Saudi Arabia, a land controlled by the Saud family and its scores of princes and small-minded bureaucrats, is at war with anything non-Muslim.

A Catholic, or anyone for that matter, entering the kingdom carrying any holy book but the Koran, is subject to arrest. The non-Muslim bible will be confiscated and destroyed. This is from the people who have issued death warrants for other small-minded people who burned Korans.

According to its agreement with Saudi Airlines, Delta will have to ask passengers on the way to Riyadh if they are carrying any non-Muslim religious articles. If they are, the items will be confiscated and presumably destroyed.

Be careful about smuggling such items into the kingdom. Last week authorities in the city of Jazar hung five Yemenis for a variety of serious crimes. Then the government ordered the bodies to be put on display in the town square.

Nothing like dealing with a civilized country.

There is an absolute prohibition of Jews entering the country, even if they are there representing their firms. That prohibition extends to anyone, Jew or Christian, who has visited Israel and has a stamp from that country in the passport.

The interesting thing here is that although the peanut brains of Saudis ruling elite have decreed that such discrimination will be the law of the land, Delta is so enamored by making a buck that they are willing to go along with this.

In the past Christian missionaries were stopped at entry points to Saudi Arabia and have been arrested for carrying bibles. Read this as a country so afraid of unauthorized ideas that it is willing to commit atrocities to stop any independent thinking…and Delta goes along with this.

Delta does not discriminate. If you are flying to Italy you can carry a bible, be it Old or New Testament. You can even carry a Koran and no one will question you or take it away from you. But just don't get caught going to the Islamic Kingdom of Saudi Arabia because you may end up in one of their rat infested prisons, hanging from a scaffold and then having your body displayed in the town square.

There are no added skymiles for the time you are hanging in the air in Jazar…and no upgrades either.