‘Regrettable’: US delegation forced to cut short Saudi Arabia visit over kippah row

A US delegation ended their visit to Saudi Arabia early after officials asked a rabi to remove his Jewish head covering, popularly known as kippah.

A group of US diplomats ended their Saudi Arabia visit when the Jewish chair was asked to remove his kippah.(X@Dalia__2000)

On Monday, members of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) were scheduled to tour an ancient town and the UNESCO World Heritage Site ‘Diriyah’.

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During the tour, Orthodox rabbi Abraham Cooper, the commission’s head, was asked to remove the kippah while visiting the site or in any public place. Refusing to comply with the request, the rabbi canceled the visit that was approved by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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Expressing his resentment over the incident, Cooper in a statement said: “No one should be denied access to a heritage site, especially one intended to highlight unity and progress, simply for existing as a Jew.”

According to USCIRF, Cooper and Rev Frederick Davie, the commission’s vice-chair, were invited to visit Diriyah.

The USCIRF condemned the incident as “regrettable”, stressing that it was upsetting that it occurred to a representative of “an American government agency that promotes religious freedom”.

Cooper called out Saudi Arabia by invoking its 2030 agenda, a plan introduced by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2016 to transform the Kingdom into a hub for business and tourism.

The Rabi said the direction to remove kippah at a time of rising antisemitism contradicted the Saudi government’s official narrative of change and as well as “genuine signs of greater religious freedom in the Kingdom that we observed firsthand,” the statement read.

Frederick described the experience as “painful” and stated that the USCIRF hopes to hold discussions with Saudi counterparts about ensuring freedom of religion or belief for all.

“This unfortunate incident starkly illustrates that much more work remains to be done for Saudi Arabia to align with international legal protections guaranteeing this fundamental right,” he said.

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What is USCIRF? 

The commission is a contentious US government advisory organisation established by the US Congress.

While Saudi Arabia aims to promote a “vibrant society” by lifting certain restrictions on women, the United States claims that the scope of religious freedom remains limited in the country.

The commission seeks to improve international religious freedom by evaluating religious rights in other nations. Its 2023 report stated that the kingdom had made slight advances, but religious freedom “remained poor,” noting ongoing discrimination against non-Muslims.

The committee has proposed that the US Department of State identify Saudi Arabia as a “country of particular concern,” because of alleged systematic, ongoing, and grave religious freedom infringements.