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Saudi ArabiaPEW Research Forum labels Saudi Arabia as one of the countries with "very high" government restrictions on religion, based on the fact it does not include any provisions for religious freedom in its constitution and basic laws. Saudi Arabia also ranks as "high" in PEW Forum's Social Hostilities Index, which means the country is part of the 15% of the countries of the world where anti-religious sentiments are very strong in all parts of society. Religious freedom does not exist in this heartland of Islam where citizens are only allowed to adhere to one religion. No legal protection is provided for freedom of religion, nor does this protection exist in practice. The legal system is based on Islamic law (sharia). Apostasy - conversion to another religion – is punishable by death if the accused does not recant. Although the government recognizes the right of non-Muslims to worship in private, the religious police "the Muttawa" often does not respect this right. The public practice of non-Muslim worship is prohibited as well in Saudi Arabia. Worshippers who engage in such activities risk arrest, imprisonment, lashing, deportation, and sometimes torture. Believers from a Muslim background also run the great risk of honor killing if their family or community discovers their faith. Most Christians in Saudi Arabia are expatriates who live and work temporarily in the country. The majority of them are from the Philippines. These foreign workers, besides being exploited and poorly paid, are regularly exposed to verbal and physical violence because of their Christian faith. Migrant domestic workers are even threatened with rape unless they convert to Islam. There are a number of converts from Islam who live their faith in deepest secret. However, their number is increasing recently and they are also becoming bolder about their faith. We received reports of several Christians being physically harmed for their faith. The total number of Christians facing this kind of persecution is probably a lot higher, but it is hard to receive sufficient information on this from a closed country like the Wahhabist Kingdom. A number of Christians fled the country because of oppression for faith-related reasons. In some cases their lives are at risk. Yohan Nese, 31 and Vasantha Sekhar Vara, 28, were arrested on Jan. 21, 2011, for attending a prayer meeting with other Indian nationals and accused of converting Muslims to Christianity. Religious police interrogated and beat them and they were kept in horrible conditions in prison. On May 30, Vasantha was released and on July 12, Yohan was released. Both returned to India. On February 12, a foreign worker was arrested in Jeddah after discussing faith issues with Muslims close to a mosque. At first he faced the death penalty, but it was ultimately decided to deport him to his home country. Because of these arrests, the points for Saudi Arabia increased somewhat compared to the previous WWL reporting period (64.5 last year versus 67.5 this year) when we did not receive any reports of arrests of Christians. This brings Saudi Arabia from position four to position three in the current WWL. "The rule of the Al Saud family will face a number of challenges in 2012-16, including a potentially fractious succession process and wider demands for political reform. Despite the holding of the country's second municipal elections on September 29, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EUI) does not expect any democratic reform or any move to an elected parliament before 2016," states an EIU brief. If the political situation does not change, the situation for Christians is not expected to improve, as the country seems to be heading for some more years of regime continuity. As the number of Christian converts from Islam is increasing, along with their boldness in sharing their new faith, Christians face the risk of more persecution and oppression in Saudi Arabia in the near future. |
