Overview

• 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.