Saudi Arabia seeks travellers. Christianity Was Not Anticipated.
Saudi Arabia seeks travellers. Christianity Was Not Anticipated.
The five Toyota Land Cruisers sped across the stony desert of Saudi Arabia before swerving onto a road so brand-new it was not marked on any maps. They came to a stop on a desolate beach near the sea rift that separates the kingdom from Egypt. 15 tourists poured out and surrounded Kansas pastor Joel Richardson.
Mr. Richardson urged the audience to picture themselves on the opposite side of the water during the historic Exodus, running from Pharaoh’s army with Moses when the sea split in two as the sun set below the Sinai Peninsula mountains in Egypt.
He put on his glasses, opened a Bible, and started reciting. Oh Lord, he said, “Who among the gods is like you? Who else is working wonders and being majestic in holiness and splendour like you?
When the country’s borders were opened to leisure travellers in 2019, Saudi officials did not anticipate these guests. They wanted to diversify the oil-dependent economy and show the world a fresh side of the country. They anticipated that experienced travellers looking for an exotic destination would arrive first, followed by boat owners who would swarm the resorts the government is developing on the Red Sea coast. In the orthodox Islamic rule, Christians were not included in any plans.
Yet among the first to use the new Saudi tourist passports were Christians of various stripes, including Baptists, Mennonites, and other people who identify as “children of God.” Since then, their numbers have rapidly increased thanks to word-of-mouth and popular YouTube films claiming that Mount Sinai, the summit where Jewish and Christian Scriptures depict God delivering the Ten Commandments, is actually located in Saudi Arabia and not Egypt.
Traditional biblical academics vehemently contest this. However, it has little effect on the pilgrims’ enthusiasm as they set off on what will, for many of them, be a once-in-a-lifetime journey in search of data that they believe could support the validity of the Exodus.
The 53-year-old Idaho bookkeeper on Mr. Richardson’s trip, Kris Gibson, who had never ventured outside of the United States and Mexico before she boarded a plane in February to Saudi Arabia, said, “It makes something tangible that you have believed in your whole life.”
For many years, pilgrims travelling to Mecca—the centre of Islam—made up almost all of the visitors to Saudi Arabia. Openly following a different faith was effectively prohibited. Christmas trees made of artificial material were brought in illegally and sold. People who were accused of “witchcraft” were put to death.When tens of thousands of Saudis went to study in America in the early 2000s, the nation’s rigid Islamic beliefs started to loosen up. Then, in 2015, a new king placed Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a 29-year-old son, into the succession.
Prince Mohammed promised to make the kingdom a centre for international trade. He sparked a wave of social transformations that saw the role of religious police reduced, dress restrictions relaxed, and the prohibition against women driving lifted.
Additionally, he oversaw a rise in political repression, effectively stifling any Saudi oppositional voices. Jamal Khashoggi, a critical exile and columnist for the Washington Post, was murdered and mutilated by Saudi operatives in Istanbul in 2018. According to a report by American intelligence, the prince, who disputed the accusation, most likely ordered the murder.Since then, Prince Mohammed has resisted efforts to isolate him by using Saudi Arabia’s oil wealth in innovative ways to strengthen the nation’s power, such as last month’s unexpected partnership between a Saudi-backed golf league and the PGA Tour.
Previously unimaginable incidents have become normal in Saudi Arabia as it navigates this fluid new era, giving daily life the feel of a bizarre dream.
Few Saudis would dare to speak of complete religious freedom; atheists, as well as Muslims who disagree with Islamic teachings, risk being imprisoned. However, religious taboos are quickly changing. Jews recently planted date palm trees in Medina, the second holiest city in Islam, while Buddhist monks visited an interfaith conference in the country last year. An American-Israeli guy with a website identifying him as the “chief rabbi of Saudi Arabia” showed up in the country’s capital, Riyadh.
People frequently misjudge what is an accident and what has official support because the kingdom is changing so quickly. Requests for comment regarding Christian tours were not met with any response from the government. However, as the nation diversifies its economy, increasing tourism is a top objective. Some Saudis have privately expressed amusement.
