‘Religious police’ raid apartment; no official charges

By Dan Wooding

Founder of ASSIST Ministries

SAUDI ARABIA (ANS) -- Compass Direct News (CDN) is reporting that friends and family of two Indian Christians arrested after a prayer meeting in Saudi Arabia in January have tried in vain to secure their release.

The CDN story says that the Christians were incarcerated for attending the prayer meeting with other Indian nationals and accused of converting Muslims to Christianity, though the government has not leveled formal charges, sources said. Yohan Nese, 31 and Vasantha Sekhar Vara, 28, were arrested on Jan. 21 when mutaween (religious police) raided an apartment where the two had lingered after attending the prayer meeting.

“Religious police interrogated and beat them to the point that they suffered injuries, according to sources. Authorities asked them how many Christian groups and pastors there are in Saudi Arabia and Riyadh,” the CDN story continued.

“The religious police also put pressure on them to convert to Islam, according to sources. The next morning, Jan. 22, authorities took the two Christians to the Religious Court in Riyadh, where they were sentenced to 45 days in prison.”

The story added that to date the Christian Indians have been in prison for 67 days. Nese and Vara’s situation in prison is “horrible,” said the source, as they are cramped in a prison cell with only enough room to stand. Vara’s pastor in India, Ajay Kuma Jeldi, said Vara had told him by telephone that he was in prison for religious reasons and that he had been pressured to convert to Islam but had refused.

“If I have to die for my God, I will die for him here,” Vara said, according to Pastor Jeldi.

For more information, please go to: www.compassdirect.org

Dan Wooding, 70, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for 47 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS) and was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC. He now hosts the weekly “Front Page Radio” show on KWVE in Southern California which is also carried on the Calvary Radio Network throughout the United States. The program is also aired in Great Britain on Calvary Chapel Radio UK. Besides this, Wooding is a host for His Channel Live, which is carried via the Internet to some 200 countries. You can follow Dan on Facebook under his name there or at ASSIST News Service. He is the author of some 44 books. Two of the latest include his autobiography, “From Tabloid to Truth”, which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, press this link. Wooding, who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, has also recently released his first novel “Red Dagger” which is available this link.

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