US Blacklists Saudi Arabia Over Religious Freedom

RIYADH, September 16 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – The United States has for the first time listed Saudi Arabia as a country of particular concern over religious freedom, in an usual censure that could lead to sanctions against Washington’s key Middle East oil-rich ally.

In its annual report on religious freedom released Wednesday, September 15, the State Department included the kingdom for the first time on a category carrying a special designation: “countries of particular concern,” or CPCs.

The list of these countries could be subject to US sanctions because of religious intolerance, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

Attempts at getting an official Saudi government reaction were hindered by the fact that Thursday is the first day of the weekend in the kingdom, as per AFP.

Saudi local media mostly ignored the report, which was released late afternoon Wednesday local time.

Only Al-Watan referred to the report, saying it “claimed that there is no religious freedom in Saudi Arabia.”

No Religious Freedom

The report by the US Commission of International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) worked to list Saudi Arabia among countries breaching religious freedom.

It claimed that Saudi Arabia is backing anti-Jewish and anti-Christian campaigns, torturing non-Muslims and discriminating against Muslims, mostly from the Shiite sect, who did not adhere to the officially sanctioned Wahhabi doctrine.

US ambassador for religious freedom John Hanford said Saudi Arabia, where Islam was the official religion and “all citizens must be Muslims,” had no religious freedom.

“There were frequent instances in which mosque preachers, whose salaries were paid by the government, used violent anti-Jewish and anti-Christian language in their sermons,” he said.

Non-Muslim worshippers also risked detention, imprisonment, lashing, deportation and sometimes torture, he added.

“But the sort of issues which concerned us most, frankly, had to do with the treatment of Muslims in Saudi Arabia,” Hanford said, adding that “Shiite Muslims suffer the most” with a number of their leaders facing arrest.

But he praised statements by Saudi ruler Crown Prince Abdullah in support of tolerance and moderation.

Unusual Rebuke

Riyadh, a pivotal US ally in the Middle East, has come under constant criticism for violating religious freedom, but Washington had been reluctant so far to add it to its blacklist.

Observers say the report could add more pressures on Saudi Arabia, the world’s leading oil producer and exporter, amid fears prices of oil could hit 50 dollars a barrel with the approaching winter.

Others expect the threat of sanctions could be a new bid for getting more concessions from Riyadh.

Hanford said the administration has had discussions with the Saudis on religious freedom and plans more.

He said school textbooks have been revised to take out inflammatory statements against non-establishment religious groups.

Despite these improvements, he said the Saudis have not done enough to escape the CPC designation.

"Our existing partnerships have flourished in numerous capacities and they are just one of the best ways for us to encourage our friends to adopt tolerant practices," US Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said.

Analysts said last year that such reports could be politically motivated and selective by Washington.

Last year’s International Religious Freedom Report described Iran and Saudi Arabia as two of the worst offenders of religious freedom rights.

It similarly assailed France, China and Belgium – three staunch opponents to the invasion and occupation of Iraq – for impediments to religious practice.

Last June, the independent USCIRF strongly urged the State Department to move against Saudi Arabia.

Others Blacklisted

Other newcomers to the list were Eritrea and Vietnam. Carried over from last year's list were Myanmar, China, Iran, North Korea and Sudan.

Vietnam was included for the first time, joining the other three Asian nations which have been on the list for several years, much to the chagrin of their governments.

The Chinese government was accused in the report of repressing Tibetan Buddhists, Uighur Muslims, Catholics faithful to the Vatican, underground Protestants, and the Falungong sect.

Many religious believers in China “are imprisoned for their faith, and others continue to face detention, beatings, torture and the destruction of places of worship,” US ambassador for religious freedom John Hanford said.

Hanford said North Korea might have the largest religious prisoner population in the world.

“Credible reports indicate that religious believers, particularly Christians, often face imprisonment, torture or even execution for their faith, Hanford said. “It's a very different situation,” he said.

In Vietnam, at least 45 religious believers remain imprisoned, including members of the Buddhist, Catholic, Protestant, Hoa Hao and Cao Dai faiths, the report said.

US law mandates that the State Department issue an annual report on the status of religious freedom around the world.