Deported for Practicing Christianity

A “diversity of clerics” gathered in Madrid last month for the World Conference on Dialogue organized by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, an interfaith dialogue designed to bring all religions together in a spirit of cooperation and mutual understanding, etc blah yak; yes, we’ve heard it all before…

According to the Arab News:

The fact that the conference has taken place at all is one that many commented on yesterday. “Who would have imagined such an event as this after 9/11?” said one British participant. An Arab bishop expressed much the same astonishment, but it was astonishment laced with strong admiration: “I never imagined to see so many faiths here.”

Anglican and Roman Catholic priests and Jewish rabbis were equally surprised. For them, the importance of the conference was not what it may achieve in final statements, significant though they may be, but in itself — as proof that people of different faiths can come together without rancor and suspicion and instead with warmth and hope — and work for the common good.

No rancor, no suspicion. No conflict; nothing but trust and goodwill. The lion will lie down with the lamb. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam will from now on coexist in harmony, with King Abdullah leading the way.

That was the theory, but it didn’t work out that way in practice. Less than a month later, a group of Christians are about to be expelled from Saudi Arabia for practicing their faith. They weren’t proclaiming the gospel in the streets or celebrating the Mass in a public forum; they gathered for worship in their own homes.

For that crime they are to be expelled from the country. According to WorldNet Daily:

Saudis to Christians: Get Out!

Those accused of worshipping in homes ordered deported

More than a dozen Christians in Saudi Arabia who were accused by government officials of worshipping in their homes have been ordered deported.

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According to a report from International Christian Concern, the Christians will be expelled tomorrow for their part in a home worship service in Taif in April.

The deportation conflicts with the message stated just weeks earlier by Saudi King Abdullah, who called for interfaith dialogue and held a summit in Spain with a representatives from several major religions.

“Deporting Christians for worshipping in their private homes shows that King Abdullah’s speech is mere rhetoric and his country is deceiving the international community about their desire for change and reconciliation,” said Jeff King, the president of ICC.

Read the rest in WorldNet Daily.


Hat tip: JD