Riyadh (AsiaNews) - Two men have been arrested in the
Saudi Gulf city Al-Khobar,
on charges of "forcible
conversion" of a girl to Christianity. They are guilty of giving her books on religion and
inviting her to follow a chat room about
religious matters.
According to Al-Eqtisadiya newspaper the girl's father laid charges against
the two men, one
Saudi and one Lebanese, after he
failed to convince the young
woman to return home from Lebanon and
abandon her new faith.
According to the local Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution (BIP), the story dates back to when the young woman, who works in a bank, struck up a friendship first with her Saudi colleague
and then the other Lebanese
colleague. The three would meet
up from time to time, the girl fell in love with the young Lebanese who gave her books and invited her to follow a religious chat room.
In the complaint, the father says that man
influenced her, inspiring misconceptions about Islam and had "shaken her convictions." He claims that the girl
also left the country illegally. Under Saudi law,
in fact, a woman can not have a passport
without the permission of her "guardian" that is, father, husband or brother.
The girl, speaking from Lebanon where she currently is, defends her new faith and says that
the Church is her only home.