195 views
Introduction:
I was born and raised in Saudi Arabia, and my family and all the Saudis I know are Muslim. However, I left Islam when I was 17 years old and I am currently 19. Nobody in my real life knows about my atheism, and as expected, my life is difficult. I have to pretend to fast and pray all the time, and I can't have a normal relationship with the opposite gender, which is not only due to my family but also illegal outside of work or college. I can't openly criticize the aspects of religion that I find problematic, and I have to live with a double personality, pretending to be Muslim around friends and family.

Despite these challenges, I am not in immediate danger or facing oppression (unless someone discovers my atheism, which is possible). My family has not been violent towards me before.

Do you think my situation is serious enough to seek asylum in Germany?

I forget to add that Saudia Arabia has an apoatatey law
asked Apr 2, 2023 in Asylum proceedings by One chance | 195 views

Please log in or register to answer this question.

1 Answer

+1 vote
Best answer

Dear One chance,

Welcome to the Wefugees Community and thank you for reaching out to us.

First of all, I am very sorry to hear about your struggle and your difficult situation.

Unfortunately, I never came across an asylum seeker from Saudi Arabia personally and I can not share any experience about applicants from Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, I am not a lawyer.

I just checked some statistics - there are asylum seekers from Saudi Arabia in Germany but the numbers are relatively low.

When I was searching for some exemplary cases and court rulings, I saw that some people from Saudi Arabia were indeed recognized as refugees - mostly political activists (i.e. on social media) and women, if I see it correctly. However, I assume it will not be easy to convice the German authorities that you face serious danger in your country of origin based on the information you provide here.

Have you thought about starting a life in another country, Germany for instance, with a working or study visa? You may check the "Make it in Germany" website for some general information.

I will also link my dear colleague @mbeon-Éanna here - maybe he add some advice or correct me, if needed.

In any case, please also don't hesitate to get back to us with any further questions.

Stay strong and all the best,

Meike

answered Apr 16, 2023 by Meike
Thank you very much for taking the time and effort to read and respond to my question. I am grateful for your input.

Indeed It has been difficult for me too to find a clear answer regarding the number of Saudi male refugees, as their numbers seem relatively low.

I appreciate your suggestion that I explore other options for starting a new life, but unfortunately, my family has completely rejected the idea of me studying abroad in the hopes of gaining residency elsewhere.

This leaves me with the option of finding a job abroad, which comes with its own risks. I would need to acquire a degree or develop a skillset, which would take approximately four years to complete my college. However, I fear that during this time, I may be forced into an arranged marriage, which could effectively eliminate any chance of leaving Saudi Arabia.

I am wondering if creating a video in which I openly declare my atheism and sharing it on social media could improve my chances of leaving. While blasphemy is not typically punishable by death, it can lead to imprisonment in Saudi Arabia. I am even willing to criticizing the religion in the video to in an aggressive way to increase my chances.

Hi @One chance

I have the same view as my colleague. To have a better idea of how EU authorities decide on asylum cases, you can also **** at 'country of origin' information. These are reports from the countries concerned about conditions there for certain groups.

This is a database of such information:

https://coi.euaa.europa.eu/

Here is a report about apostasy in Saudi Arabia:

https://coi.euaa.europa.eu/administration/ireland/PLib/97860.pdf

That may help you to have an understanding of the awareness the authorities have about a situation like yours. Asylum is provided to someone with a well-grounded fear of persecution due to a specific set of reasons. Religion is one of the reasons authorities may view as grounds for cosidering a person persecuted and therefore eligible for asylum. They **** at each case individually. If a person is not entitled to full asylum status, they may be entitled to another form of protection, such as what is called 'subsidiary protection' thoughout the EU.

mbeon App

Confidential one-on-one consultations via App

For confidential one-on-one consultations in a secure virtual space, we work with mbeon. You can download the mbeon app free of charge from the App Store or Google Play Store and have private conversations with mbeon consultants there:

Link for iPhone
Link for Android

Welcome to Wefugees, where you can ask questions and receive answers from other members of the community.
5,183 questions
6,168 answers
8,058 comments
139,156 users