Saudi Arabia severely violating religious freedom: US report

By: Mohamed Ali

WASHINGTON: The US State Department has finally added Saudi Arabia – Washington’s Persian Gulf ally - to a list of the world's worst violators of religious freedom, after overriding the recommendation of a Washington-based religious rights watchdog for five consecutive years.

In the department's sixth annual report on global religious freedom released Wednesday, Vietnam and Eritrea also were named as “country of particular concern” or CPC, a designation that could potentially lead to sanctions.

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has been pressing for CPC status for Saudi Arabia since 1999.

The Commission had urged Powell to also add Pakistan and Turkmenistan to the CPC list in its May report. The panel was divided on whether India should be listed.

“Freedom of religion does not exist,” the State Department said, summing up the situation in Saudi Arabia in the report.

Those who do not adhere to the officially sanctioned strain of Sunni Islam practiced in the country can face “severe repercussions” from religious police, the report said.

Carried over from last year's list were Myanmar, China, Iran, North Korea and Sudan.

The administration took the action against the Saudis despite indications that they are relaxing their policies toward nonofficial religious groups.

Ambassador John Hanford, who is the State Department's top official for the office of religious freedom, praised statements by Saudi ruler Crown Prince Abdullah in support of tolerance and moderation.

Hanford also told reporters the Saudis have begun a dialogue with the Shiite, who historically have suffered from discrimination.

In addition, Hanford said, school textbooks have been revised to take out inflammatory statements against non-establishment religious groups.

While acknowledging these improvements, Hanford said the Saudis have not done enough to escape the CPC designation.

A Saudi liberal analyst Mansour Al-Naqidan said that there is a clear discrimination against non-Muslims in the kingdom. He said: “There are about seven million non- Muslim in Saudi Arabia, they are not allowed to practice their rituals in public.”

An-Naqidan, a former Islamic activist who was a detainee, pointed that discrimination against Muslims from doctrines other than Salfi is a real problem in Saudi Arabia.

After he mentioned that for Shiias there are special mosques, An-Naqidan confirmed that these mosques do not exist except in the eastern regions where Shiias make up majority. He clarified that Shiias are not allowed to construct new mosques. Only restoration of the old mosques is allowed.

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