US evangelicals meet with Saudi leader

A group of American evangelical Christians met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sept. 10 in the Red Sea city of Jiddah, Saudi Arabia. 

Salman’s meeting with prominent Christian figures marks only the second such visit by American evangelicals to Saudi Arabia, which is trying to improve its reputation for religious intolerance and human rights abuses.

For the evangelical visitors it is an opportunity for interreligious dialogue and to push for greater Arab support for the state of Israel, observers said. For Arab leaders like Salman such meetings are an opportunity to strengthen ties with the Trump administration through his evangelical base of supporters, many of whom support Israel as a core part of their faith. (RNS)