave, God’s curse becomes reality. Couldn’t happen to a more deserving bunch.
Time for Christians and women to leave the country.