Two Indian Pentecostal Christians who were imprisoned for six months in Saudi Arabia, for alleged attempted Christian conversions, were set free recently and allowed to return to their home country.

Nese Yohan, 31, and Vasantha Sekhar Vara, 28, members of the thriving house church Rejoice in the Church of the Lord in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, returned to India on July 24, after being released two weeks before by Saudi officials.

Vara and Yohan, who are members of a house church with some 70 members, were arrested in January while holding a Bible study in the house church apartment, attended largely by expat Indian workers.

“Saudi religious police and other police confiscated Bibles and other Christian literature as well as the church’s sound installation and instruments, such as guitars, during the [January] raid. They even broke furniture, suit cases, and painted what I believe were Koran verses on the walls,” an elder of the church told Worthy News.

The two men were initially placed on a “pre-trial detention” of 45 days and were severely beaten. Then they were transferred to an infamous and overcrowded jail in Riyadh and detained for months without trial.

When members of the church were allowed to see Vara and Yohan, they looked wan. An elder told Worthy News, “Our brothers’ head hair was shaved and they looked very thin.”

The two men were not allowed to pray or read the Bible. Yohan was coughing and there were concerns about tuberculosis, but he was allegedly denied medical treatment.

They also could not sleep well in the overcrowded cell. The elder told Worthy News that Vara and Yohan were “the only known Christians there imprisoned for their faith. The other inmates are criminals.”

Vara lost his job while in prison. He was also being pressured to convert to Islam, but he refused saying, “If I have to die for my God, I will die for him here,” Worthy News reported.

Their freedom on July 12 was unexpected but welcome news after a lengthy and often frustrating process of negotiations. The elder told Worthy News it was “a result of prayers. The world should know about their plight. Praise the Lord, God gives us victory.”

However, an anonymous source told Worthy News that local authorities have been exerting pressure on the house church, and the homes of members of the church have also been raided. Christians believe Saudi officials are trying to intimidate them so they will not worship in private homes.

False charges, false evidence

“These two Christians have faced false charges and false evidence, Logan Maurer of International Christian Concern told Christian Today. “The Saudi government continues to engage in an array of severe violations of human rights as part of its repression of freedom of religion.”

Saudi Arabia has been cracking down on Christians for many years. In 2004, some 28 Indian Christians were arrested for practicing their faith. In 2008, another 16 Indian workers were arrested and detained for three days. Two years later, half of them voluntarily left the country, and three were deported.

Officially, Saudi Arabia’s 26 million population is 100 percent Muslim, but there are some seven million foreign workers in the country, with 1.5 of them Indian nationals, many of whom are Christian.

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The Obama administration’s U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom said recently that she plans to apply a more hands-on, faith-based approach in dealing with global faith issues.

Rev. Suzan Johnson-Cook told Michel Martin on NPR’s radio program Faith Matters that she hopes to put a face on religious freedom and to perform her duties more strategically.

The recently sworn in ambassador-at-large told Martin, “[W]hat we’re trying to do is have a faith approach to some very real issues that are global. And I think people have not had a hands-on, frontline experience before. And so what they will see now is a face of religious freedom…a woman who’s…[m]oving forward strategically,” NPR reported.

In her new position, Cook will be monitoring religious freedom issues globally and will report directly to President Obama and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. The latter has said of Cook, “To many, she is more than a minister, more than a spiritual leader, although she is certainly that. She is a passionate advocate for the God-given rights of people everywhere, no matter which god they believe gave them those rights in the first place,” Beliefnet said.

Clinton, during Cook’s swearing-in ceremony, said in her speech which was reprinted in the U.S. Department of State website that she will be working “in very close partnership” with Cook to uphold religious freedom, citing issues of violent extremism geared to exploiting sectarian tensions, abusive authoritarian regimes and threats to religious freedom whether through “quiet intolerance” or “violent attacks.”

When questioned by NPR about what Cook can do regarding religious freedom issues in countries with ties to the U.S., such as Saudi Arabia and the People’s Republic of China, Cook said, “I’m the poster child of religious freedom,” and added that she plans to “elevate” these issues with U.S. allies, NPR said.

Cook told NPR, “[Y]ou work with the allies that we have as partners and then you begin with diplomacy [with countries that are not allies] where there are pragmatic openings, begin to sit down and strategically plan to see if there could be partnerships where there have not been in the past.”

For 21 years, Cook was a chaplain with the New York City Police Department, which has a longstanding reputation for being at odds particularly with minorities including African-Americans and Latinos.

When asked how she mediated the role as chaplain of the NYPD and a voice for a beleaguered minority of which she is part, Cook told NPR that she saw herself as representative of her “culture and their concerns.”

Cook told NPR, “You need people from all sides of the world. You need some who are outside, who are the activists. You need some who are inside. When you have a department that’s 50,000 people strong, you’re going to also have minorities within the department…So I think you look at the opportunities that have been open and where you have been placed by God and by the Almighty.”

Cook, who in 1996 founded Bronx Christian Fellowship Baptist Church, told NPR that she measures  measures success by knowing that she has done her best with each day, enabling her to sleep peacefully at night.

She also noted to NPR that success is measured in due time by how one is remembered in history. But for herself, “[E]ach day I awake and I ask God to use me for that day in the best way that God [wants] and that I might make a difference for the people whose lives I touch and who touch mine.”

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A Christian organization that hopes to translate the bible in all languages of the world by 2025 has launched recently two new bible translation projects in countries where reading the bible is not allowed.

Wycliffe Associates’ CEO Bruce Smith said that the newest effort by the organization is going to be the most difficult one they have faced so far, according to BosNewsLife.

Smith told BosNewsLife this newest endeavor is the most “difficult in Wycliffe Associates’ history. The Gospel cannot be openly preached in these countries and the Bible can’t be read in public.”

Smith said at least one of the nations is a Muslim-majority country with sharia law, where Christians have been long persecuted even by their relatives and community, according to BosNewsLife.

Smith did not confirm that the nation referred to is Saudi Arabia. He did however say that caution is necessary pointing out that several home churches have been raided by the police, BosNewsLife said.

Smith said, “It’s not easy…We have to be careful. I find myself continually pleading with God for guidance in our efforts, and for protection for Bible translators, trainers, their families, and their support teams,” BosNewsLife reported.

Smith estimated that it will take more than 10 years for either project to be completed, because work must be done in secret, making it harder to edit, much less distribute texts, BosNewsLife said.

By Smith’s estimate, “It may take up to 15 years before the Bible becomes available in the native language,” according to  BosNewsLife.

The environment is also fraught with danger, Smith said, noting that recently a Wycliffe staff member died in a bombing attack, while another missionary from The Seed Company disappeared, BosNewsLife said.

Bible translators often go to hard-to-reach areas that are remote and unstable, because these are places where there is no availability of a bible in their language, BosNewsLife said.

Translation kits

A positive development is the provision of Translation Acceleration Kits which will make things safer for Wycliffe workers and volunteers. The kit includes a portable netbook computer, solar panel, battery, power supply and satellite communication terminal, according to the Wycliffe website.

Smith said the technology will be particularly helpful in dangerous regions. “I believe this new technology is a must—especially in places where terrain, violence, or civil unrest hinders translation efforts,” he said on the website.

With these kits, Wycliffe Associates has targeted 300 locations in the world that can make use of the kits, and relieve national translators of the need to travel to dangerous places or rough, uncharted terrain, the website said.

The kits will have a strong impact on the safety of many workers, particularly in Nigeria, where 24 national translation teams were given kits in remote areas to serve some 4.3 million people, the website said.

Smith told BosNewsLife, “The satellite modems that we’re using in many of these locations connect to a satellite constellation that those governments don’t control. Those satellites are up there all day, every day, and if you have an antenna that can transmit to and from those satellites, there’s really no way for the government to stop that from happening.”

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A missionary group said recently that Christians in Syria are being threatened by Muslim extremists to join rallies that are calling for the resignation of the country’s president.

International Christian Concern said it has been receiving reports that Syrian Christians are being pressured to join rallies even as violence against them has stepped up, according to Christian Today.

Christians are told to either join the protests or leave the country. In Dara’a, a Christian village in southern Syria, some 20 masked men drove through the village on motorcycles for a drive-by shoot at a Christian home, Christian Today said.

In Karak village, Muslim Salafists coerced Christians to remove pictures of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from their homes and to join the protest demonstrations. One man who rebuffed the Salafists was found dead the following morning, his body hanging on his front porch, Christian Today reported.

Christian churches also were sent letters during the Easter season, according to ICC, that stated that unless parishioners joined the demonstrations, they should leave the country, according to Christian Today.

Aidan Clay, ICC’s Middle East regional manager, told Christian Today that the U.S. should be careful in its diplomatic relations with Syria noting, “Unlike in Egypt, where Christians predominantly supported the revolution that removed President Hosni Mubarak from power, Syrian Christians have not participated in protests, anticipating that chaos and bloodshed will follow if radical Islam takes hold of the country.”

Christians enjoy more protection and freedom in Syria than in Muslim countries where Shariah law prevails. Because of this, Christians would like to see change in Syria, but without having to unseat Assad, Christian Today said.

Although as of now the riots are not yet sectarian, there is fear that they may be overtaken by an extremist agenda. So far, protests are rooted in social issues of repression and inequality, and economic woes including employment and massive price hikes of food and fuel, Continental News said.

Sneaking in

An unnamed Christian leader told Christian Today, “Muslim Salafi groups are sneaking in with their goal, which is not to make changes for the betterment of Syria, but to take over the country with their agenda. We want to improve life and rights in Syria under this president, but we do not want terrorism. Christians will be the first to pay the price of terrorism.”

The Assad family has been in power for 50 years. Christians have been protected because the Assad family belongs to the Alawite sect, which is an obscure offshoot of Shi’ite Islam, according to Continental News.

Only one percent of Syria’s population is Shi’ite, while 6.3 percent is Christian. The majority, 90 percent, is Sunni Muslim, which views the Alawite sect as heretical, Continental News said.

Syria’s constitution has a provision for religious freedom, but the government has imposed strong restrictions on this right. ICC told Christian Today that protesters in Duma, a suburb of Damascus, chanted last week, “Alawites to the grave and Christians to Beirut!”

The protection the Assad family lends Christians is strategic, as are its ties with Iran, and Lebanon’s leading Shi’ite leader. Of late, however, there has been concern by analysts of the “Shi’itization” of Syria, Continental News reported.

Israel, the U.S. and Arab government would like to see Syria pulled apart from its ties with Iran and Hezballah, while the latter two will not want this. The Salafi jihadists from Saudi Arabia and the Muslim Brotherhood are aiding Syria’s opposition, while the Syrian government is being aided by Iran, Continental News said.

Syrian Christians are concerned by the chaos that may follow as Syria “risks being torn apart by an Iraq-style sectarian conflagration over the regional balance of power,” according to Continental News.

Clay of ICC said, “We urge the U.S. Government to act wisely and carefully when developing policies that have deep political ramifications for Syria’s minorities by not indirectly supporting a foothold to be used by radical Islamists to carry out their anti-Christian agenda” Christian Today reported.

An unnamed Syrian Christian leader said, “If Muslim Salafis gain political influence, they will make sure that there will be no trace of Christianity in Syria,” according to Christian Today

Clay told Christian Today, “Throughout the Middle East, Christians have been fleeing their homeland in unprecedented numbers. Now, in a country where Christians have historically taken refuge from nearby purges in places like Turkey a century ago and Iraq in recent years, Islamists are threatening their existence.”

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For the first time, a government agency in the U.S. has added Egypt to its list of top 14 worst violators of religious freedom in the world.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom placed Egypt on its top 14 list, taking into account the patently worsening situation of Coptic Christians after the resignation of former president Hosni Mubarak, the AP reported.

However, the report notes that the attacks against the Copts began while Mubarak was still in power and heightened in 2008 up to New Year’s Day of 2011 with the bombing of a church in Alexandria which the report said was “the worst sectarian strike against Egypt’s Christians in a decade.”

A PDF file of the report also says, “For years, President Hosni Mubarak‘s government tolerated widespread discrimination against religious minorities, from Copts to Baha‘is and dissident Muslims, while allowing state-controlled media and state funded mosques to deliver incendiary messages against them.”

The report adds that anti-Christian violations continue after Mubarak stepped down on Feb. 11, 2011. The PDF file says, “Since February 11, military and security forces reportedly have used excessive force and live ammunition in targeting Christian places of worship and Christian demonstrators.”

The report adds that the new government falls short in other areas saying, “Implementation of previous court rulings – related to granting official identity documents to Baha‘is and changing religious affiliation on identity documents for Christian converts – continues to lag. In addition, the government has not responded adequately to combat widespread and virulent anti-Semitism in the government-controlled media.”

Another country on the top 14 list of worst violators of religious freedom is China. In his opening remarks, USCIRF chairman Leonard Leo added that China has been trying to hack the commission’s files, the AP said.

Other countries on the top 14 list are Burma, Vietnam, Eritrea, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Sudan and Uzbekistan, the AP reported.

Just below the top 14 is a list of countries that are on its 2011 Watch List, meaning, Leo said, countries where “impunity has become a matter of escalating alarm,” according to its website.

The Watch List countries include Venezuela, Turkey, Tajikistan, Somalia, Russia, Laos, Indonesia, India, Cuba, Belarus and Afghanistan. Leo said in the website, “Watch List countries require close monitoring due to the nature and extent of religious freedom violations engaged in or tolerated by their governments.”

Leo said in the website, “This year’s Annual Report spotlights the problem and advances concrete solutions that will improve religious freedom while weaving it more tightly into the fabric of national security and U.S. foreign policy.”

Less aid to Egypt

One of the recommendations of the report is that the U.S. set aside part of the aid budget to Egypt’s military and instead funnel it to “enhance physical protection for Copts and other religious minorities,” the AP reported.

The USCIRF was established by congress in 1998 and works as an independent, bipartisan commission. Its members are appointed by the president and the political party leaders from both houses of congress, the website said.

The USCIRF is tasked to review incidents of violations of religious freedom internationally and then to make policy recommendations to the president, the State Department and congress, the website said.

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A Bangladeshi evangelist was declared not guilty of “creating chaos” recently by a local court, after he was sentenced to a one-year term in jail for selling Christian literature near a major Muslim event.

Biplob Marandi, 25, was cleared by a Gazipur district court and is set to be released on Friday. The tribal Christian was selling Christian literature near Bishwa Ijtema, which is the Sufi Muslim equivalent of the Islamic Hajj in Mecca in Saudi Arabia, BosNewsLife said.

In a statement Lensen Swapon Gomes, lawyer for Marandi, said the decision is proof that his client was not guilty of the charge that he was accused of, BosNewsLife reported. The lawyer theorized that Marandi was “harassed” by Muslim hardliners who were angered because of the Christian books.

Marandi’s brother, Rev. Sailence Marandi of the Church of Nazarene International in Thakurgaon district told Christian Today, “My brother is an innocent man, and his unconditional release proved the victory of truth.”

Sailence told Compass Direct News, “I thank all those who have prayed for my brother to be released. I am even more delighted because my brother’s release proves that he was very innocent and polite,” noting that at the original trial, Marandi was not allowed to defend himself.

Constitutional protection

Gomes won the appeal by pointing out that Gomes’ actions were “protected by the religious freedom provisions of the Bangladesh constitution.” It was not clear if international publicity had helped in swaying the court, BosNewsLife said.

Marandi was arrested and detained in January when he was selling and distributing Christian literature near the Bishwa Ijtema (World Muslim Congregation) near the town, Tongi, according to Christian Today.

The event is the Sufi Muslim equivalent of the Islamic Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, and is attended by millions of male Muslims (women are not permitted). Included in the January event were 9,000 foreigners who came from 108 countries, Compass Direct
News said.

Gomes told Compass Direct News, “Some fundamentalist Muslims became very angry with him for selling the Christian books near a Muslim gathering, so they harassed him by handing him over to the mobile court.”

On Feb. 28, Marandi was sentenced by a lower court to one year imprisonment. Gomes said, “His release proves that he was innocent and that he did not create any trouble at the Muslim gathering,” BosNewsLife reported.

Marandi’s source of livelihood is the sale of Christian literature, according to Compass Direct News. Gomes said the incident reflects how Bangladesh pays only lip service to religious freedom, BosNewsLife said.

A recent U.S. State Department report said, “Although the government publicly supported freedom of religion, attacks on religious and ethnic minorities continued to be a problem during the reporting period.” Furthermore, religious minorities tend to be “at the bottom of the social hierarchy and, therefore, have the least political recourse,” BosNewsLife reported.

Bangladesh, with a population of 160 million, ranks No. 3 among Muslim-majority countries globally, Christian Today said. One percent of this largely impoverished nation is Christian, BosNewsLife said.

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A Christian woman in Somalia was brutally slaughtered for apostasy recently by Sunni extremists who held her to the ground, recited the Qu’ran, pulled up her head and slit her throat in a public area while shouting, “Allah Akbar.”

Asha Mberwa, a 36-year-old mother of four, was captured by the al-Shabab and executed slowly and painfully in front of Warbhigly villagers in Somalia on January 7, the Pakistan Christian Times reported.

Mberwa was also made aware that the al-Shabab planned to look for her children and indoctrinate them, according to the Pakistan Christian Times.

Apostasy, or converting from Islam to another faith, is punishable by death in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Maldives, Afghanistan, Somalia and other countries that practice Islamic Sharia law, The Pakistan Christian Times said.

The incident is not uncommon in Somalia, Mission News Network said. The World Watch List of Open Doors has rated Somalia as the fifth worst country for Christians to live in.

Somalia also has the most extreme and plentiful incidence of persecution in Africa. Mission News Network reported that al-Shabab is intent in wiping out all Christians from the country.

Few in number, grave danger

Sammy Tippit, of Sammy Tippit Ministries told Mission News Network of his own experience when he visited Somalia at the request of Christians there. He said, “First of all, there’s such a minority of believers in the area we were in. In fact, in a region of about three million people, there were only about 14 believers.”

Despite their small number, they face grave danger. Tippit told Mission News Network, “They have to be careful who they talk to about their faith and what they say, because their lives are in danger. They’re very courageous. They’re meeting quietly, and they’re trying to be good citizens within the country.”

Tippit said Christians in Somalia lack bibles, and he is currently partnering with bible translation ministries to address this. He is also developing a Christian website in the Somali language, Mission News Network reported.

Tippit told Mission News Network, “We will, probably within the next few months, develop a web site that will have discipleship materials, basic things that can be accessed—because carrying around a bible in that part of the world can be very dangerous.”

Refusal of aid

Al-Shabab is so intent in wiping out Christians that it will not even allow international and local aid agencies to enter drought stricken areas in southern and central Somalia, where critical help is needed, All Africa said.

Al Shabab’s Sheikh Suldan Mohammed Ala Mohammed has refused the aid because he believes the workers want to brainwash the people and spread Christianity, according to All Africa.

Over 20 aid organizations have already been banned by al-Shabab and those who remain find difficulty addressing the needs of millions of Somali, even as they themselves face great danger, All Africa reported.

Support from Mohammed

According to The Modern Tokyo Times, oftentimes there is veritably little difference between jihadists and national governments that support death for apostasy, for example, in Afghanistan and Somalia.

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Pope Benedict XVI expressed concern recently over Europe’s growing “hostility and prejudice” towards Christianity, and said religious fundamentalism and secularism are alike in that they both inhibit religious freedom.

In his message slated for Jan. 1, which the Roman Catholic Church has declared World Day of Peace, Benedict said that religious fundamentalism and secularism are two extremes which obstruct genuine plurality, The New York Times said.

According to The New York Times Benedict said in his message, “It should be clear that religious fundamentalism and secularism are alike in that both represent extreme forms of a rejection of legitimate pluralism and the principle of secularity.”

Benedict’s message, entitled Religious Freedom, the Path to Peace, also condemned religious persecution in Middle Eastern countries where Christianity is a minority faith, such as Saudi Arabia and Iran, Reuters reported.

The message, which was presented in a news conference by Vatican officials, stated that Christians remain the most persecuted faith group in the world, according to Reuters.

A Vatican official said up to 300 million Christians “face daily threats of murder, beating, imprisonment and murder and a further 350 to 400 million encounter discrimination in areas such as jobs and housing,” Reuters reported.

Europe was singled out most strongly, Reuters said, as some European institutions and governments attack the church for its stand on abortion, gay marriage, and take issue with Christian symbols in public areas.

In the message Benedict said, “I also express my hope that in the West, and especially in Europe, there will be an end to hostility and prejudice against Christians because they are resolved to orient their lives in a way consistent with the values and principles expressed in the Gospel.”

The pope also urged Europe to reconcile to its Christian roots, “which are fundamental for understanding its past, present and future role in history,” according to Reuters.

Vatican officials at the conference cited the proposed Equality Bill in the U.K. which will require churches to hire transsexuals or homosexuals, and “laicite” in France which has become grounds for taking issue with nativity scenes being displayed in public areas, Reuters said.

Europe’s top human rights court also banned crucifixes in schools in Italy, a ruling that Italy is appealing with the support of 10 European states, Reuters said. The pope referred to the above incidents as “sophisticated forms of hostility,” and “denial of history.”

Aggressive secularism

The pope also attacked aggressive secularism, comparing it to religious fanaticism in his message saying, “Whenever the legal system at any level, national or international, allows or tolerates religious or antireligious fanaticism, it fails in its mission, which is to protect and promote justice and the rights of all,” The New York Times reported.

The pope said, “The world needs God. It needs universal…spiritual values, and religion can offer a precious contribution to their pursuit, for the building of a just and peaceful social order at the national and international levels,” The Irish Times reported.

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A new study by the Pew Forum indicates that 70 percent of the people in the world live in societies with high restrictions on religion, laying the burden on minority faiths within those societies.

The study, Global Restrictions on Religion, was conducted by The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life from 2006 to 2008. Some 198 countries and self-administering territories were surveyed, equivalent to 99.5 percent of the total global population.

The study notes that although countries with the highest restrictions on religion total 64 nations or one-third of the world, their cumulative population totals 70 percent of the total 6.8 billion world population, the website said.

Definition of freedom

The study defines freedom as “the absence of hindrance, restraint, confinement or repression,” the website said. Two sources of restrictions are categorized; first, from the government (through laws, policies and actions), and second, from the society (individuals, organizations and social groups).

The website notes that countries with the highest restriction levels include Iran, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan (from both government and society); Vietnam and China (from government); Nigeria and Bangladesh (from society with moderate government restriction).

In terms of region, the website said the highest government and social restrictions on religion are found in the Middle East-North Africa, while the least restrictive region in terms of both government and society is the Americas.

Among the world’s top 25 most populous nations, the website said those with the most restrictions from both government and society sources are Iran, Indonesia, Egypt, India and Pakistan. Those with the least restrictions from both sources are Japan, Brazil, Italy, the United States, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

Clashes between religious groups were reported by the website in 87 percent of the countries surveyed in the Pew study, with the use of physical violence in 126 countries or 64 percent of the total.

The website noted that in 178 countries (90 percent of the world) religious groups are required to register with the government. Of the total, 117 nations have registration requirements that discriminate against certain faiths and create problems for them.

Source of study

The study referred to 16 sources of information which the website described as “widely cited” and “publicly available.” They include the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, the Council of the European Union, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, the Hudson Institute and Amnesty International.

However, North Korea is not included in the study. The website noted that while “sources clearly indicate that North Korea’s government is among the most repressive in the world with respect to religion as well as other civil and political liberties,” the closed-off nature of the government rendered it unavailable for evaluation.

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A Muslim has recorded a Christmas album through which he seeks to bridge the divide between three faiths—Christianity, Judaism and Islam–and hopes to help contribute to peace in the world.

Shawn Rae, through his album A World Christmas, Love Knows No Borders, said he hopes as a Muslim that this effort will bring together the three Abrahamic faiths through the music medium, PR Newswire said.

Rae has several videos on YouTube which show his music style to be a blend of Bollywood with Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck. His voice is raspy although its strength and range is not as strong. His hair and mustache resembles that of Ringo Starr when he was a Beatle.

According to PR Newswire, a cross-cultural group of writers, technicians, musicians and vocalists put the album together. The music arranger, Charles Calello, has worked with Frank Sinatra, Neil Diamond, Barbra Streisand and Barry Manilow, among others.

Included in the album is Feliz Navidad, which Rae sings in English and Spanish with background echoes in Hebrew, French, Arabic, Greek, Urdu, Iraqi, Chinese and Italian, PR Newswire said.

Another song, My Grown-Up Christmas List has the lyrics, “No more lives torn apart…wars that never start…right would always win…and love will never end, PR Newswire said.

Rae was born in Pakistan and raised a Muslim. According to his website, he is a speaker, designer and humanitarian. His website also features jewelry, perfumes and a gift shop.

Rae came to the U.S. when he was 18 and has lived here for 30 years. He told News 10 ABC, “In our world today there are a whole lot of things that are happening that are making people edgy, and I thought it was very important to sing a Christmas album from the Muslim world to ratchet down the rhetoric, because I think human people want to have peace and harmony.”

Rae told News 10 ABC that the album was inspired by a dialogue in 2007 between Pope Benedict XVI and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, making it the first time a Muslim king visited the Vatican in 1400 years.

PR Newswire said the meeting between King Abdullah and Benedict was considered as groundbreaking and promoted discourse among Christians, Jews and Muslims.

Rae has a number of albums which he sells on his website. He said in News 10 ABC that his Christmas album is also available in Amazon and on iTunes.

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