World

Saudi Police Storm Home and Arrest 41 People for…’Plotting to Celebrate Christmas’

41 Arrested in Saudi Arabia for Plotting to Celebrate Christmas

A crowd looks at the nativity scene in the centre of Ljubljana during year-end festivities and celebrations for the upcoming new year on December 27, 2012. Credit: AFP/Getty Images

The next time you complain about having to get together with your “crazy” family for Christmas, remember this story.

Forty-one apparent Christians and two Saudi Arabian and Egyptian Muslims were recently arrested in Saudi Arabia after authorities busted a party by a reported Asian diplomat. Their crime? “Plotting to celebrate Christmas,” reports the outlet Al-Akhbar.

The outlet has more:

The guests were said to have been referred to the “respective authorities.” It is unclear whether or not they have been released since.

The kingdom, which only recognizes Islamic faith and practice, has in the past banned public Christmas celebrations, but is ambiguous about festivities staged in private quarters.

Saudi religious police are known to detain residents of the kingdom at whim, citing loose interpretations of Sharia and public statements by hardline religious leaders to justify crackdowns.

Saudi Arabia’s head mufti Sheikh Abdel Aziz bin Abdullah had previously condemned “invitations to Christmas or wedding celebrations.”

A member of the Higher Council of Islamic scholars in Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Mohammed al-Othaimin recently prohibited sending holiday wishes to “heretics” on Christmas or other religious Christian holidays.

Gives you more to be thankful for, doesn’t it?

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Comments (58)

  • ICEDRAGONNITE
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 2:34pm

    Christian and Jews; just keep ignoring the Muslim Brotherhood and the up and coming New World order, the Caliphate. This is being brought about by the Unholy Trinity; BO, HAJI HILLARY and PANETTA. So keep the idea in your heads that this couldn’t possibly happen here in America. Well It is happening before your eyes. Time to Wake up and smell the Rotting Government we have given our selves.

    Report this comment

    ICEDRAGONNITE  
  • LeadNotFollow
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 2:26pm

    America should cut off all funds going to Muslim countries.

    Report this comment

    LeadNotFollow  
  • LeadNotFollow
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 2:24pm

    With Obama as President, we Americans will soon have to celebrate Christmas in secret.

    Report this comment

    LeadNotFollow  
  • schroeder123
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 2:09pm

    When in Rome… Do as the Romans do.

    Report this comment

    schroeder123  
    • Elena2010
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 2:37pm

      Only when Rome is not demonic in how it exercises governance. When it becomes demonic, it’s time to rebel and fight back. It’s the difference betw Paul’s letter to the Romans and John’s Apocalypse (commonly known as the book of Revelation).

      Report this comment

      Elena2010  
  • Just in time
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 12:12pm

    It is amazing, the amount of restraint that must have taken. To just stand there and take that kind of abuse.

    Report this comment

    Just in time  
    • Elena2010
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 1:50pm

      Not when you consider that the religious police came w/regular police who came armed to the teeth.

      Report this comment

      Elena2010  
  • garbagecanlogic
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:38am

    Keep on pujmping that gas from saudia arabia. They are coming our way and going to try to influence our way of life – many are already hear. Look in Michigan.

    Praise Be To Obama. Psalm 109:8

    The U.S. Out Of The U.N.
    The U.N. Out Of The U.S.

    Report this comment

    garbagecanlogic  
    • Elena2010
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 1:52pm

      Most of our petrol comes fm non-Mideastern sources: Mexico, Canada, Venezuela plus our own.

      The EU and Japan depend on Mideastern sources.

      Report this comment

      Elena2010  
  • RaydocX
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:29am

    Obama wishes he had this sort of power.
    Hence the push to take our firearms.

    Report this comment

    RaydocX  
  • Marsh626
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:23am

    Let’s send them more of our oil money, sell them more advanced weaponary and keep allowing their citizens to have easy immigration access to our country…

    Report this comment

    Marsh626  
  • SOUNDTHETRUMPET
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:00am

    This is just another communist country

    Report this comment

    SOUNDTHETRUMPET  
    • Elena2010
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 1:57pm

      Not really, Dictatorial, but in no means communist. It’s an absolute monarchy much like European feudal kings. Those who are “middle class” are in some kind of merchant activity rather than heavy manufacturing which is nearly non-existent in KSA. There is some light manufacturing but the labor is typically ex-pats fm the Philippines, Pakistan, and the like. In the desert, you will still see nomadic herders of camels and long-haired goats.

      Report this comment

      Elena2010  
  • Centralsville
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:53am

    Give liberals more time in this country and they will do the same thing.

    Report this comment

    Centralsville  
  • Earnyourkeep
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:33am

    SAUDI POLICE STORM HOME AND ARREST 41 PEOPLE FOR…’PLOTTING TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS’- If liberals get their way, soon the headline will be – AMERICAN POLICE STORM HOME AND ARREST 41 PEOPLE FOR…’PLOTTING TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS’

    Report this comment

    Earnyourkeep  
  • spirited
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:29am

    Christmas decorations are self-reporting.

    >May the lights never go out.

    Report this comment

    spirited  
  • LameLiberals
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:46am

    Why are Americans DYING and SPENDING TRILLIONS to fight ENDLESS wars in the Middle East when the Middle East is a Muslim cesspool which treats women and children and Christians like pigs?

    Answer: OIL.

    The USA is OWNED/OPERATED by global oil companies who fill the campaign coffers of RINOs and all democrats who then claim “we are doing our Christian duty helping the world” including the Middle East while wrapping the message in an American flag.

    And the stupid drooling idiot RINO SHEEP on the right and the left fall for it every time.

    And the stupid drooling idiot Liberal global warming believing SHEEP go along with it because they refuse to drill inside the USA – better for the Middle East with a terrible environment record to destroy their own lands drilling. Besides, the drooling liberals hate the USA and they like the fact the Middle East does also.

    Report this comment

    LameLiberals  
    • BigBadBob2490
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 12:12pm

      Oil, yes, but it’s also been a curiosity to me that both Vietnam and Afghanistan wars coincided with a billion-dollar-a-year jump in heroin trade. HOW, exactly, does a billion dollars of opium get shipped out of Afghanistan in the middle of a hundred thousand troops? Just sayin’.

      Report this comment

      BigBadBob2490  
  • 2dogs
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:27am

    Time to move !!!!!!!!!

    Report this comment

    2dogs  
  • AbrahamsSheepdog
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:15am

    Its a holiday made pagan. Like Helloween & Easter. Big woop. Secular drunken china presents day. It’s time to call it what it is. Be honest, not big liars. Tell the truth for once to kids, the like truth. A twisted weird evil world, it gets bad so easily. Smile, we are broke.

    Report this comment

    AbrahamsSheepdog  
    • woodyee
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:30am

      No matter how bad things are, it is just pure evil to wantonly strip kids of their childhoods and or hope. MY grandchildren know what Christmas is truly about – do yours? If not, why not? Anybody?

      Report this comment

      woodyee  
    • hillbillyinny
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:35am

      Actually, the celebration of the earthly birth of a person integral to a religion is not a “made up event” to many! It may not meet your taste, but we really don’t care what you choose (other than be concerned for you “in the end”).

      Whether or not that HISTORICAL birth occurred on a particular day or not isn’t important. Many of us who are old had grandparents who didn’t know the exact date of their birth, and my father’s birth wasn’t registered until five days later than when he was born–his mother died at his birth in the flu epidemic of 1918. There were so many people dieing that special “emergency hospitals were set up by the Navy in large barracks where they lived. They probably though my father would die too. When they did register his birth they used the current day, not the day he was born!

      Stop telling others where they may or may not believe, and get a life!

      Report this comment

      hillbillyinny  
    • Elena2010
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 2:05pm

      Just being Christian in KSA is a capital offense. Possessing a Bible will get you killed.

      When I was there for Gulf War I, I gave a Filipino a cross and a Bible. He was more thrilled than had he hit the PowerBall jackpot. He ran both out to his vehicle, tucked under his outer clothing for fear some Arab would see what he had. He wrapped them up and hid them under the driver’s seat once he got them out to his car.

      Saudi Christians, and yes there are some, are spiritually starved for Bibles and opportunities to worship with fellow Christians. For most of their lives, they are forced to hide their faith in the deepest of shadows, esp fm family.

      You cannot understand what Christians in muslim countries go thru to 1) survive, 2) share faith, 3) hold firm in faith. Until you’ve been there and seen it for yourself, please do not call their celebration of the nativity on 25 Dec a pagan holiday remade. These are THE martyrs under the Altar!

      Those persecuted for the sake of Jesus are more deeply in love with Jesus that the non-persecuted could ever be. Do NOT put them down. You will have to explain your words and actions to the Lord Himself one day.

      Report this comment

      Elena2010  
    • Wigglypoff
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 4:46pm

      Elena
      I don’t think he is calling the nativity scenes and things about Christ pagan. I beleuve he is referring to Santa Claus and the materialism that Christmas has become. For Easter it is the Easter bunny taking the place of Christ. I’m sorry but Santa claus(as much as I like the notion) is a pagan figure created by athiests. Here’s how it goes: introduce Santa Claus, Easter bunny and tooth fairy. Tell your kids they are real(at the same time your saying Christ is real; another being you can not feel with any of your 5 senses). Then one day they hear or figure out that all of them are fake. It is an attack on Christianity. So the recent ads by athiests are we don’t beleuve in mythical creatures and we also don’t beleuve in the Easter bunny, Santa clause or mermaids. This is the paganism uc nature I believe he is inferring. Halloween; well it is pagan.

      Report this comment

      Wigglypoff  
  • Satellite309
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:03am

    Avi Lipkin says that Obama is a Muslim spy :

    http://atlah.org/2011/04/12/dr-manning-interviews-avi-lipkin-of-israel/

    Report this comment

    Satellite309  
    • RJJinGadsden
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:11am

      SATELLITE309, As much as I would agree with Avi, now you have baited THE_JERK to jump in with his anti-Semitic rhetoric to fill this page now.

      Report this comment

      RJJinGadsden  
  • woodyee
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 8:57am

    to Vaman –
    Wrong. There is VERY MUCH a war on Christians and Christianity here. It’s just that too many look upon it as you do, isolated instances. But when those isolated instances have the backing of draconian law, drawn from the foul misinterpretation of the Founders intent, there is much cause to worry. A law signed in Washington DC, or a decision of the Supreme Court in Washington DC has the same power in California.

    Christians and Jews need to beware, because historical precedent exists of the consequences of looking at these incidents as “isolated”. Muslims need not fear – the media and press FEARS speaking ill of them, and their sharia has gained quite a foothold – to wit – Dearborn, Michigan.

    See here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnJBW49afzg

    Report this comment

    woodyee  
  • SpankDaMonkey
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 8:46am

    .
    I bet Obama is taking notes for next years “War on Christmas”………….

    Report this comment

    SpankDaMonkey  
    • RIGHTHOOK
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 8:57am

      The war on Christmas is already alive and well here. Starts innocently enough with being PC and neutralizing December 25th as a “Holiday Celebration”. The raids will occur down the road.
      So Happy Holiday’s and Seasons Greetings……

      Report this comment

      RIGHTHOOK  
  • vaman
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 8:39am

    Now there is your war on christmas, which does not exist here. Cops don’t’ raid homes or churches stopping ceremonies in this country. Once in a great while you can’t put a nativity scene on public property. Get over it because this story shows an actual, real, authentic and bona fide attack on a Christmas.

    Report this comment

    vaman  
    • MsMarylou8
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 8:44am

      Once in a great while? They do it every chance they get. There’s your beginning to what happens there.

      Report this comment

      MsMarylou8  
    • EM2T93
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 8:55am

      VAMAN…
      Don’t kid yourself…Christians face regulatory assaults on our religious freedoms. From Federal attacks like Obamacare, to little twit city councils wielding permit powers…don’t forget the man whose house was invaded by several police and firefighters, in front of his wife and children, and who was eventually arrested and jailed for 30 days for having…(wait for it)…a church without a permit in his backyard.

      Report this comment

      EM2T93  
    • stablepar
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:50am

      not yet. when is the only question…not who, what, where, why.

      Report this comment

      stablepar  
  • hillbillyinny
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 8:33am

    I believe it will visit us here in the U.S., probably not “next year,” but we are moving toward the severe persecution of FAITH.

    The “New Evangelization” of the Catholic Church is getting each who understand their faith ready to practice as a “persecuted church” as occurs throughout the Middle East and in China! We will need to bring others to God’s saving knowledge, we will need to pray, educate and support each other as the true brothers and sisters in faith.

    The humanists, socialists, communists, and muslims will align to push down the Judeo/Christian faiths of LOVE, hoping to wipe it out.

    Remember Jesus said, “I will be with you to the END OF TIME”! We are called to witness, pray, and look up. His second coming will be glorious and may many come to the saving knowledge of His plan of Salvation.

    Remember, today is the Feast of the Holy Innocents–the babies slaughtered by a mad man at the time of Jesus’ birth.

    Maranatha, alleluia!

    Report this comment

    hillbillyinny  
  • liltexasgal
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 8:32am

    A cause worth dying for.

    Report this comment

    liltexasgal  
    • vaman
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 8:40am

      Less talk, more action. Let us know how your crusade is going.

      Report this comment

      vaman  
    • hillbillyinny
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:05am

      @ vaman

      Actually, the word “crusade” has many uses! The various evangelical “crusades” have brought many to the saving knowledge of the Word without any bloodshed.

      Remember Billy Graham’s life work through “crusades” throughout the world, while he prays for us in his old age to carry on the Gospel (Good News of Jesus Christ).

      Help those in need, share the Gospel through action, and bring others to faith.

      Report this comment

      hillbillyinny  
    • RJJinGadsden
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:09am

      VAMAN, Having read your posts here, along with your profile page, I get the feeling that it is you who is telling the big lie here, and it is the likes of you who is on a crusade. Nice try at that Obi Wan Kanobie “These are not the droids you’re looking for” trick. It doesn’t work on us all.

      Report this comment

      RJJinGadsden  
    • Elena2010
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 2:26pm

      VAMAN — the jihad to conquer Europe was a crusade that was eventually met w/force that was dubbed “THE CRUSADES.”

      When the muslim hordes were turned back at Tours in France, the jihadis looked for new ways to stomp on Christians. They turned to Mohammad’s favorite form of recreation — caravan raiding! Muslims took Christian pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land and killed them, raped them, enslaved them (fm which we get the term Slav), held them for ransom, and robbed them. Pope Urban II then called for Christian knights to fight back and push the muslims fm the Holy Land that had been Christian since Constantine until the Arab hordes came out of Arabia killing, enslaving, raping, and robbing after Mohammad’s death. A Greek and Aramaic speaking world was destroyed w/an Arab culture taking over empty spaces and turning the few remaining Christian and Jewish souls into dhimmi.

      Report this comment

      Elena2010  
  • skippy6
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 8:29am

    Such a tolerant Country….Are you sure this wasn’t in Israel??

    Report this comment

    skippy6  
    • hillbillyinny
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:24am

      No, @ “skippy” (used to be my pet garter snake’s name!),

      This didn’t and WOULDN’T happen in Israel!!! If you worked on learning truth, you might find out that Israel is not only very TOLERANT to their Muslim neighbors, but many close neighbors work IN ISRAEL, and pray that other Middle Easterners will not ruin the goodness that is extended by Israel.

      I realize that the concept of a group of peoples being owners of land into perpetualty is “strange thinking” for those who solve everything by fighting, but the “johnny come lately” group of people being held CAPTIVE in camps and restricted areas, not by Israel, but by the countries who want to use these people to fight their fights and as shields and decoys.

      Jews and Christians react to persecution if necessary for survival, many are martyred rather than raise a had against their attackers.

      Good try, no prize!

      Report this comment

      hillbillyinny  
  • bikerdogred1
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 8:27am

    WOW,what a peaceful religion,these people are to much,they kill their own people and say no bigMM deal,they are living in the stone age.MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL YOU MUSLIMS and you to obama.

    Report this comment

    bikerdogred1  
    • Nunyunuwi
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 8:40am

      be nice, obama’s thought police at the direction of his buddies the muslim brotherhood in the white house, just might come pay you a visit, as obama loves his NDAA power to do just what the Saudi gov just did… pick you up for no reason but offending him…holding you indefinitely….boo

      Report this comment

      Nunyunuwi  
  • starman70
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 8:27am

    Another action from the “Religion of Peace”. Intolerance and persecution are its hallmarks.

    Report this comment

    starman70  
  • poorrichard09
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 8:21am

    With all the God and Christ haters in the US these days, watch for this to happen here next year!

    Report this comment

    poorrichard09  
    • DougHuffman
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 8:26am

      I cannot think of a better reason to die.

      Do you want to live in that Godless Obamanation? I don’t. “From my cold, dead hands” works for me.

      Good people ought to be armed as they will, with wits and Guns and the Truth. God Bless Bitter Clingers, damn know-nothings, progressives.

      Report this comment

      DougHuffman  
    • breakobamanow
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 8:41am

      I don’t know that it will happen in the next year but I do know it will happen. Jesus told us it would and to be ready. I am ready to die for Christs sake, because I know my true reward is not on this earth. May God have mercy on as many who would call upon his name and repent of their transgressions, desiring the knowledge and wisdom that comes by grace through faith. That he die so we might live.

      Report this comment

      breakobamanow  

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