Riyadh says demand that US delegation chair remove kippah an ‘unfortunate incident’
Saudi Embassy in DC says request was made of Rabbi Abraham Cooper, chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, due to ‘misunderstanding of internal protocols’
WASHINGTON — Saudi Arabia weighed in Tuesday on what it called an “unfortunate” incident that took place a day earlier, in which a rabbi leading a US delegation visiting a holy site in the kingdom was told by local authorities to remove his religious head covering.
“This unfortunate incident was the result of a misunderstanding of internal protocols,” said the Saudi Embassy to the US in a statement about the incident.
“The matter was escalated to senior officials, and HRH the Ambassador [Reema Bandar Al-Saud] had the opportunity to speak with the Rabbi,” the statement continued, without expressly voicing regret over the incident. “The matter was resolved but we respect his decision to not continue the tour. We look forward to welcoming him back to the kingdom.”
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said Monday that it cut short its visit to Saudi Arabia after its chairman, Rabbi Abraham Cooper, “refused their requests that he remove his religious head covering” during a visit to Diriyah, a historic town that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
“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.
The USCIRF statement said Cooper and its vice chair Reverend Frederick Davie were invited to tour the site last Tuesday as part of their official visit when, after several delays to the tour, officials requested that Cooper remove his kippah “while at the site and anytime he was to be in public, even though the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs had approved the site visit.”
A statement regarding a recent incident involving a US Delegation Visiting Saudi Arabia https://t.co/t1C1GQZvsx pic.twitter.com/nh4ZIAZxfp
— Saudi Embassy USA (@SaudiEmbassyUSA) March 12, 2024
Saudi Arabia “is in the midst of encouraging change under its 2030 Vision,” Cooper noted. “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 said the body “looks forward to continuing conversations with the Saudi government about how to address the systematic issues that led to this troubling incident.”
The USCIRF said it was particularly regrettable it happened to the representative of “an American government agency that promotes religious freedom.” The commission is a US government advisory body mandated by the US Congress.
Davie, the USCIRF vice chair, described the incident as “stunning and painful,” adding: “It 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.”
The incident comes against a backdrop of tensions between Saudi Arabia and US ally Israel over the war in Gaza, and US efforts to promote normalization of ties between the two states once the conflict is over.
