Western Ally Saudi Arabia Continues as Major Persecutor of Christians
by Allie Martin
March 15, 2005
(AgapePress) - The president of a ministry which serves the persecuted Church says the Bush administration should tell Saudi Arabia to stop harassing Christians.Open Doors USA recently released its 2005 "World Watch List" of nations where persecution of Christians is common. (See earlier article) Loyal U.S. ally Saudi Arabia, for the second year in a row, held down the second spot on the list. Dr. Carl Moeller, president of Open Doors, says believers should demand that the Arab nation and others on the list treat Christians humanely.
"This is something we should talk to our elected officials about," he urges. "We should [ask those officials], 'Why are we turning a blind eye to the sufferings of our brothers and sisters in countries like North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, China?' We have very developed economic and political relationships with [some of those countries]. We should be saying more."
Next on the World Watch List, in order, are Vietnam, Laos -- and Iran which, like Saudi Arabia, is a Muslim nation. According to Moeller, persecution of Christians in Iran is having an opposite effect to that intended.
"The official religion [in Iran], of course, is Islam," the Open Doors leader explains. "But in the countrysides, the mullahs and the ayatollahs in those areas are saying they are witnessing a revival and -- in their words -- a 'flood' of Bibles and Christian literature that is coming there. We're very excited about that flood, and we're realizing that it is the Spirit of God moving in the country of Iran."
For the third year running, North Korea retained the number-one persecution ranking in the world.
Allie Martin, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
