09/11/2019 Saudi Arabia (International Christian Concern) – US Evangelists and leaders traveled to Saudi Arabia this week, on the eve of 9/11, to meet with the Crown Prince, Mohammed Bin Salman, to discuss societal reforms.
The meeting comes 10 months after a similar delegation visited the country in November 2018, at the invitation of the Crown Prince. This time, the delegation consisted of representatives from churches, Billy Graham Association, President Trump’s Evangelical Council, CBN, National Religious Broadcasters, and UNHRC. Together they discussed Saudi Arabia’s battle against terrorism, peace processes and steps towards religious freedom and human rights.
They released a joint statement reflecting on their time with the Crown Prince saying, “frankly we’re delighted at the scope of the developments even as we look with expectation for more change. We are also patient friends with realistic expectations that it will take time to reform what took years to create”.
In regards to religious freedom, the Crown Prince has engaged in dialogue about the issue, but is lacking in concrete steps to move the country forward. As reported by Open Doors, direct violence against Christians is comparatively low, but it is persecution in church, community, family and private lives that marks Saudi Arabia as one of the top 15 on the World Watch List and a Tier 1 Country of Particular Concern.
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