Non-western Christians have always been persecuted and have always been in danger in the Kingdom.
Western Christians are normally tolerated as long as they keep it low-profile, but "easterners", Indians, Phillipinos, and others, are often harrassed. Their prayer leaders have been threatened with execution, although in the case I was aware of when I was there, the Phillipino ambassador groveled appropriately and their sentences were commuted from "death" to two years in prison.
This, sadly, is not new. And the muttawa have always been pencil-necked jerks, in need of some serious slapping around.
Solution, arm the 8 million foreign workers and let them take over the country.
>..the Phillipino ambassador groveled..<
What else could he do? Let his people be executed? You should know that Philippino laborers work under conditions akin to modern-day slavery.
I don't see the American ambassador stand up for the American expatriates. Go see the conditions in Riyadh, Jubail and Yanbu. We too kiss up to the Saudis on a daily basis and we are supposed to be a super power?