Saudi Arabia: Crackdown in Saudi Arabia, Page 2

September 2001

Articles in this issue:  Saudi Arabia, Page 1 | Saudi Arabia, Page 2 | Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Page 3 | Indonesia, Page 4

“Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me, His prisoner; but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God.” 2 Timothy 1:8

Crackdown in Saudi Arabia!

	Prabhu Isaac and family

Behind bars in the heart of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Christian prisoners are praying. In the Sharafia, Ruias, and Malaz prisons, Christians who have been caught practicing their religion are held for months in cramped and inhumane conditions. Prisoners are commonly placed in non-ventilated cells where the desert heat causes temperatures to easily reach 120° F. Moreover, prisoners are often subjected to torture by their guards.

Christian Wilfredo “Willy” Caliaug, a Filipino, was imprisoned on the night of July 5, 2001. Willy was wrongfully charged for “illegal use of an alias” (he used his nickname “Willy”). He suffered a heat stroke as a result of the stifling heat inside his detention cell. In a state of coma, he was finally sent to the Intensive Care Unit of the Red Sea Abdul Aziz Hospital and placed on life support. Thank God that after two days he be conscience! At the hospital Willy was refused medicines for scratches, bruises and skin conditions that he had suffered while in prison. One unconfirmed source reported that two of Willy’s inmates died as a result of heatstroke. Willy testified that during his detention, he was accused “of being a religious teacher” and was questioned about the underground network of Christians in Jeddah. On August 13th, Willy was quietly deported from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia has been sweeping the country with arrests and deportations of expatriate Christian residents, most notably in the past 3 years. The public practice of any religion besides Islam is against the strict Islamic laws of Saudi Arabia. All citizens must follow their religious book (The Qu’ran) according to the strict sect of the Wahhabi Muslim leaders. Anyone accused of proselytizing or apostasy are sentenced to death by beheading. Of course, Muslims themselves are encouraged to force their religion on others at any time. The muttawa, or religious police, are the ever-present enforcers of this religious environment. A number of Christian prisoners have reported that they were pressured and even tortured in an attempt to persuade them to become Muslims. Non-Muslims can be arrested, lashed and/or deported for religious activity that attracts the attention of the authorities. There are still cash rewards given to informants who provide the names and locations of Christian leaders and meetings.

The most recent wave of arrests in Saudi Arabia has occurred in Jeddah, a city until now unaffected by the Saudis’ no-tolerance policy towards Christians. This wave began on the night of July 18, 2001 when six members of the Saudi Ministry of Interior (MOI) and one muttawa raided the home of Prabhu Isaac. As Indian nationals, he and his wife had been working at a hospital in Saudi Arabia for the last 17 years. As the MOI officials entered the Isaac home, they separated Prabhu and his wife Socilia and interrogated them for 3 ½ hours in separate rooms. Then they confiscated Prabhu’s computer, family photo albums, Bibles, song books, and all of his audio and video cassettes. The muttawa detained Prabhu, taking him to the Sharafia Prison under authority of the MOI. Prabhu was subjected to psychological torture until he was forced to give out the names of other Christian leaders.

Six days later in the middle of the night, five agents of the MOI raided the home of Eskinder Menghis, an Eritrean Christian whose name was revealed during the torture sessions with Prabhu Isaac. Eskinder was taken to the Ruias Prison in Jeddah, where he too was subjected to intense pressure to reveal information about the network of Christian fellowships in Jeddah.

Having achieved their diabolical goal of discovering the names of underground Christian leaders throughout the city, the MOI began to round up the Christians one by one. To date the following people have been arrested by the MOI: Prabhu Isaac [Indian] taken July 19; Eskinder Menghis [Eritrean] taken on July 25th; four taken on Aug. 19 that included Tensaye Gezachew [Ethiopian], Ibrahim Mohammed (Gebeyew) [Ethiopian], Kebrom Haile [Eritrean], Afobunor Okey Buliamin (Benjamin) [Nigerian]; Baharu Mengistu [Ethiopian] taken Aug. 20; Beferdu Fikre [Ethiopian] taken Aug. 21; Dennis Moreno [Filipino] and Joseph Girmaye [Eritrian] both taken Aug. 29; Worku and Tishome [both Ethiopian] taken Sept. 1; Araya Gesesew [Ethiopian] taken on Sept. 4; and Tishome Kebret [Ethiopian] taken on unknown date. [Please check the ICC web site for possible updates on these arrests and possible additional arrests.]

(Click here for more information on Saudi Arabia.)

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POSTED:  August 26, 2001

September 2001

Articles in this issue:  Saudi Arabia, Page 1 | Saudi Arabia, Page 2 | Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Page 3 | Indonesia, Page 4