(RNS) — A U.S. religious freedom watchdog group’s delegation left Saudi Arabia earlier than planned after its chair, Rabbi Abraham Cooper, was asked to remove his kippah, or yarmulke, during the delegation’s official visit to the kingdom.The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, known as USCIRF, said in a news release that Cooper, an Orthodox rabbi and director of global social action for the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, refused the request, which came from a Saudi official as the delegation arrived to tour the Diriyah UNESCO World Heritage Site, a mud-brick city, near Riyadh.
“No one should be denied access to a heritage site, especially one intended to highlight unity and progress, simply for existing as a Jew,” said Cooper in a Monday (March 11) statement. “Saudi Arabia is in the midst of encouraging change under its 2030 Vision. However, especially in a time of raging antisemitism, being asked to remove my kippah made it impossible for us from USCIRF to continue our visit.”
Cooper has been chair of USCIRF, a bipartisan and independent body created by Congress in 1998 to report on religious freedom issues around the world, since June 2023.
The rabbi and the Rev. Fred Davie, USCIRF’s vice chair, had been invited by the …
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“No one should be denied access to a heritage site, especially one intended to highlight unity and progress, simply for existing as a Jew,” said Cooper in a Monday (March 11) statement. “Saudi Arabia is in the midst of encouraging change under its 2030 Vision. However, especially in a time of raging antisemitism, being asked to remove my kippah made it impossible for us from USCIRF to continue our visit.”
Cooper has been chair of USCIRF, a bipartisan and independent body created by Congress in 1998 to report on religious freedom issues around the world, since June 2023.
The rabbi and the Rev. Fred Davie, USCIRF’s vice chair, had been invited by the …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]