Hmm, I don't see many people in Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan accepting Christ.
Are you in the military BigJ? If so, thank you for serving!
I'm not sure what your meaning is behind your post but one reason you may not "see" a lot of people accepting Christ in those countries is that they may be secretive about it since Christianity is "considered a crime under Afghanistan's shariah laws" and "Fundamentalist Wahhabi Islam is the only expression of religion allowed in Saudi Arabia."
Apparently people are sometimes arrested and tortured etc for coverting to Christianity so some people probably aren't that vocal about it.
Christian convert faces death penalty in Afghanistan Daniel Cooney in Kabul
The Guardian, Monday March 20 2006
Article history
www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/mar/20/afghanistan.islamA man could be sentenced to death after being charged with converting from Islam to Christianity, a crime under Afghanistan's shariah laws, a judge said yesterday. The trial is thought to be the first of its kind in Afghanistan and highlights a struggle between religious conservatives and reformists over what shape Islam will take four years after the fall of the Taliban.
Abdul Rahman, 41, was arrested last month after his family accused him of becoming a Christian, Judge Ansarullah Mawlavezada told Associated Press. The accused was charged with rejecting Islam.
During the one-day hearing on Thursday, the defendant allegedly confessed to converting to Christianity 16 years ago while working as a medical aid worker for an international Christian group helping Afghan refugees in the Pakistani city of Peshawar, Judge Mawlavezada said.
"We are not against any particular religion in the world. But in Afghanistan, this sort of thing is against the law," the judge said. "It is an attack on Islam." He will rule on the case within two months.
Shariah law states that any Muslim who rejects Islam should be sentenced to death, according to Ahmad Fahim Hakim, deputy chairman of the state-sponsored Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. Repeated attempts to impose a jail sentence were barred.
The prosecutor, Abdul Wasi, said he had offered to drop the charges if Mr Rahman converted back to Islam, but he refused. "He would have been forgiven if he changed back. But he said he was a Christian and would always remain one," Mr Wasi said. "We are Muslims and becoming a Christian is against our laws. He must get the death penalty."
A Christian aid worker in Kabul, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there was no reliable figure for the number of Afghan Christians. He said few admit their faith because of fear of retribution and there are no known Afghan churches. An old house in a war-wrecked suburb of Kabul serves as a Christian place of worship for expatriates. The only other churches are believed to be inside foreign embassies or on bases belonging to the US-led coalition or a NATO peacekeeping force.
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12/17/2004 10:17
saudi arabia
Saudi Christian convert arrested and jailedhttp:www/asianews.it/view.php?I=en&art=2134
Jeddah (AsiaNews) – A Saudi citizen converted to Christianity has been arrested and jailed. Emad Alaabadi was taken into custody last November 29, at Hofuf, a town in eastern Saudi Arabia, but the news was reported only a few days ago by the International Christian Concern (ICC), a Washington-based human rights group. AsiaNews local sources have confirmed the report, and also say that he "is not the only Saudi Christian in jail at the moment: there are also others".
According to news obtained by ICC, other Christians – at least 3 or 4 – appear to have been arrested along with Emad. The presence of Christians in Saudi prisons had also been confirmed by Brian O'Connor, in an interview with AsiaNews. Brian Savio O'Connor is a Protestant Indian who was deported from Saudi Arabia after being tortured and held in prison for "having preached Christianity". Upon his return to India, O'Connor told AsiaNews that "there are still many other Christians that need your help in Saudi prisons".
Last November 29, Amad was intercepted by the Muttawa, Saudi religion police, while he was driving his children home from school. The police escorted them home and then took Amad to the local prison. Later he was transferred to Jeddah, were he is currently imprisoned. On December 4, he managed to contact his mother, who lives in Australia, by telephone, to let her know what had happened and where he was. The mother reported that he sounded very weak: ICC said that the Muttawa agents probably tortured the Christian-faith Amad to reconvert him to Islam.
Alaabadi is 30 years old and has 4 children. He became Christian 2 years ago, but it is not known to what denomination he belongs.
Fundamentalist Wahhabi Islam is the only expression of religion allowed in Saudi Arabia. There is no religious freedom in the country, even if Saudi officials have been tolerating the private practice of other religions. However, the Saudi religion police, the Muttawa, continues to persecute Christians in their homes where they meet to pray.
The construction of churches or chapels is not allowed in the country. Muslims make up 93.7% of the Saudi population of 21.6 million people. Christians, who are almost entirely foreigners, account for 3.7% of the population. There are 800,000 Catholics. There are no exact figures on the number of Saudi Christians. (LF)
