Christianity in Saudi Arabia

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The public practice of Christianity is prohibited in Saudi Arabia .

Legal situation

The import, print and possession not Islam - Sunni religious material such. B. Bibles are forbidden. It is illegal to celebrate a Christian worship service, to receive the sacraments and to carry Christian symbols and devotional objects (e.g. a cross , a Bible, a rosary or the like) with you. There are no churches , synagogues or other non-Islamic houses of prayer and their construction is prohibited. According to the interpretation of the state religion , no non-Islamic place of worship can be found on the land on which the two holy places are located. On apostasy (conversion from Islam to another religion) is the death penalty , which is also carried out.

When punishing Christians for violating these laws, the penalties can vary depending on their nationality. Citizens of Western allies (e.g. the United States, France, Germany or Austria) are usually expelled "discreetly" from their country, while missionaries from other and, from the point of view of Saudi Arabia, "less important" countries (e.g. the Philippines, Kenya) imprisoned and sometimes executed. In the World Persecution Index for Christians, Saudi Arabia was ranked among the ten countries where Christians are most persecuted for their beliefs for several years. It is now in 14th place, but that does not mean that the situation there has improved; rather, the situation of Christians in other countries (such as Syria or Eritrea ) has deteriorated.

In March 2012, the country's Grand Mufti issued a report calling for the destruction of all churches on the Arabian Peninsula .

distribution

According to conservative estimates, the Christian population in Saudi Arabia is four percent. This means that around 1.5 million Christians live in Saudi Arabia, including around 800,000 Catholics . The Filipinos working in the Saudi Kingdom make up a particularly large group . Many Christians in Riyadh and in the Gulf are Asians or Copts . Ethiopian or Eritrean Christians live on the Red Sea . There are also Protestant Christians of various denominations in Saudi Arabia .

The Catholic Church in Saudi Arabia is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church. Saudi Arabia is part of the territory of the Roman Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia . Pope Benedict XVI spoke to the King in 2007 about the situation of Christians in Saudi Arabia.

Web links and sources

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Die Welt : Christian Minorities - The Cross in the Lands of the Crescent (December 4, 2009)
  2. ↑ Archive link ( Memento from December 22, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
  3. ↑ World Persecution Index 2013 ( Memento from January 23, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (pdf)
  4. ↑ In 2013, Saudi Arabia took second place with 75 out of 100 points and 14th place in 2016 with 76 points.
  5. ↑ Die Welt : Self-Image as the Eternal Victim of the Disrespectful West , September 20, 2012, accessed on September 20, 2012
  6. ↑ Saudi Arabia: Grand Mufti Against Churches , article on the Vatican Radio website of September 29, 2013, accessed on October 3, 2013