Detained Baptist Missionary Awaits Release
A Baptist missionary charged with distributing Bibles in the predominantly-Muslim city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, could be deported this week
A Baptist missionary charged with distributing Bibles in the predominantly-Muslim city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, could be deported this week if orders for her to leave are signed by the city's attorney general, news agencies reported Tuesday.
According to the South Carolina-based Sun News, officials with the Arkansas-based Tom Cox Ministries were waiting for word Monday that 72-year-old Vivian Gilmer of Myrtle Beach could leave Dubai. Gilmer, who was charged Feb. 21, was on the second leg of a missionary trip—which included a trip to India—before she was told she could not openly distribute Bibles in a Muslim-controlled country.
Since being charged, Gilmer has been held under house arrest with Waxahachie, Texas Missionary Marie Bush. The passports of both women were reportedly confiscated and have not been returned.
"Our attorneys are working with a lot of different people," said Kay Cox, whose husband, Tom Cox, founded the missionary group. "What we're praying for is that they will be deported and they will be sent home immediately; that's what we're praying will happen."
News of Gilmer's arrest spread throughout local churches and the South Carolina Baptist Convention this past weekend. Prayer services were held for her last week.
Cox told the Sun news that attorneys from International Mission Board and the U.S. Embassy are helping negotiate the women's return to the United States.
Both Gilmer and Bush, who could stand trial for the charges, have asked to be deported.
According to sources, it is illegal in the United Arab Emirates to distribute Christian literature to Muslim people, since Islam has been declared the official religion of the country. Christians are allowed only to hold services in private homes or their own churches.
The Sun reported that at least 11 missionaries traveling with Bush and Gilmer in Dubai were told by the American Embassy to return to the United States after the women were arrested.
