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Saudis rebuff U.S. plea to release Christians

Special to World Tribune.com
MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE
Wednesday, December 5, 2001

ABU DHABI Ñ Saudi Arabia has refused a U.S. appeal to release more than a dozen Christians accused of practicing their faith.

The Christians were arrested in a series of raids that began in July in the Saudi city of Jedda. U.S. diplomats had raised the issue with the kingdom and were told that the Christians would be released.

Western diplomatic sources said the Christians were from African and Asian countries. They included Eritrea, Ethiopia, Nigeria and the Philippines.

The sources said the last round of arrests took place in November. Seven Ethiopian nationals were rounded up as they left a prayer meeting in a Jedda.

The practice of any other religion but Islam is banned by Saudi law.

Over the last decade, Saudi authorities had allowed private prayer but have cracked down on non-Islamic practice during the current Muslim fast month of Ramadan.

The sources said some of the Christians have been told they would be deported. They said that Saudi authorities have not formally charged the Christians or told them of why they had been jailed.

Pope John Paul II is said to have expressed concern over the fate of Christians in the Middle East. The pontiff plans to convene a summit with Catholic Patriarchs and heads of the Catholic communities in the Middle East on Dec.13 in the Vatican.

In a separate development, a leading Saudi religious official condemned Muslim attacks on innocent people as contrary to Islamic law. Mohammed Ibn Abdullah Al Subail, a member of the Council of Senior Islamic Scholars and a preacher at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, was quoted by the official Saudi Press Agency as saying that Muslims must protect the lives and property of non-Muslims "who are under their protection and with whom they have concluded peace agreements."

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