Reports are coming in of increasing persecution of Christian believers in the Saudi Arabia. A Saudi man recently cut the tongue of his daughter and burned her to death for converting to Christianity, according to a report by the United Arab Emirates-based Gulf News. The victim frequently wrote on various Web site blogs about her conversion from Islam. It is believed that she converted to Christianity after learning about the faith on the Internet and through Christian media.

The girl's father is an employee of Saudi Arabia's Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice - the arm of the government that enforces the nation's prohibition of Christianity and conversion to Christianity. Sources close to the victim said that the father was being investigated for "honour killing" rather than murder, Gulf News reported. Shariah-ruled Saudi Arabia, where all Christian worship is forbidden, is ranked No. 2 on Open Doors' 2007 World Watch List of nations where Christians are persecuted for their faith.

Under the kingdom's strict interpretation of Islamic law, apostasy is punishable by death if the accused does not recant. According to International Christian Concern (ICC), Saudi Arabia deported 15 Christians last month for holding private worship meetings in a house. The deportation runs contrary to recent attempts to portray the kingdom as a beacon of reconciliation among Christians, Muslims and Jews. Saudi Arabia recently hosted an interfaith conference in Madrid, when King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia called for reconciliation among various religions.

"Deporting Christians for worshiping in their private homes shows that King Abdullah's speech is mere rhetoric and his country is deceiving the international community about their desire for change and reconciliation," ICC President Jeff King said.

Source: Windows International Network