Saudis deport men
for owning Bible

Saudi Arabian authorities have deported two Filipino Christians after the pair spent more than a month in prison for possession of a Bible and some Christian CDs, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide as reported by Assist News Service.

The Bible and CDs were found, says CSW, when police raided the room of Danilo de Guzman, 38, and Benjamin Diaz, 40, in Abqaiq on March 29, 2001.

"A local court sentenced them to a month's imprisonment in April 2001, and a higher court increased their sentence to include 150 lashes in January 2002. De Guzman told CSW … that he was not given a lawyer and that only his company liaison officer was present during the hearings," said a CSW press release.

The release stated the two men were taken from their apartment on April 10 and de Guzman's wife, Evelyn, told CSW that he spoke with her hurriedly on the phone: "He just said, 'Don't worry, God will help us. Take care of the children.'"

CSW said the two men were taken to prison in Abqaiq and were spared the lashes, but were told they would be deported instead, reports Assist News Service.

"In addition, de Guzman paid a fine of 3,500 Saudi Riyals (about 630 pounds), which was made up of 500 Riyals (90 pounds) for the pocket Bible and 500 Riyals for each CD," said CSW.

According to the press release, the men were later transferred to a deportation center in Dammam. After their papers were cleared, they were deported together on a flight to the Philippines, arriving in Manila Sunday morning.

"I'm glad we're all together now," Evelyn said, "and that he is safe and in good health," CSW reported.

According to CSW, De Guzman went to work in Saudi Arabia as an electrical engineer in September 2000, leaving his wife and children, ages 10, 2 and 1, in the Philippines.

The public expression of religious belief other than Islam is forbidden in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but, according to CSW, senior Saudi officials have repeatedly stated that non-Muslims are free to practice their faith in the privacy of their own homes, reports Assist News Service.

The CSW press release states that over the summer months of 2001, 14 expatriate Christians were detained in connection with their Christian faith in a spate of arrests in Jiddah. The last of these detainees was finally deported at the end of March this year.

Said CSW's Advocacy Director Tina Lambert, "De Guzman and Diaz were imprisoned for exercising their right to worship in private. It is inexcusable that the mere possession of religious materials can lead to job loss and deportation in the Kingdom."

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