USCIRF Delegation Leaves Saudi Arabia Early Over Kippah Incident

The delegation's premature departure highlights tensions over religious freedom, contradicting Saudi Arabia's narrative of change.

U.S. diplomats cut their trip to Saudi Arabia short after a Saudi official asked Rabbi Abraham Cooper, chair of the USCIRF, to remove his kippah.
Rabbi Cooper refused to comply, leading to the delegation being escorted off the premises of the Diriyah UNESCO World Heritage Site in Riyadh.
The incident has sparked discussions on religious freedom, with USCIRF noting it contradicts Saudi Arabia's narrative of change and religious tolerance.
USCIRF has recommended that the U.S. State Department designate Saudi Arabia as a 'country of particular concern' for religious freedom violations since 2000.
Saudi Arabia's restrictions on religious practices include making it illegal to practice any faith other than Islam.