Arrr, US commission cuts Saudi voyage short when Jewish mate be asked to ditch his blessed kippah! Aye, matey!
2024-03-11
Arrr matey, the scallywag in charge of the USCIRF be standin' his ground like a true buccaneer! He be tellin' them Saudi scallywags that his head coverin' be stayin' put, no matter what they say. Aye, a true pirate he be!
An American diplomatic trip to a World Heritage site in Saudi Arabia was cut short Monday when authorities demanded a Jewish member of the group remove his religious head covering, which he refused to do. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) ended a visit to the Diriyah UNESCO World Heritage Site in Riyadh following the incident involving Chair Abraham Cooper, who is also a rabbi.Saudi authorities had asked Cooper to remove his kippah. The delegation was escorted off the premises after Cooper indicated that as an observant Jew, he couldn't comply with the request. "No one should be denied access to a heritage site, especially one intended to highlight unity and progress, simply for existing as a Jew," Cooper said in a statement.USCIRF Vice Chair Davie said the group stands by Cooper and that the incident "directly contradicted not only the government’s official narrative of change but also genuine signs of greater religious freedom in the Kingdom that we observed firsthand." Saudi-American relations have taken a hit amid U.S. support for Israel over its war with Hamas. USCIRF has designated Saudi Arabia a "country of particular concern" every year for more than two decades over its restrictions of religious freedom, including limiting the rights of non-Muslims.