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Date: August 13, 2005
TAMPA, FL: The Hindu American
Foundation (HAF) expressed concern over the latest news that
detention cases of Indian nationals on allegations of involvement
in religious activities in Saudi Arabia are steadily on the
rise.
On August 3, 2005, the Indo-Asian
News Service (IANS) reported that Indians traveling to Saudia
Arabia have been warned not to carry religious scriptures,
photographs or icons, as per an official statement issued
by the government of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The
Indian Ambassador in Riyadh said, "Indian nationals should
be strictly briefed against organizing group religious activities
in private residences or undertaking missionary or preaching
activity." This came on the eve of the arrest of nine Indians
for allegedly preaching Christianity in Saudi Arabia, reported
IANS.
"It is particularly shocking
that Saudi Arabia, as a spiritual heartland itself with the
holy cities of Mecca and Medina, continues to ban private
worship by non-Muslims," said Pawan Deshpande, member of HAF
Executive Council. "Preventing Hindus from practicing their
own faith in the privacy of their own homes deserves unequivocal
condemnation by the global community". Especially worrisome
is that the role of the Muttwa'in (Religious Police) is enforced
by the state.
All forms of non-Muslim
worship are banned in the ultra-conservative country, whose
laws conform to Sharia, laws based on the teachings of the
Koran and Wahhabi Islam. The United States Commission on International
Religious Freedom (USCIRF) stated in a 2005 annual report,
"The Saudi government continues to engage in an array of severe
violations of human rights as a part of its official repression
of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief."
Reuter's reported the recent
death of King Fahd, which has revived debate on whether crown
prince Abdullah will change state policies on his ascension
to the throne. In February 2005, King Abdullah said that changing
the conservative kingdom could take a long time, his comments
recharging fears among human rights organizations that the
fundamental rights of non-Muslims in the region will continue
to be oppressed.
HAF expresses deep concern
for the blatant violations of religious freedom in Saudi Arabia
against non-Islamic faiths. "The intolerance in Saudi Arabia
is disturbing because the law affects a large immigrant Hindu
workforce," said Aseem Shukla, M.D., member of HAF of Directors.
"We call for the U.S. government to demand that Saudi Arabia
implement immediate reforms with regards to religious freedom
in that country."
HAF is a non-profit, non-partisan
organization promoting the Hindu and American ideals of understanding,
tolerance and pluralism.
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