Two men accused of forced conversion go on trial in September
August 9, 2012: A Lebanese Christian and a Saudi national are set to go on trial
on 15 September for converting a Saudi woman in Al-Khobar, a Saudi city on the Persian
Gulf. Anonymous sources say the new convert lives in London at present, after going
through Lebanon, Turkey and Sweden.
The woman, who worked in an insurance company
reportedly, encountered Christianity through her Lebanese boss and a Saudi colleague.
The three met in secret for a few months until the young woman fell in love with the
Lebanese man who gave her books on Christianity and invited her to take part in online
religious chat rooms. After she converted, she decided to flee to Lebanon with the
help of the two men.
Her father filed a complaint about his daughter's disappearance
and the police arrested the two men. In his statement, the father claims that the
boss influenced the young woman, inspiring wrong ideas about Islam that shook her
convictions and led her to leave the country illegally.
Within Saudi Arabia,
the case has been controversial with some calling for harsh punishment against the
two men accused of forced conversion.