It’s been a tough week for Saudi Arabia. Forecasters predict a record low global oil demand due to coronavirus restrictions that will directly affect the country’s already-struggling economy. Oil is responsible for 63-percent of national revenue, according to the IMF.
Now, Saudi Arabia is expanding its efforts to contain COVID-19 and deterred Hajj tourism could deal another difficult financial blow. The Hajj and Umrah, another Muslim pilgrimage, account for 20 percent of Saudi Arabia’s non-oil GDP, as noted here.
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Total coronavirus infections in Saudi Arabia are approaching 2,000, and the death toll is up to 21. Kingdom officials put a 24-hour curfew on the holy cities of Mecca and Medina this week, and they’re asking Muslims to delay Hajj bookings. Each year, between one and two million Muslims journey to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj, a ritual that Islam requires every follower to do at least once. Learn more here.
When Saudis leave Islam and turn to Christ, it sets them free from things like the Hajj.
However, for believers like Deena*, it doesn’t make life easier Social distancing takes on new meaning because, if revealed, her faith in Jesus could get her killed.
Saudi Arabia is deeply rooted in Islam, and strict Islamic laws govern every aspect of public life. All Saudi citizens are expected to be Muslims, and leaving Islam is punishable by death. Religious freedom doesn’t exist, as described here by Open Doors:
Saudi believers must keep their faith completely secret. Christians from other countries risk arrest or being deported if they share their faith with Muslims. Some Saudis have had dreams and visions of Jesus; many others have responded to Christian content on TV or the internet.
Pray for Saudi Arabia here.
Deena began following Christ several months ago, and it’s been a lonely journey.
“Deena has been a believer for less than two years, and she has never met another believer,” JoAnn Doyle tells MNN. Doyle began Not Forgotten, a division of Uncharted Ministries.
SOURCE: Mission Network News, Katey Hearth
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