Saudi Arabia will not be on the US State Department's list of the worst violators of religious freedom when Secretary of State Colin Powell releases the annual list of nations subject to diplomatic action for "systematic, ongoing and egregious" violations of religious freedom. According to a department official speaking to WorldNetDaily, Saudi Arabia will not be listed as a "nation of particular concern," despite the undisputed evidence of religious rights violations in the country. In its 2002 report, the State department acknowledges, "Freedom of religion does not exist in Saudi Arabia. The Government requires all citizens to be Muslim and prohibits all public manifestations of non-Muslim religions." The report acknowledges many instances of oppression against any who are not Sunni Muslims, and yet the US has consistently omitted this strategic ally as a nation of particular concern.
According to Freedom House, placing Saudi Arabia on this list would not require specific diplomatic actions by the US, since the policies surrounding it are very broad. However, critics believe that the US is concerned about retaining Saudi support in the Middle East. According to an article to be released in the March 10 edition of Newsweek, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) considers Saudi Arabia as probably the worst oppressor of religious rights in the world. However, the article notes that senior US officials have concluded that publicly chastising the Saudis could interfere with broader US interests in the region, which may include a recent decision by Saudi Arabia to allow the Riyadh airbase to be used for an imminent attack on Iraq.
Christians in Saudi Arabia face constant danger. The Persecution and Prayer Alert has regularly covered instances where Christians have been held, tortured, killed and expelled from the country, often without charge, because of their religious beliefs and practices.
Pray for Christians in Saudi Arabia who face this extreme oppression on a daily basis. Pray that countries around the world, including the US, will place pressure on the Saudi government to stop the systematic oppression and torture of Christians.
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