Page 6 of 8: Forced Religious Conversion

Forced Religious Conversion

Under the law, children of Saudi fathers are considered Muslim, regardless of the county or the religious tradition in which they may have been raised.  In some cases, children raised in other countries and in other religious traditions who came to Saudi Arabia or who were taken by their Saudi fathers to Saudi Arabia reportedly were coerced to conform to Islamic norms and practices, although forcible conversion is prohibited.  There were no reports of the forced religious conversion of minor U.S. citizens who had been abducted or illegally removed from the United States during the period covered by this report, or of the Government's refusal to allow such citizens to be returned to the United States.  However, there was a report that prior to the period covered by this report, at least one U.S. citizen child in the country was subjected to pressure--and at times force--by her Saudi relatives to renounce Christianity and conform to Islamic norms and practices.  The child has since returned to the United States.

Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom

The Government welcomed two delegations on freedom of religion from the United States:  Members of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom visited in March 2001 and the Director of the Office of International Religious Freedom in the U.S. Department of State visited in January 2001.  In meetings with these officials and others, senior Saudi government officials stated that the Government will not interfere in private non-Muslim worship and invited the U.S. Government to provide specific information if that policy is violated.

According to press reports, in early 2001, the Government quietly lifted the requirement that Shi'a obtain advance permission to travel to Iran, thus effectively allowing them to visit pilgrimage sites in Iran without prior notice.