DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A U. S. Congressionally mandated organization has halted a research project in Saudi Arabia after kingdom officials ordered a Jewish rabbi to remove his kippah in public, underscoring the tensions that still linger in the country. . Middle East.
Speaking to The Associated Press, Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the U. S. Commission on International Religious Freedom sought to deflect the order on his kippah from what he described as progress made in the reign of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman by quietly allowing other religions to worship in private. .
He also said Saudi Arabia could release 4 Uighur Muslims detained in the kingdom to seek asylum in the United States, due to the imaginable persecution they could face if they returned to China.
However, the display of non-Islamic symbols continues to be criminalized, the kingdom carried out the largest mass execution ever carried out two years ago, including the Shiite minority, and the government continues to crack down heavily on any perceived dissent against Prince Mohammed.
“The scenario in Saudi Arabia is very complex,” said the Rev. Frederick Davie of New York, vice chairman of the commission. “And everyone agrees, and this can be an example of that. “
Saudi officials, as well as the Saudi embassy in Washington, responded to questions from the AP about the kippah incident. An embassy message posted online called it “unfortunate” and a “misunderstanding of internal protocols,” without elaborating.
The commission, accompanied by members of the U. S. Embassy in Riyadh, had been attending for about two days when it visited Diriyah, an adobe-walled village in the Saudi capital on March 5.
About a third of the way down the road from the village, a Saudi official handed Cooper a phone, in which an official asked him to remove his kippah, a skullcap worn by some Jews also known in Yiddish as a kippah.
“It’s a pretty surprising request, given that we’re the vanguard of foreign freedom and we’re preparing a report on Saudi Arabia,” said Cooper, who lives in Los Angeles.
“It’s like asking someone in Saudi Arabia to take off their hijab. I didn’t take off my kippah 50 years ago in the Soviet Union – I stayed there for a month – in fact, I probably wouldn’t take off my kippah for you.
Cooper refused, and the rest of the organization agreed to cut the trip short because of the request. However, Davie noted that Cooper’s kippah had not been a factor in government meetings or a public meal prior to the trip. Some Jewish online influencers have traveled to the kingdom to publicize their s.
The current Saudi sensibility is possibly due in part to Israel’s bitter war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip after the Oct. 7 militant attack that killed another 1,200 people and took 250 hostages. In the months since, Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 31,000 Palestinians and left the coastal enclave on the brink of famine, infuriating Middle Eastern Muslims as they celebrated the holy fasting month of Ramadan.
The Saudi royal Al Saud family, which bases part of its legitimacy on protecting Islam’s holiest sites in the kingdom, is feeling the pressure in particular. Just before the war, they were negotiating a U. S. -brokered deal for possible diplomatic popularity for Israel. in exchange for a series of concessions.
Now it turns out that this arrangement has largely been abandoned. A possible meeting last month between Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat and Saudi Trade Minister Majid bin Abdullah al-Qasab at a World Trade Organization summit in Abu Dhabi drew an angry reaction from Riyadh, which called Barkat “responsible for the Israeli occupation. “
“We are not naïve. We live in the genuine world. I have eight grandchildren in Jerusalem, so I literally have my skin in the game,” Cooper said. “Of course, we would prefer that other people did not die right now in the Holy Land. . . I think they would have canceled our assembly if they had to send a message to Washington and Jerusalem. “
Responding to questions from the AP, the State Department said it had “raised our considerations with Saudi government authorities” about Cooper’s order to wear his kippah.
“The United States fully supports freedom of faith or belief, adding the right to express one’s ideals through religious dress,” the State Department said. “The United States continues to work with our Saudi counterparts on religious freedom issues and we hope that the net effect of this incident will push Saudi Arabia to make further progress on those issues. “
The Arab states of the Gulf, especially the United Arab Emirates, have more religious adaptations. Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates signed a diplomatic popularity agreement with Israel in 2020. There is now a main synagogue in the capital of Abu Dhabi and a new Hindu temple. It has also just opened its doors.
But things have moved more slowly in Saudi Arabia, once ruled by ultra-conservative Wahhabi devout leaders before the arrival of Prince Mohammed. A U. S. report on devout liberty noted that “large Christian worship facilities have been held quietly and without really extensive interference” in the kingdom. .
Sunni-led Saudi Arabia and its main rival, Iran’s Shiite force, also achieved détente last year, easing tensions between the sects. Davie said there was “cautious optimism” that the kingdom’s relations with its own Shiite minority population would improve.
Meanwhile, Cooper also said that the U. S. government is ready to take in 4 Uyghur Muslims imprisoned in Saudi Arabia and “immediately discharge them as refugees into the United States. “
The State Department also laid out the case and said it had “engaged with Saudi officials” about it, without disputing the rabbi’s claim that they could be released. He warned that Uighur Muslims and other minority groups risk being “detained and tortured” if returned. to China.
“We also continue to urge the People’s Republic of China to end its genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang,” said the State Department, short for People’s Republic of China, the country’s official name.
The Chinese embassies in Riyadh and Washington responded to requests for comment on the Uighur prisoners.