The drama of the million Christians in Saudi Arabia: "A church here? Never"

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This

at noon,

will stop.

Men, by obligation, and women, by recommendation, will go to their nearest mosque and pray

, a short prayer that will follow a group petition and a sermon by the

.

It is the

, its holy day, its 'Sunday', and nothing and no one can overshadow it.

Not even

: it will be the only day of the week in which the

will not hold matches or press conferences for its protagonists.

This same Friday at noon, many Muslims will go to

, one of the most famous in Spain.

They will stop their activities, pray Jumu'ah

return to their daily lives as if nothing had happened.

But the situation will be different

.

While in Madrid, in Spain and in many countries around the world

will go to their nearest church, the

will have to hide in their homes and

.

They will not be able to pray in public or in any church.

The first because it is prohibited, not even at

, and the second because there is not a single activity in the entire country.

There is some religious center, some priest and some nun, but no temple.

There are no appointed

in the area and the country has no relationship with the Vatican.

The constitution of Saudi Arabia is the

, there is no separation of powers between the

and it is not only that the Government

the professional options of the

, but also does it with those who are not. .

"It is the

, director of '

', an international organization that supports persecuted Christians

in EL MUNDO .

"Even in their own privacy they have to be careful.

, except in places where Christians of the highest level can meet, such as the private lands of ambassadors or big businessmen," he adds, and insists on the complaint against the "

."

"There is a lack of recognition of the basic question of what

means , which is to believe what you want to believe and to talk about your faith openly."

"May this tournament serve for something"

This newspaper has tried to get in touch with some of the Christian people who live in Saudi Arabia,

, but the "

" of exposing themselves makes them keep silent.

They hope, "taking advantage of the fact that there are many Spanish journalists" in the Super Cup, "that this tournament will serve to

about this situation."

For a few years and focused on that famous

, the citizens of Saudi Arabia have been opening up on some social issues that were previously unthinkable.

The

, although still very limited, has some new opportunities;

and the

and

industry have also seen several of the restrictions that dynamited tourism eliminated.

But on the

the population does not soften the discourse of its government.

"

. Never.

. Mecca is in our country and it is a holy place for our religion. It is

. They can pray in home, but not in public," argues

, 38, who worked in banking and is now a taxi driver.

The reality, yes, tells us that

but a Christian cannot enter Mecca, and that in Rome, in the heart of Christianity, the

"It was built to give dignity to Islam in a country as Catholic as Italy," said

, vice president of the Islamic Religious Community of Italy.

In Saudi Arabia, however, the situation is different.

"We work for that recognition of Christians, that if you were born a Christian it is understood that you live as a Christian. Many of those who are in Saudi Arabia are because they have moved there," reflects Blake, who denounces the persecution again : "

. And let's not say if a Muslim converts to Christianity. It is considered a dishonor to the religion and the nation and they are persecuted."

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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• Religion

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