Saudi Christian Convert Arrested and Jailed

Asia News ^ | 12/17/04

[marshmallow]

Jeddah (AsiaNews) – A Saudi citizen converted to Christianity has been arrested and jailed. Emad Alaabadi was taken into custody last November 29, at Hofuf, a town in eastern Saudi Arabia, but the news was reported only a few days ago by the International Christian Concern (ICC), a Washington-based human rights group. AsiaNews local sources have confirmed the report, and also say that he “is not the only Saudi Christian in jail at the moment: there are also others”.

According to news obtained by ICC, other Christians – at least 3 or 4 – appear to have been arrested along with Emad. The presence of Christians in Saudi prisons had also been confirmed by Brian O’Connor, in an interview with AsiaNews. Brian Savio O’Connor is a Protestant Indian who was deported from Saudi Arabia after being tortured and held in prison for “having preached Christianity”. Upon his return to India, O’Connor told AsiaNews that “there are still many other Christians that need your help in Saudi prisons”.

Last November 29, Amad was intercepted by the Muttawa, Saudi religion police, while he was driving his children home from school. The police escorted them home and then took Amad to the local prison. Later he was transferred to Jeddah, were he is currently imprisoned. On December 4, he managed to contact his mother, who lives in Australia, by telephone, to let her know what had happened and where he was. The mother reported that he sounded very weak: ICC said that the Muttawa agents probably tortured the Christian-faith Amad to reconvert him to Islam.

Alaabadi is 30 years old and has 4 children. He became Christian 2 years ago, but it is not known to what denomination he belongs.

Fundamentalist Wahhabi Islam is the only expression of religion allowed in Saudi Arabia. There is no religious freedom in the country, even if Saudi officials have been tolerating the private practice of other religions. However, the Saudi religion police, the Muttawa, continues to persecute Christians in their homes where they meet to pray.

The construction of churches or chapels is not allowed in the country. Muslims make up 93.7% of the Saudi population of 21.6 million people. Christians, who are almost entirely foreigners, account for 3.7% of the population. There are 800,000 Catholics. There are no exact figures on the number of Saudi Christians. (LF)

[2banana]

And Muslims get upset because they have to hear Church Bells or the words "Merry Christmas"

[NJ_gent]

"Fundamentalist Wahhabi Islam is the only expression of religion allowed in Saudi Arabia. There is no religious freedom in the country, even if Saudi officials have been tolerating the private practice of other religions. However, the Saudi religion police, the Muttawa, continues to persecute Christians in their homes where they meet to pray."

Remember - the Saudis are our friends. [/s]

[BMC1]

Another religion of Peace update. Merry CHRISTMAS to all Muslims.

[Wurlitzer]

Must be a great religion that is so afraid of different ideas. When inferior people believe in an inferior religion they will live in hell holes forever.

[wideawake]

If the truth of Christ can change hearts in the darkest reaches of Satanic Islam, then the Church still has much good work in can accomplish.

[joesnuffy]

Fundamentalist Wahhabi Islam is the only expression of religion allowed in Saudi Arabia.

So naturally they are the one's whose arses we regularly kiss...and are the primary exporters of both terror doctrine and the murderers of 09-11

They fund HAMAS...and CAIR and build their mosques, Islamic Centers and buy up large tracts of US rural property for their 'summer camps'

They DONT build 'moderate mosques' or send teams of 'moderate' missionaries abroad to 'take back' the Islamic religion some folks claim has been 'hijacked'....

The bible says 'by their works you will know them'...how much 'work' will we allow them today inside our own country and how much work will we allow them to do on behalf the 'insurgents' in Iraq..?

Religion of Peace
We all worship the same God
Many paths to God
Yadda Yadda Yadda
imo

[The_Reader_David]

The problem with Saudi Arabia is that the realistic alternatives to the House of Saud when it took power, when the U.S. started being cozy with it, and now, are all even worse.

[NJ_gent]

"The problem with Saudi Arabia is that the realistic alternatives to the House of Saud when it took power, when the U.S. started being cozy with it, and now, are all even worse."

The clear solution being to dissociate ourselves from Saudi Arabia and clean out any and all direct ties to them. Cut out financial aid, stop buying their oil, put embargos in against them, and starve them financially while they bleed out. Yes, more extreme individuals will likely take power. If they attack us, we then move in there with the military in a full-scale strike to obliterate their military, political, and economic assets.

Eventually we're going to figure out that putting our wallet before our national security is a bad thing.

[William of Orange]

Clintonesque appeasement will not work with the Saudis. It's a pity that Bush is yet to realize that, especially when you consider his handling of the Saddam/Taleban problem which was very decisive.

[Squawk 8888]

I guess they mellowed out- Islam dictates that apostates should be killed. "Moderate" Islam means jail instead of death.

[The_Reader_David]

Ooo. . .occupying the Muslim holy land. Now there's a strategy that's sure to isolate the Wahabbists, existentialist-influenced Muslim brotherhood types and the rest of the crazies we're fighting from the vast sea of Muslims who basically go about their daily lives ignoring the notion of jihad.

[NJ_gent]

Handling of Afghanistan I'd say was alright. Handling of Iraq I'd say could have been better (on the part of military planners, more than anyone), but the President's personal handling of North Korea and Saudi Arabia have been terrible. The Saudis are not our friends, and it's starting to look more and more like we've simply given up trying to deal with North Korea. If and when they're allowed to finish work on the Tae-po Dong III, we're going to see the first live-action test of our missile shield system. Will it work? Maybe it will, maybe it won't, maybe it will catch some and not others. While I support the construction and testing of the system, I do not support relying on it as the sole protection for millions of Americans.

What good is pre-emptive action if it's only used against marginally effective militaries that don't present an immediate and dire threat while more effective militaries that do present immediate and dire threats are allowed to continue unchallenged?

[NJ_gent]

"Ooo. . .occupying the Muslim holy land."

If you are attacked, you should completely and totally annihilate that which attacked you. If Saudi Arabia attacks us (following our severing of all ties with them), then we should destroy them militarily and economically. Swift and overwhelming force worked wonders for the romans right up until they stopped doing it. I don't care about occupying anything - I care about making it so our enemies are unable to continue attacks against us, and I don't think our military responses should be vetoed by the potential misunderstandings of a group of people. Kill the people trying to kill you. That doesn't mean all Muslims, nor all arabs. It means what it means - kill the people trying to kill you, whoever, wherever, whatever they may be.

[bluebeak]

It drives me nuts when our politicians, etc. refer to areas the muslim/islamic worlds or lands.

Where the F is that on a map?

Or the "ARAB" world/lands ...

Is Lebanon included in this? What about Sudan and other "ARFICAN" countries?

What do they mean or accept by saying a country is a muslim/islamic country? That persecution and discrimination of others is okay? Why does the UN (Useless Nations) tolerate religious persecution?

[johniegrad]

You are correct. This is all about their fears. They live in such fear of their own "religion" that they are incapable of tolerating dissent about it. Very evil set of beliefs.

[OneTimeLurker]

And I wonder if Mr. Bush will bring this up next time he has his good buddy Bandar over to the ranch. I won't hold my breath.