Thoughts and Truth from the Impossible Life

Jesus in Repressive Islamic Saudi Arabia

Map of the territory and area covered by prese...

Glimmers of Christ’s Light in Darkness of Saudi Arabia
by Carl Moeller
Years ago, an Open Doors field worker introduced me to Rashid (not his real name), a Saudi Arabian student in a Western university who surrendered his life to Christ after his roommate shared the gospel with him.

Excited about his newfound faith, Rashid returned home and shared the good news of Jesus with his loved ones. But he chose a public venue to tell one relative about his decision. A bystander reported Rashid to Saudi religious police, who threw him into jail.

Rashid’s cellmate, Tareq, kept staring at him. At last Tareq spoke: “You’re the man I’m supposed to talk to.”

But Rashid shook his head. “I don’t think so. I’ve been just thrown in jail for my belief in Jesus.”

Tareq, however, pleaded with Rashid: “In my dreams a man was shown to me. It was your face. You have something to tell me.”
So Rashid shared the gospel with Tareq, who eagerly received Jesus into his heart.

Saudi Arabia perennially reigns among the worst persecutors of Christians according to Open Doors’ annual World Watch List that ranks the 50 countries where persecution of Christians for religious reasons is most severe. This year Saudi Arabia ranks third. This nation where Islam was born some 1400 years ago has been closed for centuries to the gospel. Its legal system is founded on Islamic law, and conversion to another religion is a capital crime.

All churches are banned in Saudi Arabia. Saudi religious police have raided Christian services held in private homes and arrested Christians from the Philippines and other countries for worshiping Jesus.

The utter lack of religious freedom in Saudi Arabia was underscored last month by the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, who declared the necessity of destroying all churches in the region. This fatwa, a legal opinion or decree handed down by an Islamic religious leader, prompted a Filipino human rights watchdog group to advise migrant workers from the Philippines, many of whom are Christian, to exercise caution while conducting religious activities in their homes.

That same leading religious leader demanded that former newspaper columnist and pro-democracy Saudi activist Hamza Kashgari be tried in Islamic court for three of his posts on the website Twitter. The Grand Mufti deemed as blasphemous Kashgari’s tweets about an imagined visit with Muhammad, the Islamic prophet. The tweets supported the basic human right of free expression.

It’s hard to imagine in our Western society that’s fully wired to the media and the Internet that someone would be hunted for his life for a tweet deemed as offensive to Islam. But Saudi King Abdullah ordered the arrest of Kashgari, who fled the country and sought political asylum in Malaysia. Malaysian authorities, however, deported him to face the Saudi apostasy charges.

Among infamous cases of Christian persecution in Saudi Arabia was a 2008 “honor” killing by a man who cut out his sister’s tongue and burned her to death after he discovered she had embraced Jesus as Lord and Savior. Fatima Al-Matayri, 26, came to faith in Christ through the Internet and posted on blogs about her conversion. The brother who found Christian writings on his sister’s laptop worked for the nation’s Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. This governmental arm enforces Saudi Arabia’s official stand against Christianity.

In Fatima Al-Matayr’s last post to a Christian blog, she wrote that her family had begun to doubt her commitment to Islam because of an argument in which she decried her lack of religious freedom. The way of Christ is purer than the way of the Messenger (Muhammad), she told them. Her brother demanded she repent of her “blasphemy” against Islam. In the hours before she was martyred for her faith in Christ, she composed a poem encouraging Muslims to let Christ guide and enlighten them.

Last year Compass reported that Saudi religious police, or mutaween, arrested two Indian Christians in an apartment raid following a prayer meeting with other Indians. The mutaween accused them of converting Muslims to Christianity, beat them and pressured them to convert to Islam. The other Indian Christians at the apartment escaped.

Earthly attempts to stop the spread of Christianity can never ultimately detain the work of the Holy Spirit. Often those countries where Christ is most restricted are where He uses supernatural signs, wonders and visions to reveal Himself. That’s one way people are coming to Christ in those countries.

Rashid’s family hasn’t come to Christ yet. His life remains in danger. He continues to pray for the salvation of his family members who may be committed to killing him.

But Christ is building His church, even where He is officially forbidden. And like Peter and John in the Book of Acts, Rashid can not help speaking about what he has seen, heard and experienced through the power of the Holy Spirit.

April 30, 2012 Posted by | Christianity / God, Politics/Government/Freedom, Understanding Islam, World Affairs | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Anti-Islam gathering in Dearborn protested, defended

See on Scoop.itIslam Revealed

Anti-Islam advocates from across the U.S. gathered Sunday in Dearborn for a conference to bring attention to what they say is a problem of Muslim honor killings.

See on www.freep.com

April 30, 2012 Posted by | Constitutional Issues, Politics/Government/Freedom, Societal / Cultural Issues, Understanding Islam, World Affairs | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Gaza and Judea and Samaria are Israeli

See on Scoop.itIslam Revealed

There is no such place as the West Bank. The name for this part of Israel is Judea and Samaria. Prior to the First World War, all of the area known to Europeans as Palestine was part of the Ottoman…

See on paulmarcelrene.wordpress.com

April 30, 2012 Posted by | Pending Classification | Leave a Comment

Gaza and Judea and Samaria are Israeli

There is no such place as the West Bank. The name for this part of Israel is Judea and Samaria.

Prior to the First World War, all of the area known to Europeans as Palestine was part of the Ottoman Empire. In the 1920 San Remo conference, the victorious Allies allocated the area to the British Mandate of Palestine. The 1948 Arab-Israeli War saw the establishment of Israel in parts of the former Mandate, while Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) was captured and annexed by Jordan, which destroyed any existing Jewish villages. The 1949 Armistice Agreements defined its interim boundary. From 1948 until 1967, the area was under Jordanian occupation, and Jordan did not officially relinquish its claim to the area until 1988. Jordan’s claim was not recognized by most other countries. Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) was liberated by Israel during the Six-Day War. Most of the residents are Arabs, including a large population of Christian Arabs, although large numbers of Israelis have returned since the liberation settling in Israeli settlements that have been built in the region. Most of the Arab portions of the West Bank are administered by the Palestinian National Authority.

Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) have an anomalous international status, since Jordan’s occupation was never recognized as legitimate by most countries, and Jordan relinquished its territorial claims. The area is not occupied under the strict definition of international law, since it is not territory of another sovereign, but most countries consider Israeli rule as legitimate, except Islamic Arab countries that are using these areas as excuses for Anti-Semitism and Anti-Israel. Israeli courts apply most aspects of international law regarding occupation to cases where it is relevant.

April 30, 2012 Posted by | Constitutional Issues, Politics/Government/Freedom, Societal / Cultural Issues, Understanding Islam, World Affairs | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Four Lions – Now available on DVD and Blu-ray%u2122

Four Lions – Now available on DVD and Blu-ray%u2122.

April 29, 2012 Posted by | Politics/Government/Freedom, Societal / Cultural Issues, Understanding Islam, World Affairs | , | Leave a Comment

The United States Defense League

See on Scoop.itIslam Revealed

The Official Site Of The United States Defense League…

See on www.usdl.info

April 29, 2012 Posted by | Christianity / God, Constitutional Issues, Politics/Government/Freedom, Societal / Cultural Issues, Understanding Islam, World Affairs | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Nothing Impossible

“I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” Matthew 17:20Image

April 29, 2012 Posted by | Christianity / God, Daily Gospel | , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Jesus is God

Jesus is God in the Flesh, thus if we take the logical conclusion it can be said Jesus created all things. But, this is where the error starts, because Jesus is NOT a seperate being from God and thus did not create anything accept AS God.Image

April 29, 2012 Posted by | Christianity / God | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

USA founded as a Christian nation

See on Scoop.itIslam Revealed

 I wish to provide a few historical quotes from our Founding Era that lend credence to the supposition that we indeed were founded as a Christian nation. Granted, God is not mentioned in the Const…

See on paulmarcelrene.wordpress.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 29, 2012 Posted by | Christianity / God, Politics/Government/Freedom, Societal / Cultural Issues | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

ARABSFORISRAEL.COM

See on Scoop.itIslam Revealed

Arabs for Israel

See on www.arabsforisrael.com

April 29, 2012 Posted by | Politics/Government/Freedom, World Affairs | , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

For the Record – Difference between Hate Sites and Factual websites

Not every site that posts the truth is a hate site just because it points out inconvenient or unpopular facts/truths or refutes well loved or liked propoganda. I know of several extremely accurate sites that are falsely accused of being “hate” sites for these very reasons. I never use non-factual websites.

 

.Image

April 29, 2012 Posted by | Christianity / God, Constitutional Issues, Politics/Government/Freedom, Societal / Cultural Issues, Understanding Islam, World Affairs | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Islamic Conduct of War

Page 64

 

The Qur’anic Concept of War

 

This illustrates the boundless hypocrisy and deception of Islam.

 

Note the text in the red box.

 

Destruction of the enemy is the primary objective.

 

Now take a good close look at Al-Anfal 67.


April 29, 2012 Posted by | Politics/Government/Freedom, Societal / Cultural Issues, Understanding Islam, World Affairs | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

| Pundit Press | Federal Judge Enforces Sharia-Compliance in Ohio Prisons

See on Scoop.itIslam Revealed

In 2011, death row inmate Abdul Awkal sued an Ohio prison because he was receiving non-halal food while in prison. As a consequence, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction banned all pork products in prison.
This year, prisoner James Rivers filed a lawsuit arguing that pork should not be outright banned. He reasoned that, should Muslims not want to eat pork, they had the right to, but that it was discriminatory to ban pork for everyone. Additionally, the prison did offer meals without pork products in them before the ban. continue reading

Fatwa On Islam

See on www.punditpress.com

April 29, 2012 Posted by | Constitutional Issues, Politics/Government/Freedom, Societal / Cultural Issues, Understanding Islam, World Affairs | , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

No MAN speaks for Christianity

See on Scoop.itIslam Revealed

NO man, speaks for Christianity. The randomly selected POPE of the Roman Catholic Church does not speak for Christianity any more than I do. The Holy Word of God in the Holy Bible teaches that ther…

See on paulmarcelrene.wordpress.com

April 28, 2012 Posted by | Christianity / God, Constitutional Issues, Politics/Government/Freedom, Societal / Cultural Issues, World Affairs | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Christianity By country

Christianity By country

The 7th century Khor Virap monastery in the shadow of Mount AraratArmenia was the first state to adopt Christianity as anofficial religion at AD 301.[24][25][26][27]

Note: Population statistics by religious affiliations are based upon statistical science and are subject to observational error (technically referred to as estimates). Likewise,partisans may seek to bias the estimates. The proportion of Christians is based on the proportion of the population in each country who are members of a Christian denomination or who identify themselves as Christian. It says nothing about the proportion of such as believe in God and are regularly in the church. People who mixChristianity with tribal religions are defined in this article as Christians. Most of the percentage of Christian population of each country was taken from the US State Department‘s International Religious Freedom Reportthe CIA World FactbookJoshua ProjectOpen doorsPew Forum and Adherents.com.

[edit]Sovereign states

Christianity by country
Country Christians  % Christian
 Afghanistan (details) 6,250 0.02%
 Albania (details) 1,120,000 35.0%
 Algeria (details) 187,000 0.5%
 American Samoa (details) 70,000 98.3%
 Andorra (details) 78,000 90.0%
 Angola (details) 17,094,000 90.0%
 Anguilla (details) 15,000 90.5%
 Antigua and Barbuda (details) 66,000 74.0%
 Argentina (details) 37,561,000 92.7%
 Armenia (details) 3,250,000 98.7%
 Aruba (details) 98,000 90.1%
 Australia (details) 14,345,000 63.9%
 Austria (details) 6,000,000 69.9%
 Azerbaijan (details) 450,000 4.8%
 Bahamas (details) 350,000 96.3%
 Bahrain (details) 77,000 9.0%
 Bangladesh (details) 493,000 0.3%
 Barbados (details) 244,000 95.0%
 Belarus (details) 8,600,200 80.0%
 Belgium (details) 5,900,000 51.0%
 Belize (details) 247,000 76.7%
 Benin (details) 3,943,000 42.8%
 Bermuda (details) 46,000 67.0%
 Bhutan (details) 7,000 1.0%
 Bolivia (details) 9,730,000 97.0%
 Bosnia and Herzegovina (details) 2,000,000 51.0%
 Botswana (details) 1,416,000 71.6%
 Brazil (details) 174,501,000 90.4%
 British Virgin Islands (details) 23,000 96.0%
 Brunei (details) 45,000 11.0%
 Bulgaria (details) 6,364,000 84.0%
 Burkina Faso (details) 3,746,000 23.0%
 Burundi (details) 7,662,000 75.0%
 Cambodia (details) 268,000 2.0%
 Cameroon (details) 13,390,000 69.0%
 Canada (details) 26,401,000 77.1%
 Cape Verde (details) 487,000 95.0%
 Cayman Islands (details) 42,000 73.8%
 Central African Republic (details) 2,302,000 51.0%
 Chad (details) 3,833,000 34.0%
 Chile (details) 14,930,000 87.2%
 People’s Republic of China (details) 66,959,000 5.0%
 Colombia (details) 44,502,000 97.6%
 Comoros (details) 15,000 2.1%
 Cook Islands (details) 19,000 94.3%
 Congo, Republic of (details) 3,409,000 90.7%
 Congo, Democratic Republic of (details) 68,558,000 95.6%
 Costa Rica (details) 3,912,000 84.3%
 Côte d’Ivoire (details) 7,075,000 32.8%
 Croatia (details) 4,107,000 92.6%
 Cuba (details) 9,523,000 85.0%
 Cyprus (details) 863,000 79.3%
 Czech Republic (details) 3,038,000 28.9%
 Denmark (details) 4,546,000 82.0%
 Djibouti (details) 53,000 6.0%
 Dominica (details) 59,000 88.7%
 Dominican Republic (details) 9,734,000 95.2%
 East Timor (details) 1,152,000 98.4%
 Ecuador (details) 14,099,000 99.0%
 Egypt (details) 8,100,000 12.9%[28]
 El Salvador (details) 5,073,000 81.9%
 Equatorial Guinea (details) 683,000 98.6%
 Eritrea (details) 3,310,000 62.9%
 Estonia (details) 373,000 27.8%
 Ethiopia (details) 54,978,000 64.5%
 Falkland Islands (details) 3,000 94.3%
 Faroe Islands (details) 46,000 94.0%
 Fiji (details) 498,000 58.3%
 Finland (details) 4,347,000 81.0%
 France (details) 40,960,000 64%
 Gabon (details) 1,081,000 72.0%
 Gambia (details) 158,000 9.0%
 Georgia (details) 3,930,000 88.6%
 Germany (details) 49,400,000 59.9%
 Ghana (details) 16,741,000 68.8%
 Greece (details) 11,204,000 99.1%
 Greenland (details) 55,000 96.6%
 Grenada (details) 101,000 97.3%
 Guatemala (details) 14,018,000 97.5%
 Guinea (details) 1,032,000 10.0%
 Guinea-Bissau (details) 165,000 10.0%
 Guyana (details) 434,000 57.0%
 Haiti (details) 8,527,000 83.7%
 Honduras (details) 6,321,000 83.0%
 Hong Kong (details) 710,000 10.1%
 Hungary (details) 7,450,000 74.4%
 Iceland (details) 284,000 89.3%
 India (details) 26,113,000 2.3%
 Indonesia (details) 28,804,000 12.3%
 Iran (details) 300,000 0.4%
 Iraq (details) 944,000 3.0%
 Ireland (details) 4,116,000 92.3%
 Israel (details) 266,000 3.5%
 Italy (details) 48,386,000 87%
 Jamaica (details) 1,784,000 65.3%
 Japan (details) 2,548,000 2.0%
 Jordan (details) 388,000 6.0%
 Kazakhstan (details) 8,152,000 51.0%
 Kenya (details) 34,774,000 85.1%
 Korea, North (details) 480,000 4.0%
 Korea, South (details) 14,534,000 29.2%
 Kuwait (details) 458,000 15.0%
 Kyrgyzstan (details) 944,000 17.0%
 Laos (details) 84,000 1.3%
 Latvia (details) 1,280,000 57.2%
 Lebanon (details) 2,835,000 51.0%
 Lesotho (details) 1,876,000 90.0%
 Liberia (details) 1,391,000 40.0%
 Libya (details) 131,000 2.0%
 Liechtenstein (details) 32,000 87.8%
 Lithuania (details) 2,827,000 84.9%
 Luxembourg (details) 437,000 87.0%
 Macedonia, Republic of (details) 1,334,000 65.1%
 Madagascar (details) 8,260,000 41.0%
 Malawi (details) 12,538,000 79.9%
 Malaysia (details) 2,576,000 9.1%
 Maldives (details) 300 0.08%
 Mali (details) 726,000 5.0%
 Malta (details) 408,000 98.0%
 Mauritania (details) 5,000 0.14%
 Mauritius (details) 418,000 32.2%
 Mexico (details) 105,095,000 94.5%
 Micronesia, Federated States of (details) 106,000 95.4%
 Moldova (details) 3,503,000 98.3%
 Monaco (details) 29,000 87.7%
 Mongolia (details) 58,000 2.1%
 Montenegro (details) 487,000 77.8%
 Morocco (details) 351,000 1.1%
 Mozambique (details) 12,003,717 56.1%
 Myanmar (details) 2,020,000 4.0%
 Namibia (details) 1,991,000 90.0%
 Nepal (details) 269,000 0.9%
 Netherlands (details) 8,350,000 53.4%
 New Zealand (details) 2,426,000 55.3%
 Nicaragua (details) 5,217,000 89.6%
 Niger (details) 795,000 5.0%
 Nigeria (details) 77,103,000 51.2%
 Norway (details) 4,195,000 85.6%
 Oman (details) 73,000 2.5%
 Pakistan (details) 2,727,000 1.6%
 Palau (details) 16,000 77.9%
 Panama (details) 3,057,000 92.0%
 Papua New Guinea (details) 6,640,000 96.4%
 Paraguay (details) 6,260,000 96.9%
 Peru (details) 27,635,000 93.8%
 Philippines (details) 90,530,000 92.4%
 Pitcairn Islands (details) 50 100.0%
 Poland (details) 36,526,000 95.7%
 Portugal (details) 9,222,000 86.7%
 Puerto Rico (details) 3,878,000 97.0%
 Qatar (details) 144,000 8.5%
 Romania (details) 20,930,000 97.5%
 Russia (details) 99,775,000 70.3%
 Rwanda (details) 9,619,000 93.6%
 San Marino (details) 31,000 97.0%
 Saudi Arabia (details) 1,493,000 5.5%
 Senegal (details) 900,000 7.0%
 Serbia (details) 9,038,000 91.7%
 Seychelles (details) 80,000 94.7%
 Sierra Leone (details) 1,751,000 30.0%
 Singapore (details) 900,000 18.0%[29]
 Slovakia (details) 4,487,000 82.8%
 Slovenia (details) 1,135,212 57.8%
 Somalia (details) 1,000[30] 0.01095%
 South Africa (details) 39,843,000 79.7%
 South Sudan (details) 4,250,000 50.2%
 Spain (details) 35,568,000 77.2%
 Sri Lanka (details) 1,531,000 7.5%
 Sudan (details) 3,062,000 9.6%
 Suriname (details) 308,000 50.3%
 Swaziland (details) 994,000 82.7%
 Sweden (details) 7,148,000 73%
 Switzerland (details) 6,172,000 79.3%
 Syria (details) 2,251,000 10.0%
 Tajikistan (details) 99,000 1.4%
 Tanzania (details) 27,118,000 62.0%
 Thailand (details) 471,000 0.7%
 Togo (details) 1,966,000 29.0%
 Tonga (details) 84,000 81.0%
 Trinidad and Tobago (details) 774,000 57.6%
 Tunisia (details) 24,000 0.2%
 Turkey (details) 64,000[31] 0.09%
 Turkmenistan (details) 466,000 9.0%
 Uganda (details) 29,943,000 88.6%
 Ukraine (details) 41,973,000 91.5%
 United Arab Emirates (details) 424,000 9.0%
 United Kingdom (details)[32] 26,754,067 43%
 United States (details) 176,400,000 78.4%
 Uruguay (details) 2,027,000 58.01%
 Uzbekistan (details) 1,390,000 5.0%
 Vatican City (details) 800 100.0%
 Venezuela (details) 28,340,000 98.0%
 Vietnam (details) 6,868,000 8.0%
 Western Sahara (details) 200 0.039%
 Yemen (details) 3,000 0.013%
 Zambia (details) 12,939,000 97.6%
 Zimbabwe (details) 10,747,000 85.0%
Total 2,084,509,000 33.2%

[edit]Unrecognized states

Note: Includes non-United Nations member states not recognized by any state, non-UN member states recognized only by non-UN members and non-UN member states recognized by at least one UN member.

 

Country Christians  % Christian
 Abkhazia (details) 130,000 60.0%
 Kosovo (details) 150,000 8.3%
 Nagorno-Karabakh (details) 136,000 96.0%
 Palestine (details) 173,000 4.4%
 Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (details) 200 0.03%
 South Ossetia (details) 69,000 96.4%
 Republic of China (details) 902,000 3.9%
 Transnistria (details) 510,000 95.0%

April 28, 2012 Posted by | Christianity / God | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 127 other followers

%d bloggers like this: