You Have No Right to Practice Your Religion in the Land of Mohammed

It was midnight when officers burst into their home and abruptly awakened Eskinder Menghis and his wife and three children. They walked out to find agents with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior ransacking their home.

    “What are you doing? You have no right to destroy our home like this.”

    “And you have no right to practice your religion in the land of Mohammed! You were warned before you came to leave your religion behind.” The officer pushed Eskinder out the door as the others gathered up the Bibles, hymnals, photos albums, audiotapes, and anything else they could use as evidence.

    Eskinder was brought to the police headquarters for interrogation, leaving behind his frightened wife and children. Eskinder and his family are Ethiopian Christians. They are among the many foreigners who make up one-third of Saudi Arabia’s population, working in the oil-rich nation. Many of these foreigners are Christians who face a terrible predicament when it comes to expressing their faith.

    Many Christians never intend to practice their faith when they go to work in a Muslim nation. But once under the dark cloud of Islam, they begin to look toward heaven and find fellowship with other believers around them. Many even start to witness to their Muslim employers. In Saudi Arabia, converting a Muslim to Christianity carries a death penalty for both parties.

Where no career missionaries can tread, full-time Christian servants enter the scene. They bring a unique and powerful witness to one of the most restricted nations in the world. They are committed Christians cleverly disguised as ordinary engineers on the oil fields of Saudi Arabia. Their mission is clear, though their methods are covert. Their witness is strong, yet secretive. Their task is to present the gospel by being a servant: a selfless and hardworking colleague at work and an unselfish neighbor at home. Our task is to support them through prayer. We are all servants, doing our part, to bring the world to faith in Christ. Those like Eskinder in Saudi Arabia are doing their job. Are you doing yours?