In Saudi Arabia Wednesday for the Real Estate Future Forum, disgraced former Fox News host Tucker Carlson said, "I'm, for whatever it's worth, a pretty fervent Christian, and I feel completely comfortable here in the seat of Islam… and just saying that is a threat somehow to some people, who are propagandists and liars."
Well, who exactly is the propagandist and liar here? It is no surprise that Tucker Carlson feels "completely comfortable here in the seat of Islam." He is a welcome and lauded guest of the state, and his presence there is useful for the Saudi monarchy. They aren't going to give him any trouble for being a Christian, and even if they were, Carlson is not there as a missionary or preacher. He didn't proselytize, and no one expected him to do so. If he had done so, it would have been quite quickly made clear to him that such behavior was not what the Saudis invited him for, and that he should stop it forthwith or would be just as quickly shown the door.
Carlson also appears to be trying to generalize from his own experience, as if every Christian who ever ventured into Saudi Arabia were an internationally renowned VIP who could expect to receive nothing but the most deferential treatment from the Saudi government. The reality, of course, is quite different. Virtually all of the Christians in Saudi Arabia are foreign workers from countries such as the Philippines or India. They know very well that when they come to Saudi Arabia, they are expected to leave their religion at the door. There are no churches. Public worship is forbidden to them. If the Christians gather in someone's private home and conduct their own worship services, they could end up being the recipients of a police raid. If they speak to any Muslim about Christianity, they could be arrested and imprisoned or deported. Even having a Bible or a cross could get them arrested and imprisoned or deported. Christians in Saudi Arabia don't have the privilege of being Tucker Carlson and are well aware of how precarious their situation is while they are there.
I once knew a Lebanese Christian who worked in Saudi Arabia. He told me that at the time for Islamic prayers, the religious police would come around and make sure everyone was in the mosque and praying. If you were caught on the streets, you could be arrested, even if you weren't a Muslim and couldn't go to Muslim prayers anyway. He learned to make himself inconspicuous in the back rooms of the shop where he worked when it was prayer time.
And what if a Muslim in Saudi Arabia decided to convert to Christianity? Could he simply declare his new faith openly and start attending church, just as a Christian in the United States could convert to Islam without any problem, and start attending the local mosque? Of course not. In the first place, remember that in Saudi Arabia, there are no churches. Also, in Islamic law, the penalty for leaving Islam is death. That penalty is based on the Qur’an: “They wish you would disbelieve as they disbelieved so you would be alike. So do not take from among them allies until they emigrate for the cause of Allah. But if they turn away, then seize them and kill them wherever you find them and take not from among them any ally or helper.” (Qur’an 4:89) Also, a hadith depicts Muhammad saying, “Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him” (Bukhari 9.84.57). A Muslim who decided to leave Islam in Saudi Arabia would be in danger for his life if his apostasy became known. He would never again be "completely comfortable in the seat of Islam."
Also, the Real Estate Future Forum took place in Riyadh. What if Tucker Carlson had told his gracious hosts that while he was in the country, he would like to make a tour of Mecca? They might conceivably bend the rules for the purpose of burnishing Islam's image and take the friendly infidel into Islam's holiest city, but that is extremely unlikely, as Islamic law forbids non-Muslims to enter Mecca, and large numbers of Muslims around the world would be enraged at the Saudis if they publicly brought a non-Muslim into that city. Thus, it's much more likely that they would politely explain to Carlson that he was perfectly free to enter Mecca and even to make the hajj when the season for it comes around, as long as he converts to Islam first.
Since he finds Saudi Arabia so inviting and friendly, Carlson might well take them up on that offer. But all other infidels should be aware of the exclusivity regarding Mecca, and the supremacism it implies, and ponder those implications.
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