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England (Mission Network News/CP) -- An estimated 250 million Christians worldwide will face persecution in 2007, simply for following Jesus Christ, according to persecution watchdog Release International. The U.K.-based group finds that persecution is growing the fastest in the Muslim world. Release says most persecution takes place in Islam, Communism, Hinduism and Buddhism.
According to the Christian Post, Governments in even moderate Muslim countries often fail to safeguard the rights of their Christian minorities. Abuses suffered by Christians include kidnapping, forced conversion, imprisonment, church destruction, torture, rape and execution.

One of the world’s worst abusers of religious freedom is Saudi Arabia, ranked number two on Open Doors World Watch List of country allowing persecution. Saudi Arabia forbids all other religions. A Muslim found “guilty” of converting to Christianity could face the death sentence for apostasy. And anyone who leads a Muslim to Christ faces jail, expulsion or execution.

"There’s a conspiracy of silence around Saudi," says Release International’s CEO Andy Dipper, "probably because the West wants their oil and their money. But this is a government that hands out the death sentence for its own citizens who want nothing more than the freedom to choose their own faith. And while Saudi bans all Christian literature, it spends billions of dollars each year propagating Islam around the world."

Dipper says, "A rising number of extremists interpret the call to jihad as a call to violence. They seem to regard it as their religious duty to force Christians and non-Muslims to convert to Islam. Those who refuse must be driven out or killed."

There's also a growing movement to impose Islamic Sharia law, which results in increased pressure on Christians. In Nigeria, militants have driven Christians from their homes to remove political opposition and pave the way for Sharia law.

"Despite the spectacular collapse of communism in Europe, persecution of Christians continues in China, Cuba, Laos and Vietnam, while the dubious accolade of the world’s worst persecutor of Christians goes to North Korea," says Dipper.

You can also expect to see persecution against Christians in India, Nepal, China, Bhutan, Burma, and Sri Lanka.

The islamists of Saudi are one of the most radical of them. It is more correctly known as Wahhabism although most Wahhabi refuse to be acknowledge with that name. Right now the biggest contributor to the mosques in the western world are the Saudi wahhabists.

Yes, I heard besides no churches being allowed in Saudi Arabia, Christians (mostly foreign workers) are not even allowed to have Bible studies!!  I read an article where a Christian even said they were hesitant about what they said on the phone.

Several months ago, Christian Aid reported a pastor from India being thrown in the Saudi prison.....he had been invited by a group of Indians working in Saudi Arabia and was on his way to a Bible study with them.  The "religious police" arrested him enroute.  I haven't heard any update on this particular brother.  I've also read that the Saudi prison is so extremely crowded, the prisoners are just packed in.  Also, very little water is available to them.

For awhile I had posted at an Islamic forum where there were mainly Middle Eastern and Saudi Muslims.....they definitely had a one-track mindset, compared to some Muslims that were Asian at another website.