Dubai arrests US missionaries

The Americans were due to be in Dubai for 2 weeks

By Julia Wheeler in Dubai

Three American missionaries could face up to 10 years in prison in the United Arab Emirates after being arrested in Dubai and accused of promoting Christianity.

UAE federal law states that anyone abusing Islam, or calling Muslims to other religions, faces between five and 10 years in prison

They are believed to have travelled to Dubai after answering an advertisement placed by a radical Christian group based in the US state of Arizona.

The three men are understood to have volunteered for missionary work through Frontiers, a US-based organization that specifically aims to convert Muslims to Christianity.

The group advertises for likely candidates and expects each missionary to pay a share of their costs.

Mission

The advertisement which brought the three to Dubai - one of the seven states that make up the UAE - did not mention where in the Middle East the missionaries would travel.

But it encouraged prospective applicants to "join a small team to distribute strategic materials and to make new friends".

It described the mission's destination as a country with "little real access to the Gospel".

Each participant was expected to pay $3,200 for the two-week mission to the Emirates.

Dubai allows Christians to worship, but converting Muslims is forbidden

The three men were arrested in the centre of Dubai, allegedly distributing Christian literature on one of the main thoroughfares.

The group also works by befriending Muslims and using what it describes as "aggressive friendship evangelism" to convert them to Christianity.

Its members are expected to be willing to be deported or imprisoned. The UAE is an Islamic State which allows Christians to worship freely.

There are churches in several Emirates which cater to the large numbers of Christian expatriates from the West and Asia.

Despite Dubai's cosmopolitan image, lively nightlife and thriving tourism industry, the culture and traditions of the Emirates are still very much based around Islam.

UAE federal law states that anyone abusing Islam, or calling Muslims to other religions, faces between five and 10 years in prison.