Christian Freedom International

SAULT STE. MARIE, MI (Christian Freedom International) -- In a June 2, interview with the BBC, President Obama said, “There are misapprehensions on the part of the West about the Muslim world, and obviously there are some big misapprehensions about the Muslim world when it comes to those of us in the West.”

Nowhere are these “big misapprehensions” more reinforced than in Saudi Arabia where women have few, if any, basic rights and non-Muslims, especially Christians, have none.

For example, women in the Kingdom are not allowed to study law and engineering. They cannot vote, travel without the explicit approval of their husband or a male guardian, drive, or work in most government offices. Even when hired in a private office, they are usually put in a separate room from men. They also most wear an “abaya” -- a neck-to-ankle black robe, and cover their hair with a black scarf.

In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, residents were recently granted permission to see a movie. The Saudi-made comedy about a Bedouin who moves to the big city was the first film shown in the Saudi capital in 30 years. Naturally, no women were allowed into the performance.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is an Islamic theocratic monarchy in which Sunni Islam is the official religion; the law requires that all Saudi citizens be Muslims. Religious freedom is virtually non-existent. The Saudi government does not provide legal recognition or protection for freedom of religion, and it is severely restricted in practice.

Saudi Arabia allows Christians to enter the country as temporary workers, but does not allow them to practice their faith. Foreign Christians generally only worship in secret within private homes. Items and articles belonging to religions other than Islam are prohibited. These include Bibles, crucifixes, statues, carvings, items with religious symbols such as the Star of David, and others.

There are no official churches in Saudi Arabia. The small number Saudi Christians take enormous risks to meet in internet chat rooms and private meetings. If caught, they face severe consequences.

The Saudi Mutaween, or Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, i.e., the religious police, prohibits practice of the Christian religion.

Christianity is not only illegal, but the practice of Christianity -- even in secret -- is strictly forbidden and results in severe punishments if caught. Saudi Arabia stands out not only for its extremely harsh laws against all religion other than the Wahhabi branch of Islam, but also because it spends millions each year disseminating Islamic teachings around the world.

These religious literatures have been accused by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) of spreading intolerance among young Muslims by teaching them to hate “infidels,” or non-believers.

Saudi Arabia forbids missionary work by any religion other than Wahabi/Salafi Islam. “Freedom of religion does not exist,” the U.S. State Department's 1997 Human Rights Report on Saudi Arabia states. “Islam is the official religion, and all citizens must be Muslims. The government prohibits the public practice of other religions.”

When traveling to Saudi Arabia, the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh provides the following advice:

• Islam is the official religion of the country and pervades all aspects of life in Saudi Arabia. Public display of non-Islamic religious articles such as crosses and Bibles is not permitted;
• The norms for public behavior in Saudi Arabia are extremely conservative, and religious police, known as Mutawwa, are charged with enforcing these standards;
• To ensure that conservative standards of conduct are observed, the Saudi religious police have accosted or arrested foreigners, including U.S. citizens, for improper dress or other alleged infractions;
• The Saudi Embassy in Washington advises women traveling to Saudi Arabia to dress in a conservative fashion in public, wearing ankle-length dresses with long sleeves and not pants. In many areas of Saudi Arabia, particularly Riyadh and the central part of the Kingdom, Mutawwa pressure women to wear a full-length black covering known as an Abaya, and to cover their heads;
• Some Mutawwa try to enforce the rule that men and women who are beyond childhood years may not mingle in public unless they are family or close relatives. Mutawwa may ask to see proof that a couple is married or related. Women who are arrested for socializing with a man who is not a relative may be charged with prostitution;
• Some restaurants, particularly fast-food outlets, have refused to serve women who are not accompanied by a close male relative. In addition, many restaurants no longer have a “family section” in which women are permitted to eat;
• Penalties for breaking the law can be more severe than in the United States for similar offenses. Persons violating Saudi Arabian laws, even unknowingly, may be expelled, arrested, imprisoned or even executed.
• Suspects may be detained without charges or legal counsel, and with limited consular access, for months during the investigative stage of criminal cases.
• The government prohibits the public practice of religions other than Islam. Non-Muslims suspected of violating these restrictions have been jailed.

Likewise, freedom of speech and the press are restricted to forbid criticism of the government or endorsement of un-Islamic values. Trade unions and political organizations are banned. Public demonstrations are forbidden. The Saudi Government is an active censor of Internet reception within its borders.

Saudi Arabia is one of a number of countries where courts continue to impose corporal punishment, including amputations of hands and feet for robbery, and flogging for “lesser crimes.” The number of lashes is not clearly prescribed by law and is varied according to the discretion of judges, and ranges from dozens of lashes to several thousand, usually applied over a period of weeks or months.

Saudi Arabia also engages in capital punishment, including public executions by beheading, usually with a sword. So far this year, the Kingdom has beheaded 37 people. Last year, 102 people were beheaded.

In a major speech to the Muslim world in Cairo, President Obama promised the Muslim world a new relationship with the United States based on mutual interest and respect. The question remains: why didn’t the President place a stronger demand on Muslims to reciprocate the effort.

According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, 17 of the 27 countries targeted for religious persecution contains a Muslim majority – including Saudi Arabia. President Obama has said that the West has been perceived by Muslims to be hostile to the traditions of Islam, but the fact is that no Christian majority society anywhere today oppresses Muslims.

At the conclusion of his remarks in Cairo, President Obama stated that “there’s one rule that lies at the heart of every religion -- that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us.” These words are clearly from Matthew 7:12 in the Bible, however, not all religions have the words of Jesus Christ at their hearts.

The truth of the matter is that Muslim nations must reciprocate that mutual interest and respect that President Obama speaks of…and that means treating Christians the same way Islamic governments demand that Western nations treat Muslims. That will go a long way in dispelling the “big misapprehensions” about the Muslim world by the West.