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Saudi Arabia
Map reflects the 30 most recent Persecution Reports. Click HERE for the Map Legend.
Friday, September 19th, 2014
A raid on a gathering of 28 Christians in the town of Khafiji, Saudi Arabia highlighted again the restrictive policies that the Saudi government places on all non-Sunni worship in the Kingdom. The country’s religious police detained all 28 of those gathered at the meeting and held them over night before releasing them.
Posted in Countries, Middle East, News, Saudi Arabia | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 16th, 2014
As the Christian church continues to face intense persecution across the Middle East, it comes as a surprise that this persecution is not a topic of major concern. Nothing highlights this more than when President Obama met with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in March and did not breathe a word on the subject of religious freedom. The lack of commitment to holding the standard of religious freedom signals a larger ignorance in the West for the persecution the Church in the Middle East is facing or a blatant disregard for it. Without action, Saudi Arabia’s persecution of Christians will threaten a larger scheme of global relations and further demonstrates the current unwillingness of the United States to stand for the rights of all.
Posted in Countries, Middle East, News, Saudi Arabia | No Comments »
Thursday, July 3rd, 2014
Tags:Africa, Asia, Burma, China, Eritrea, Human Rights, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, UDHR, USCIRF, Uzbekistan, Vietnam Posted in Africa, Burma, China, Countries, Eritrea, India, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, News, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Uzbekistan, Vietnam | No Comments »
Sunday, June 29th, 2014
All across the world Christians suffer for the expression of their faith. In some instances, that suffering can be as horrifying as the execution of Christians for their faith. In others, that suffering can be the loss of a job for representing Christ in the workplace. Both are forms of persecution that exist in the modern, and both must be addressed. In an exposé on worldwide persecution, Mariano Castillo and Dana Ford highlight the plight of Christians in seven countries in particular: Eritrea, Iraq, Nigeria, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and Sudan.
Tags:Africa, Al-Shabaab, Asia, Boko Haram, Eritrea, Iraq, ISIS, Islam, Middle East, Nigeria, North Korea, Radical, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan Posted in Africa, Asia, Countries, Eritrea, Iraq, Middle East, News, Nigeria, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan | No Comments »
Thursday, June 5th, 2014
Saudi Arabia is among the most restrictive places in the world for religious minorities. Despite millions of Christians living there as foreign workers, there is not a single church in the country. Charges of blasphemy and apostasy are not uncommon and carry with them a high price.
Posted in Countries, Middle East, News, Saudi Arabia | No Comments »
Thursday, June 5th, 2014
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia remains one of the most restrictive countries in the world in regards to religious freedom and human rights. Despite the fact that millions of Christians – largely foreign workers – live in the country, there is not a single place of worship. Saudi Arabia is officially an Islamic state, home to some of the most extreme interpretations of Islam. Those who express disagreement or dissent are regularly arrested on charges of apostasy or blasphemy.
Posted in Countries, Middle East, News, News Releases and Featured Articles, Saudi Arabia | No Comments »
Friday, May 9th, 2014
In the 2014 report released by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom they highlight the staggering rate of persecution taking place in the Middle East. While legislation and diplomatic tools are in place for the United States to address these concerns, the Obama administration has shown very little willingness to do so. From time to time public statements have been made, but very little true action has been taken to address the issue.
Posted in Africa, Countries, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, News, Saudi Arabia, Syria | No Comments »
Thursday, April 24th, 2014
Attacks on Christian minorities in the Middle East is far too often unreported. There are many factors to why this issue that affects so many is often ignored in the discussion of broader human rights abuses. Even when leaders like President Obama speak out on the issue there is often very little follow-up.
Posted in Countries, Iran, Iraq, Islam, Jordan, Lebanon, Middle East, News, Saudi Arabia, Syria | No Comments »
Saturday, April 12th, 2014
Speaking at an Easter event, British Prime Minister David Cameron raised the issue of Christian persecution. “It is the case that Christians are now the most persecuted religion around the world. “We should stand up against persecution of Christians and other faith groups wherever and whenever we can,” he told the audience including representatives of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
Posted in Africa, Countries, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Islam, Lebanon, Middle East, News, Saudi Arabia, Syria | No Comments »
Sunday, April 6th, 2014
A recent study has show that there are more incidents of religiously motivated violence in countries that lack religious diversity. Both Somalia and Afghanistan are among the least religiously diverse countries in the world and top the list for countries with the most religiously motivated incidents of violence. Across the Muslim world, Christians living in Muslim majority countries face daily persecution. Take a moment to pray for them today.
Posted in Afghanistan, Africa, Asia, Bangladesh, China, Countries, India, Iran, Iraq, Islam, Israel, Middle East, News, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, United Arab Emirates | No Comments »
Thursday, April 3rd, 2014
When President Obama met with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, he missed an opportunity to speak out for the protection of fundamental human rights, including those of Christians living in one of the most restrictive countries. President Obama has repeatedly claimed that promoting these rights are a key objective of his foreign policy, but in actions he has not demonstrated this. Key positions in his administration remain vacant and in addressing those with serious issues the United States has missed numerous opportunities.
Posted in Countries, News, Saudi Arabia | No Comments »
Thursday, April 3rd, 2014
According to a recent report, more and more Muslim majority countries are beginning to enforce Islamic blasphemy laws to the determent of religious minorities. In many cases, the people who suffer the most under blasphemy laws are religious minorities. Many believe that blasphemy laws are not compatible with international human rights standards because the violate individuals religious freedom and free speech right.
Tags:Africa, Asia, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Middle East, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan Posted in Africa, Asia, Countries, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Middle East, News, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 1st, 2014
Last week President Obama met with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is one of the most restrictive governments in the world for Christians and for other religious minorities. Despite a letter from 70 members of congress urging the president to address these issues, he did not. President Obama has said that promoting religious freedom and human rights is a key objective of his foreign policy, and yet in a meeting with the king of one of the most egregious violators in the world, he said nothing.
Posted in Countries, Middle East, News, Saudi Arabia | No Comments »
Saturday, March 29th, 2014
International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that President Obama did not publicly broach the subject of religious freedom during his visit Friday with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, despite a letter from 70 members of Congress urging him to do so on Thursday. “Obama had not had time to raise concerns about the kingdom’s human rights record,” U.S. officials said according to Reuters.
Posted in Countries, Middle East, News, News Releases and Featured Articles, Saudi Arabia | No Comments »
Friday, March 28th, 2014
Ahead of President Obama’s visit to Saudi Arabia, 70 members of congress sent a letter to the President urging him to raise human rights and religious freedom issues with King Abdullah during his meeting. The letter received support from International Christian Concern and other NGOs supporting religious freedoms, as well as groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch that address larger human rights abuses.
Posted in Countries, Middle East, News, Saudi Arabia | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 26th, 2014
As President Obama is about to meet with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, 50+ members of Congress are calling for him to address human rights issues while he is there. Saudi Arabia, while a close ally of the United States, is one of the most restrictive governments in the world in preventing any form of Christian worship. This has serious implications when considering that millions of foreign workers, many who are Christian, live in Saudi Arabia and yet have no churches or places of worship.
Posted in Countries, Middle East, News, Saudi Arabia | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 25th, 2014
Is promoting religious freedom abroad a priority in President Obama’s foreign policy? A few members of Congress certainly think it should be. On Thursday, the President will be getting a letter from more than 50 representatives urging him to publicly address human rights and religious freedom during his upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia.
Posted in Countries, Middle East, News, News Releases and Featured Articles, Saudi Arabia | No Comments »
Thursday, March 13th, 2014
A surprising fact that many are not aware of is that the Arab peninsula is home to more than 2 million Catholics. At a time when the region is seeing an exodus of its Christian population, there are hundreds of thousands of Catholics coming to the region, largely as foreign workers. This is creating challenges regarding the treatment of minority faiths in the heartland of Islam. There have been some steps towards the opening of a church in Bahrain that would serve as the cathedral for Northern Arabia. Protecting the rights of foreign workers – both their personal and religious rights – is a topic that the countries of the Arab peninsula most seriously consider.
Posted in Bahrain, Countries, Kuwait, Middle East, News, Saudi Arabia | No Comments »
Thursday, February 20th, 2014
According to sources in Egypt, an agreement has been reached to officially open a Coptic church in Saudi Arabia. This is being described as the first church ever built inside Saudi Arabia. It is unclear whether the church would be permitted to accept Saudi nationals who may wish to come. There are estimated to be more than a million foreign Christians living inside Saudi Arabia who have very limited access to religious activities or services. A formal church would be a step in the right direction, though is largely symbolic rather than a substantive change of policy towards Christianity.
Posted in Africa, Countries, Egypt, Middle East, News, Saudi Arabia | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 19th, 2014
Christians face a rising level of religious freedom around the world, and especially in the Middle East. Two recent studies from respected research organizations, Pew Forum and Open Doors, have highlighted the massive scale of the issue. Many are pushing for the United States to make the protection of religious minorities a core part of foreign policy, which the administration says that it already is. The problem has been in the failure to back the rhetoric with action. While there are political issues involved, it is imperative that the positions that exist to protect religious minorities be quickly filled if the United States is to have any credibility behind its claims to be a defender of religious freedom.
Posted in Afghanistan, Africa, Asia, Countries, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Middle East, Morocco, News, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, West Bank and Gaza, Yemen | No Comments »
Friday, February 14th, 2014
Lawmakers listened to testimony from experts and religious leaders highlighting the persecution of Christians that is rampant across the Middle East. As a representative from the Vatican stated, Arab Christians “find themselves the target of constant harassment for no reason other than their religious faith.” The United States has an important role to play in leading the conversation to find solutions to religiously based discrimination and persecution.
Posted in Africa, Countries, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Islam, Jordan, Middle East, Morocco, News, Palestine, Palestinian Areas, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, West Bank and Gaza, Yemen | No Comments »
Monday, January 27th, 2014
While 2013 marked a very difficult year for Christian communities around the world, 2014 may be even more dangerous. The Middle East saw unprecedented levels of persecution, especially in Syria, where Open Doors recorded 1,213 Christian martyrs in 2013. Western media and governments can do more to cover the subject and to pressure nations who allow religious persecution to step in and protect Christians from violence.
Posted in Countries, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, News, Saudi Arabia, Syria | No Comments »
Thursday, January 23rd, 2014
The following article provides an excellent overview of the situation for Christians across the Middle East who, if current trends continue, are facing extinction. It also asks the pivotal question, why isn't the West outraged? For a decade the Middle East has been emptying of Christians by the hundreds of thousands as radical Islamic movements in the region become increasingly violent. Syria, Iraq, and Egypt are perhaps the best examples of this trend. ICC is actively working to raise awareness and bring assistance to many of these communities.
Posted in Countries, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, News, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria | No Comments »
Friday, January 10th, 2014
In the latest report highlighting the status of Christian persecution around the world, 9 out of the top 10 countries are Muslim majority states, and Islamic extremism is the primary cause of their persecution of Christians. North Korea again holds the spot at #1 for the worst persecutor of Christians, but behind that it is Islamic extremism that is largely driving the problem. Another troubling aspect has been the relatively silence of the United States government on the issue, despite efforts within Congress to make it a higher priority for the State Department and the White House.
Posted in Africa, Countries, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Islam, Jordan, Middle East, News, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Syria | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 8th, 2014
A newly released study documents that more than 2,100 Christians were killed as “martyr’s” in 2013. The greatest increase was seen in Syria. With a reported 1,213 deaths, Syria alone eclipsed the global total of 1,201 from 2012. The report is intentionally narrow in its definition of “martyr” and tries to distinguish between Christians killed in the midst of broader conflict and those killed explicitly for their faith. Nine of the ten worst persecuting countries are Muslim-majority states. As a whole, the report finds that “Islamist extremism is the worst persecutor of the worldwide church.”
Posted in Afghanistan, Africa, Asia, Countries, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Islam, Middle East, News, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 7th, 2014
The following interview with Thomas Farr, director of the Religious Freedom Project at Georgetown University, provides important insight into why Christians play such an important role in the Middle East and how the promotion of religious freedom and the protection of Christians specifically is in the best interests of all peoples in the Middle East, and even in the West as well.
Posted in Africa, Countries, Egypt, Iraq, Islam, Jordan, Lebanon, Middle East, News, Palestine, Palestinian Areas, Saudi Arabia, Syria | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 10th, 2013
Blasphemy and defamation of religion laws continue to repress the Christian faith in countries across the world. Known for inciting violence, accusations and prosecutions on the basis of blasphemy or religious defamation have proven detrimental to the free exercise of religion and harmful to minority Christian communities throughout the world. Social hostilities, advanced by cultures of impunity, continue to pose a serious threat to Christians worldwide.
Tags:Africa, Asia, Egypt, Europe, Indonesia, Iran, Middle East, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Turkey Posted in Africa, Asia, Countries, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Middle East, News, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Turkey | 1 Comment »
Friday, June 14th, 2013
“The conclusion of a new report by the US Hudson Institute researcher Lela Gilbert is clear and unequivocal: gender-based violence plays a key strategic role in the plans of those who wish to eradicate Christians and Christian belief from Muslim lands.”
Tags:Africa, Egypt, Iran, Middle East, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia Posted in Africa, Egypt, Iran, Middle East, News, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia | 1 Comment »
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