SAUDI ARABIA

United State s Commi ss ion on I nternational R eligio us Freedom

F ALL 2007

THE U.S. COMMISSION 

ON INTERNATIONAL 

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

was created by the International Religious Freedom 

Act of 1998 to monitor 

the status of freedom 

of thought, conscience, 

and religion or belief 

abroad, as defined in the 

Universal Declaration of 

Human Rights and related 

international instruments, 

and to give independent 

policy recommendations to 

the President, Secretary of 

State, and Congress.

visit our web site at 

www.uscirf.gov

POLICYFOCUS

introduction 

Since its inception, the U.S. Commission on 

International Religious Freedom has raised 

serious concerns about religious freedom 

conditions in Saudi Arabia and recommended 

that the country be designated by the Secretary 

of State as a “country of particular concern,” or 

CPC, for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and 

egregious violations of the right to freedom of 

religion or belief. The Commission was instrumental in securing Saudi Arabia’s official CPC 

designation in September 2004. 

In July 2006, as a consequence of CPC 

designation, the State Department announced 

that ongoing bilateral discussions with Saudi 

Arabia had enabled the U.S. government to 

identify and confirm a number of policies that 

the Saudi government “is pursuing and will 

continue to pursue for the purpose of promoting greater freedom for religious practice and 

increased tolerance for religious groups.”1

 

Nearly one year after the State Department 

announcement, the Commission traveled to 

Saudi Arabia in late May and early June 2007 

to discuss religious freedom concerns and 

examine policy measures to ensure progress by 

the Saudi government in implementing several 

of its stated policies related to religious practice 

and tolerance. Such stated policies include: 1) 

halting the dissemination of intolerant literature 

and extremist ideology within Saudi Arabia and 

abroad; 2) reviewing and revising educational 

materials and textbooks; 3) protecting the subsidiary rights to private worship and to possess 

personal religious materials; 4) curbing harassment and repression of religious practitioners; 

and 5) empowering officially sanctioned human 

rights institutions. In addition, the Commission 

discussed the status of religious pluralism in the 

Kingdom, including freedom of religion or belief 

with respect to followers of different schools of 

thought within Sunni and Shi’a Islam, as well as 

for non-Muslims.

Although the Commission was extended 

various courtesies and assistance by the Saudi 

government in connection with the visit, the 

government refused Commission requests for 

Entrance to the Foreign Ministry

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry, Riyadh

Saudi Arabia
2

Michael Cromartie

Chair

Vice President, Ethics and 

Public Policy Center

Preeta D. Bansal

Vice Chair

Partner, Skadden, Arps, 

Slate, Meagher & Flom

Richard D. Land

Vice Chair

President, Ethics and 

Religious Liberty 

Commission of the Southern 

Baptist Convention

Donald H. Argue

Commissioner 

Chancellor, Northwest 

University

Imam Talal Y. Eid

Commissioner

Director of Religious Affairs, 

Islamic Institute of Boston

Felice D. Gaer 

Commissioner

Director, Jacob Blaustein 

Institute for the 

Advancement of Human 

Rights, The American Jewish 

Committee 

Leonard A. Leo

Commissioner

Executive Vice President, 

The Federalist Society for 

Law & Public Policy Studies

Elizabeth H. Prodromou

Commissioner

Associate Director, Institute 

on Culture, Religion & 

World Affairs and Assistant 

Professor, Department of 

International Relations, 

Boston University 

Nina Shea

Commissioner

Director, Center for Religious 

Freedom, The Hudson 

Institute

John V. Hanford Iii 

Ex-Officio

Non-voting Commissioner

Ambassador-at-Large for 

International Religious 

Freedom, U.S. Department 

of State

Joseph R. Crapa 

Executive Director

C OMMI S S IONER

S

POLICYFOCUS

meetings with officials at key agencies 

such as the Commission to Promote 

Virtue and Prevent Vice (CPVPV) and 

the Ministries of Education and Justice. 

Nevertheless, the Commission wishes 

to thank the Human Rights Commission of Saudi Arabia for receiving 

the delegation and accompanying it 

to those government meetings that 

did take place. The Commission also 

requested, but was not granted, meetings with members of the Consultative 

Council (Shura) and representatives of 

the King Abdul Aziz National Center for 

Dialogue, which inhibited the delegation from hearing various governmental 

points of view on a full range of issues. 

After the visit, then Commission Chair 

Felice D. Gaer wrote in late June 2007 

to the Saudi Ambassador in Washington, DC and to Turki Al-Sudairy, Chair 

of the Saudi Human Rights Commission, requesting textbooks from the 

current Saudi government curriculum, 

further information, and responses to 

outstanding questions. As of this writing, the Commission has not received 

a reply from the Saudi Ambassador. A 

July 2007 letter to the Commission from 

the Saudi Human Rights Commission 

stated that textbooks currently are being reviewed and copies would be sent 

to the Commission upon completion, 

although no completion date was given.

Waterfront in Jeddah
3

religious demography

3

S A U DI ARA B IA

Saudi Arabia has a population of approximately 27 million, including an estimated expatriate population of more than 

7 million. The vast majority of the population is Sunni Muslim, including 

significant numbers of Sunni Muslims who follow schools of thought other 

than the government’s interpretation of Islam. The Shi’a Muslim community 

comprises 10-15 percent of the population, with the majority residing in the 

Eastern Province, although a significant number also live in Medina and the Western 

Province. Ismailis number approximately 700,000 to one million and live primarily in the southern part of the country 

in the Najran region. According to the State Department, the foreign population includes approximately 1.4 million 

Indians, one million Bangladeshis, nearly 900,000 Pakistanis, 800,000 Filipinos, 750,000 Egyptians, 250,000 Palestinians, 150,000 Lebanese, 130,000 Sri Lankans, 40,000 Eritreans, and 25,000 Americans. The expatriate population 

includes Muslims from the various schools within Islam, and the Saudi Foreign Ministry estimates that there are 2-3 

million non-Muslim expatriate workers. The non-Muslim expatriate population includes Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, 

Sikhs, and others. The State Department estimates that as many as one million Catholics reside in the country.

RIYADH

CYPRUS

SOMALIA

DJIBOUTI

SAUDI ARABIA

AFGHA

Arabian 

Gulf of Aden

Gulf of Oman

Persian Gulf 

Mediterranean Sea

Red Sea

Najran

Medina

Mecca

Jeddah

Dhahran

Until CPC designation in 2004, many 

observers of the U.S.-Saudi relationship 

had been critical of the unwillingness 

of successive U. S. Administrations to 

raise religious freedom and other human 

rights concerns as part of the bilateral 

agenda. The Commission had urged 

CPC designation for several years prior 

to the designation. In 2004, the National 

Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon 

the United States (9/11 Commission) 

concluded that Saudi Arabia was a 

“problematic ally in combating Islamic 

extremism,” and called on the United 

States to “confront problems with Saudi 

Arabia in the open and build a relationship beyond oil, a relationship that 

both sides can defend to their citizens 

and includes a shared commitment to 

reform.” Notwithstanding CPC designation, many observers contend that, even 

now, the United States does not want to 

jeopardize important bilateral security 

and economic ties by pushing for political and human rights reforms. Indeed, 

it is the conclusion of this Commission 

that CPC designation and subsequent 

U.S.-Saudi bilateral discussions have 

not resulted in substantial reforms by 

the Saudi government concerning 

religious freedom. 

In September 2005, Secretary of 

State Condoleezza Rice approved a 

temporary 180-day waiver of further 

action to allow for continued diplomatic discussions between the U.S. and 

Saudi governments and “to further the 

purposes of the International Religious 

U.S. Policy

Even now, many observers 

contend that the United States 

does not want to jeopardize 

important bilateral security 

and economic ties by pushing 

for political and human rights 

reforms. Nevertheless, it is the 

conclusion of this Commission 

that CPC designation and 

subsequent U.S.-Saudi bilateral 

discussions have not resulted in 

substantial reforms by the 

Saudi government concerning 

religious freedom.

 
4

POLICYFOCUS

Freedom Act (IRFA).” The July 2006 announcement by the State Department 

included a renewal of the waiver by 

Secretary Rice. Other than the waiver, 

no action under IRFA has been taken 

by the U.S. government as a consequence of CPC designation.2

 

In early August 2007, Congress 

passed legislation (H.R. 1, “Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 

Commission Act of 2007”) that requires 

the President to report to it within 180 

days on progress made by the Saudi 

government since 2001 “to facilitate 

political, economic, and social reforms, 

including greater religious freedom...” 

As discussed in the recommendations 

below, this assessment should include 

progress by the Saudi government on 

implementation of the July 2006 confirmation of policies. 

The Commission urges the U.S. 

government more actively and publicly 

to address religious freedom and other 

human rights issues with the Saudi 

Arabian government and report openly 

on the success or failure to implement 

genuine reforms in these areas in 

order to ensure that initiatives by 

the Saudi government will result in 

substantial, demonstrable progress. 

Specific recommendations are presented below.

The Commission’s findings from its 

visit are outlined below, followed by a 

detailed discussion of those findings 

and recommendations for U.S. policy.

It should be reiterated that the Commission did not meet with a fully representational set of interlocutors during its visit. 

The majority of persons with whom the 

Commission met, both in and outside 

the government, stated their view that 

King Abdullah is making some efforts 

to bring much needed human rights 

reforms to the Kingdom. Most agreed 

that the pace of reform has been slow, 

and that obstacles—including but not 

limited to corruption and resistance 

within the Royal family and religious establishment from elements that oppose 

change—have hindered progress. The 

Commission visit confirmed that the 

Saudi government persists in severely 

restricting all forms of public religious 

expression other than the government’s 

interpretation and enforcement of 

Sunni Islam. 

General Findings: Lack of Progress 

on Reform Efforts

• Despite Saudi government pledges to 

institute reforms, particularly those 

confirmed in the July 2006 list issued 

by Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom John V. 

Hanford III, the Commission concludes that many of these promises 

remain just that—promises—that 

have not yet been reflected in the 

promulgation and implementation of 

tangible protections for human rights. 

Although the Saudi government has 

permitted some nascent steps toward 

the development of civil society, policies that would advance reforms have 

not yet been realized. 

• The Commission continues to conclude that if the Saudi government 

were to implement fully the July 2006 

policies it has previously identified 

Findings

Despite some increase 

in public space to 

discuss human rights 

issues, pervasive restrictions 

remain on civil society 

and political activists, 

including representatives of 

minority religious groups, 

particularly regarding 

freedom of speech, assembly, 

and association.

 
and confirmed to the U.S. government 

for the purpose of improving conditions 

for religious practice and tolerance, it 

would begin to diminish some of its 

institutionalized abusive practices that 

have resulted in severe violations of 

freedom of thought, conscience, and 

religion or belief in Saudi Arabia and 

worldwide. However, the Saudi government has not been transparent with 

regard to evidence of progress on these 

policies. Nor has it established adequate 

measures to implement universal human rights standards and to provide 

enforceable remedies to the alleged 

victims. The Commission concludes 

that, as a result, little progress has been 

made with regard to implementation of 

the policies in practice.

• Some institutional response by the Saudi 

government to external and internal 

pressures to address the country’s poor 

overall human rights situation has 

resulted in the establishment of two officially tolerated human rights institutions 

and more public discussion in the media 

about some human rights issues, including through a series of National Dialogue 

meetings. However, there continues to 

be substantial resistance to change from 

various sectors within the Saudi government and numerous other impediments 

remain. In addition, many of the recommendations that have come out of the 

relevant National Dialogue meetings—

on the rights of women, religious extremism, and educational reform—have not 

been implemented.

• Despite some increase in public space to 

discuss human rights issues, pervasive 

restrictions remain on civil society and 

political activists, including representatives of minority religious groups, particularly regarding freedom of speech, 

assembly, and association. The Commission to Promote Virtue and Prevent Vice 

(CPVPV), also known as the religious 

police or mutawaa, exercises largely unchecked power to curtail rights, and the 

courts do not offer due process protecting the individual or effective remedies 

for violations of those rights. 

State Enforcement of Religious 

Conformity 

• Saudi Arabia has a diverse population, 

both regionally and religiously, despite 

decades of Saudi government enforcement of religious conformity. Permitting 

the public practice of only one interpretation of Islam and requiring public 

behavior to comply with this interpretation violates universal human rights 

standards and has resulted in discrimination and human rights violations 

against members of indigenous Muslim 

communities who follow other schools 

of thought, such as Shi’as, Ismailis, and 

non-conforming Sunnis, as well as both 

Muslim and non-Muslim expatriate 

workers.

• The Saudi government’s harsh enforcement of its interpretation of Islam, 

together with other violations of 

freedom of religion, adversely affect the 

human rights of women in Saudi Arabia, 

including with regard to freedom of 

speech, movement, association, and 

religion, freedom from coercion, access 

to education, and full equality before 

the law. The Commission noted some 

increase in public space to discuss human rights practices affecting women. 

Unfortunately, the Saudi government 

has continued discriminatory measures 

aimed at the destruction, rather than 

realization, of many of the human rights 

guaranteed to women.

• There is a general attitude and policy of 

the government of curtailing universal rights for non-Saudi visitors to the 

country and inhibiting the enjoyment 

of human rights on an equal basis 

for expatriate workers, particularly 

the two – three million non-Muslim 

S A U DI ARA B IA

5

Architect and preservationist Sami Angawi speaks with delegation leader Felice D. Gaer.
6

workers, including Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, and others, who have 

come to Saudi Arabia for temporary 

employment. Provisions often included 

in labor contracts require expatriate 

workers to conform to Saudi religious 

customs and traditions, thereby waiving their inalienable human rights and 

submitting them to the limits of, and 

rights abuses by, Saudi employers.

Halting Exportation of Extremist 

Ideology and Intolerance in Education 

Materials in Saudi Arabia and Around 

the World

• The Saudi government has undertaken 

some security measures to combat 

extremism inside the country, such as 

a “re-education” program for convicted “extremists” and the retraining or 

dismissal of imams known to espouse 

extremist views. However, these efforts 

appear to be designed to address security concerns rather than to implement reforms to protect human rights, 

including religious freedom.

• The Commission received mixed and 

contradictory messages about which 

government entity in fact has responsibility over materials that are sent 

abroad. Due to insufficient information 

provided by the Saudi government, 

the Commission could not verify that 

a formal mechanism exists within the 

Saudi government to review thoroughly 

and revise educational texts and other 

materials sent outside of Saudi Arabia. It 

appears that the Saudi government has 

made little or no progress on efforts to 

halt the exportation of extremist ideology outside the Kingdom. 

• There is very little transparency in the 

process of textbook revision, curriculum reform, and teacher training 

efforts. Moreover, there is evidence that 

intolerant and inflammatory elements 

remain in textbooks. Despite numerous 

requests to obtain copies of textbooks 

during and after the visit, Saudi government officials did not provide a single 

textbook to the Commission. Furthermore, Saudi government officials did 

not provide requested information on 1) 

how many teachers and principals have 

been retrained; 2) how many teachers 

have been held accountable for deviating from the approved curriculum; or 3) 

whether or how teachers’ manuals have 

been revised to include the promotion 

of religious tolerance. 

Curbing Harassment of Private 

Religious Practice

• Incidents of harassment, detention, 

abuse, and interference by members 

of the Commission to Promote Virtue 

and Prevent Vice (CPVPV) during nonMuslim private worship services have 

decreased over the past year. However, 

other than at a few tolerated compounds where private worship takes 

place, expatriate workers go to great 

lengths to worship in private for fear 

of government interference, which can 

occur if the worship service is too loud, 

has too many people in attendance, 

or occurs too often in the same place. 

Furthermore, Saudi officials do not 

accept that for members of some religious groups, the practice of religion 

requires more than the individual or 

a small group worshipping in private, 

but includes the need for religious 

leaders to be able to conduct services 

in community with others. Religious 

leaders continue to be prohibited from 

seeking and obtaining visas to enter 

and minister to local religious communities. Despite repeated requests for 

details on the parameters surrounding 

private worship, guidelines as to what 

constitutes “private” worship were not 

specified by Saudi officials. 

• In addition to the abuses, the CPVPV 

regularly oversteps its authority with 

impunity and is not subject to judicial 

review. Despite the fact that the CPVPV 

is not allowed to engage in surveillance, detain individuals for more than 

24 hours, arrest individuals without 

police accompaniment, or carry out 

any kind of punishment, members 

have been accused of killing, beating, 

whipping, detaining, and harassing 

individuals. Some Saudis would like 

to see the entity dissolved altogether, 

while others would like to see greater 

accountability of its employees and 

volunteers, including prosecution 

for abuses. In recent months, CPVPV 

abuses were the subject of numerous 

articles in the Arabic and English press, 

garnering unprecedented attention in 

the public and international media. 

There have been a greater number of 

POLICYFOCUS

Commissioner Michael Cromartie speaks with 

Turki Al Sudairy, Chair of the Saudi Government’s 

newly established Human Rights Commission.
7

S A U DI ARA B IA

investigations of abuses, yet in the recent cases that have been prosecuted, 

CPVPV members have not been held 

accountable and complainants report 

summary dismissals without due process for them to obtain redress.

Empowerment of Officially Recognized 

Human Rights Institutions

• The government’s Human Rights 

Commission (HRC) can advance human rights protections if it examines 

all internationally recognized human 

rights issues and its recommendations 

to the Saudi government are implemented in practice. The HRC would be 

more representative were it to include 

women members; it should also include 

freedom of thought, conscience, and 

religion or belief in its initial training 

on international human rights. The 

Commission welcomes the HRC’s commitment to take up the issue of societal 

discrimination against Muslims who 

dissent from or who follow different 

schools of thought within Islam.

• The non-governmental National Society 

for Human Rights can play a more 

constructive role in protecting human 

rights by continuing to maintain its 

independence from the government 

and ensuring that its reporting and 

recommendations are in conformity 

with universal human rights standards.

State Enforcement of Religious Conformity

The Commission visit confirmed that the 

Saudi government persists in severely 

restricting all forms of public religious 

expression other than the government’s 

interpretation and enforcement of its version of Sunni Islam. This policy violates 

the rights of the large communities of 

Muslims from a variety of schools of Islam who reside in Saudi Arabia, including 

large populations of Sunnis who follow 

other schools of thought, Shi’as, and 

Ismailis, among others.3

 The government tightly controls even the restricted 

religious activity it does permit—through 

limits on the building of mosques, the 

appointment of imams, the regulation of 

sermons and public celebrations, and the 

content of religious education in public 

schools—and suppresses the religious 

views of Saudi and non-Saudi Muslims 

who do not conform to official positions. 

For example, only imams following a single school of Islam are permitted in the 

holy cities of Mecca and Medina, centers 

of Islamic thought traditionally reflective 

of Islam’s great diversity because of the 

influx of pilgrims from all over the world.

Saudi Arabia has a very diverse 

population, both regionally and religiously, despite decades of Saudi government 

enforcement of religious conformity. 

Permitting the public practice of only 

one interpretation of Islam and requiring public behavior to comply with this 

interpretation violates universal human 

rights norms and has resulted in discrimination and human rights violations 

Prince Turki Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al-Kabeer, Deputy Assistant Minister for Political 

Affairs and Head of International Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
8

POLICYFOCUS

against members of indigenous Muslim 

communities who follow other schools 

of thought, such as Shi’as, Ismailis, and 

non-conforming Sunnis, as well as both 

Muslim and non-Muslim expatriate 

workers. The Saudi government attitude 

toward expatriate workers, particularly 

non-Muslim workers, is that they have 

come to Saudi Arabia only to work. As 

a result, provisions are often included 

in labor contracts requiring expatriate 

workers to conform to Saudi religious 

customs and traditions, forcing them to 

waive their inalienable human rights and 

subjecting the workers to the limits of, 

and rights abuses by, Saudi employers.4

The government’s monopoly on the 

interpretation of Islam and other violations of freedom of religion adversely 

affect the human rights of women in Saudi 

Arabia, including freedom of speech, 

movement, association, and religion, freedom from coercion, access to education, 

and full equality before the law. For example, when appearing in public women 

must adhere to a strict dress code and 

can be admitted to a hospital for medical 

treatment only with the consent of a male 

relative. Women require written permission from a male relative to travel inside or 

outside the country and are not permitted to drive motor vehicles. In addition, 

the Saudi justice system, in which courts 

apply Islamic law to the cases before 

them, does not grant a woman legal status 

equal to a man’s. For example, testimony 

by a woman is equivalent to one-half the 

testimony of a man; daughters receive half 

the inheritance that their brothers receive; 

and women have to demonstrate legally 

specified grounds for divorce, while men 

may divorce without giving cause.

During its visit, the Commission 

met with numerous representatives of 

minority Muslim communities. The Commission found that Shi’as and members 

of indigenous Muslim communities who 

follow other schools of thought are subject to government restrictions on public 

religious practices and official discrimination in numerous areas, particularly in 

government employment and education. 

Nevertheless, Saudi officials claimed that 

the government does not discriminate on 

the basis of different schools of thought 

within Islam. One high-level official 

pointed to the fact that the Shi’a community has its own judges on personal 

matters and claimed that the community 

funds its own mosques because they 

have refused government assistance. 

However, Shi’a interlocutors said that the 

community does not register its mosques 

because of the fear of Ministry of Interior 

interference in activities that are already 

severely restricted. According to some 

Shi’a interlocutors, there are no Shi’a 

ministers in the government and very few 

Shi’a leaders in large corporations or in 

high-level government positions, particularly in the security agencies. 

Two of the major concerns that were 

repeatedly raised by interlocutors were 

the ongoing discrimination by teachers against Shi’a children and youth in 

schools and the intolerant content in 

school textbooks. Shi’a community leaders expressed concern that their children 

go to school and are told by state-employed teachers that they are “bad people” 

and that “Shi’as are worse than Christians 

and Jews” or “Shi’as are not true Muslims.” 

Others showed school textbooks that contained discriminatory and inflammatory 

language about Shi’as. When the Commission raised this concern with Saudi 

government officials, one Saudi government official simply denied it, claiming 

that there is no textbook in the Kingdom 

which says that Shi’as are infidels.

Moreover, several non-governmental 

interlocutors cited concerns about fatwas 

(religious edicts) issued by conservative 

Sunni clerics in recent years, including 

earlier this year, which justify committing 

violent acts against Shi’as. Members of 

the Shi’a community expressed a desire 

to see more active government intervention when clerics issue such inciting 

edicts. Furthermore, in many cases, application of criminal law includes harsher 

punishments for Shi’as as well as Ismailis. 

Since many Saudi judges consider Shi’as 

and Ismailis to be “non-believers,” they 

are frequently dealt with more severely 

by the courts. 

Upon its return from Saudi Arabia, 

the Commission received credible information that since January 2007, dozens 

of members of the Shi’a community in 

the Eastern Province have been detained 

for up to 30 days and then released for 

holding small religious gatherings in 

private homes. None of the individuals 

were charged with any crime, nor have 

Saudi authorities offered any explanation 

other than suggesting that the short-term 

detentions are punishment for holding 

private religious gatherings. Furthermore, 

the Commission learned that several 

British and American Shi’a men who 

traveled to Mecca in early August 2007 

were harassed and beaten by members 

of the CPVPV.5

 According to one of those 

detained, a member of the CPVPV was 

making derogatory remarks about Shi’a 

SAUDI ARABIA
9

Muslims in a public lecture inside a 

mosque. When the CPVPV member realized that the visitor was Shi’a, he arrested 

him after a short exchange of words. 

Nearly a dozen of the Shi’a men, including two minors, were detained and held 

overnight after hours of interrogation and 

verbal and physical abuse. According to 

one of the individuals who was detained, 

intervention by British and American 

diplomats helped secure their release. 

On a positive note, several members of the Shi’a community pointed out 

that over the past few years, there have 

been some improvements for the Shi’a 

community in the Eastern Province, 

particularly regarding the public expression of religious practice. Members of the 

Shi’a community in Qatif, where Shi’as 

represent the majority of the population, 

held their largest public gathering in observance of Ashura without government 

interference earlier this year. However, 

authorities continue to disallow observance in other areas of the Eastern Province, such as in Al-Ahsa and Dammam. 

It also was noted that there has been an 

increase in the number of Shi’a courts for 

family matters and personal status. While 

the Shi’a community points to increased 

dialogue with the government, there is 

limited progress on a number of practical 

issues, such as the ability to teach Shi’a 

beliefs to Shi’a children in schools and 

the inability to re-open mosques and 

hussainiyas (Shi’a community centers) 

in Al-Ahsa and Dammam that have been 

closed by the government for years. 

Due to U.S. Embassy security policy, 

the Commission was not able to visit Najran in the south, home to the vast majority of Ismailis in the Kingdom. However, 

the delegation was able to meet with 

some non-governmental interlocutors 

who had knowledge of the situation of 

Saudi Ismailis. Like the Shi’a community, Ismailis face severe government 

discrimination, particularly in government employment and education. 

The government does not finance the 

building of mosques for Ismailis and has 

closed down several places of worship 

in recent years. In 2000, in the Najran 

region, after members of the CPVPV 

raided and closed down an Ismaili 

mosque, approximately 100 Ismailis, 

including clerics, were arrested. Many 

were released after serving reduced sentences, but dozens remained in prison 

for several years. As of this writing, 17 

Ismailis remain in prison and some of 

them reportedly have been flogged. 

One Ismaili, Hadi Al-Mutaif, remains 

in prison after originally being sentenced 

to death for apostasy in 1994 for a remark 

deemed blasphemous, which he made as 

a teenager. Al-Mutaif continues to serve 

a life sentence on reduced blasphemy 

charges and some non-governmental 

interlocutors said that because of the nature of the crime, the King cannot pardon 

him. Defense lawyers are trying to appeal 

in court, claiming that Al-Mutaif violated 

civil rather than criminal law. According 

to an official at the Interior Ministry, King 

Abdullah planned to pardon Al-Mutaif 

last year, but because Al-Mutaif’s offense 

is considered a hadd crime by the court 

and not a tahzir crime, there are fewer 

options for intervention.6

 According to 

government officials, the issue is now 

in the hands of the Supreme Court. The 

Saudi Human Rights Commission stated 

that it was also working on this case.

While in Saudi Arabia, 

the delegation visited Jeddah, 

several towns in the Eastern 

Province, and Riyadh, the national capital. Among the Commission’s interlocutors were Saudi 

government officials, including 

the Minister of Islamic Affairs, 

the Minister of Culture and Information, and deputy ministers 

from the Interior and Foreign Affairs Ministries, representatives 

from the government’s Human 

Rights Commission (HRC) and 

members of the non-governmental National Society for Human 

Rights (NSHR), as well as legal 

experts, educators, community 

leaders, civil society activists, 

women’s rights advocates, and 

journalists. The Commission also 

met with the U.S. Ambassador, 

the U.S. Consul General in Jeddah, and numerous U.S. Mission staff. 

THE COMMISSION’S MEETINGs

IN SAUDI ARABIA
10

POLICYFOCUS

For years, the Commission has expressed 

concern that Saudi government funding 

and other funding originating in Saudi 

Arabia have been used globally to finance 

religious schools, hate literature, and other activities that support religious intolerance and, in some cases, violence toward 

non-Muslims and disfavored Muslims. 

During its visit, the Commission gained 

some information from Saudi government officials regarding efforts to combat 

extremism and contain dissemination 

of hate literature within Saudi Arabia. 

However, despite raising many questions 

on the subject, the Commission was told 

very little about Saudi government efforts 

to halt the exportation of extremist ideology and literature outside the Kingdom. 

According to the State Department, the 

Saudi government either operates or 

tightly regulates all publishing entities 

inside Saudi Arabia. 

Efforts to Combat Extremism Inside 

Saudi Arabia

The Saudi government has undertaken 

some security measures to combat 

extremism, such as a “re-education” program for convicted “extremists” and the 

retraining or dismissal of imams known 

to espouse extremist views. However, 

these efforts appear to be designed to 

address security concerns rather than 

to implement reforms to protect human 

rights, including religious freedom. Nevertheless, the Commission was not able 

to assess whether such programs have 

been successful.

According to the Ministry of Islamic 

Affairs, there are approximately 72,000 

mosques in the country and about 

120,000 employees paid by the Ministry, 

including imams and muezzins (those 

who make the call to prayer).7

 According to Saudi officials, the government 

uses several methods to deal with imams 

who preach hatred and extremism in 

mosques. The Minister of Islamic Affairs 

stated that there are government-appointed Islamic scholars in each province who meet with the particular imam 

who has been identified as advocating 

extremist views. In the first instance, the 

representative of the Ministry engages 

in direct dialogue by meeting with the 

imam in question in public to discuss the 

matter. If this dialogue fails to convince 

the imam to change his views, the Ministry representative meets with the imam 

privately. If this discussion is not successful, the imam will be dismissed from 

his post or, in some cases, criminally 

charged if he is found to have incited violence. According to the Ministry, several 

hundred imams have been dismissed 

since the September 11 attacks on the 

United States. Since the Commission 

visit, a press report indicated that Interior Minister Prince Naif gathered hundreds of imams and preachers in Riyadh 

to stress the importance of combating 

extremist ideas through activities such 

as Friday sermons.8 

Halt Dissemination of Extremist Ideology and Intolerant Literature in Saudi Arabia 

and its Exportation Around the World 

Delegation head Felice D. Gaer meets with the Minister of Islamic Affairs, Sheikh Saleh al-Shaykh.
11

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs 

claimed to have started “retraining” 

imams who espouse intolerance more 

than a year ago, and the Ministry claimed 

it has yielded positive results, although 

no statistics or detailed information were 

provided. Imams are purportedly trained 

at a special training center which allows 

them a chance to be exposed to more 

moderate views. Saudi officials also told 

the Commission that teachers, imams, or 

professors who promote hatred and intolerance are dismissed. Those let go can 

work in other fields of public or private 

employment, but not within the education system. In many cases, if an imam 

is terminated from his job, he should 

be able to support himself financially 

through another job, since imams receive 

a small monthly stipend (approximately 

$500-800 per month) and not a full salary. 

Among those people who have 

been arrested for promoting hatred and 

inciting violence, several, particularly 

those who have been sentenced to prison 

terms, have gone through a “re-education” program that aims to encourage 

prisoners to renounce extremist beliefs. 

According to one high-level Saudi official, 

more than 700 individuals have gone 

through this program and been given 

jobs, and then subsequently tracked and 

monitored. Furthermore, Saudi authorities claim to make every attempt to arrest 

those who promote violent acts, not 

just the perpetrators. Despite repeated 

requests by the Commission during 

and after its visit, no further statistics or 

details on dismissals were provided; nor 

was the Commission permitted to meet 

any “retrained” imams or those engaged 

in the training process.

Efforts to Halt Exportation of Extremist 

Ideology Outside Saudi Arabia

Saudi authorities categorically denied 

that extremist literature or materials were 

ever distributed through official government channels outside the country, 

despite numerous well-documented 

studies and reports to the contrary.9 

There was acknowledgement from some 

officials that before the September 11 

attacks, many Saudi Muslim volunteers 

took it upon themselves to distribute extremist materials abroad. Saudi authorities claim to have found a “very small 

amount” of intolerant material abroad 

that would be considered extremist and 

this material has been subsequently 

destroyed. According to Saudi officials, 

unless there is explicit permission by the 

Ministries of Culture and Information or 

Islamic Affairs, no materials can be sent 

overseas. Despite requests for further 

clarification, the Commission could not 

confirm whether a formal mechanism 

exists to review thoroughly and revise 

educational materials and other materials sent outside of Saudi Arabia. In 

addition, the Commission received mixed 

and contradictory messages about which 

government entity has responsibility over 

materials that are sent abroad.

When asked about reports that 

Islamic affairs sections in Saudi embassies worldwide have been responsible for 

both distributing extremist and intolerant 

materials and providing diplomatic 

status to Muslim, even non-Saudi, clerics, 

a high-level Saudi official said that these 

sections have been temporarily closed, 

pending reorganization, due to these reports. No time-frame was given for these 

reorganization efforts. In the meantime, 

the Commission was told, the Ministry of 

Foreign Affairs is analyzing what further 

steps should be taken. However, it is not 

clear if the activities of the Islamic Affairs 

sections are being carried out through 

other entities in Saudi embassies. Despite 

requests for clarification, the Commission was not able to determine whether 

diplomatic status is still being given to 

religious personnel, including imams and 

religious teachers, both Saudi citizens 

and non-Saudi foreign nationals.

Exportation of Extremism: an American 

Case in Point?

The Commission has raised concerns for 

many years that the Saudi government 

and members of the royal family directly 

and indirectly fund the global propagation 

of an ideology which promotes hatred, 

It appears that the 

Saudi government has 

made little or no progress on 

efforts to halt exportation 

of extremist ideology 

outside the Kingdom. 
POLICYFOCUS

12

intolerance, and other human rights 

abuses, including violence. The concern is 

not about the propagation of Islam per se, 

but about credible reports that the Saudi 

government’s version of Islam promotes 

abuses of human rights, including violent 

acts, against non-Muslims and disfavored 

Muslims. One potential example that has 

gained attention in recent years is the 

Islamic Saudi Academy (ISA), located in 

northern Virginia. The operation of the 

school raises serious concerns about 

whether it is in violation of a U.S. law 

restricting the activities of foreign embassies. As outlined further below, the Commission accordingly recommends that the 

Secretary of State commence immediate 

diplomatic discussions and appropriate 

actions under the Foreign Missions Act. 

Potential Violations of Foreign 

Missions Act

The ISA purports to be a private 

school but:

• it operates on two northern Virginia 

properties owned or leased, according 

to Fairfax County records, by the Royal 

Embassy of Saudi Arabia. The property is 

formally leased to “the Royal Embassy of 

Saudi Arabia d/b/a [doing business as] 

the Islamic Saudi Academy;” 

• the Saudi Ambassador to the United 

States is the chairman of the school’s 

board of directors which, according to 

the ISA website, “oversees the educational and administrative operation” 

and “provides direction and guidance to 

every aspect of” the school10;

• on numerous occasions, Saudi Embassy 

officials have spoken to the press on 

ISA’s behalf. This is despite the fact that 

while foreign governments can engage 

in lawful non-diplomatic activity in the 

United States, they may not, according 

to the law, do so by and through their 

embassy11;

• the school appears to be substantially 

funded by the government of Saudi 

Arabia and, according to its own website, 

uses Saudi government “curriculum, 

syllabus, and materials” in the portion 

of its program that is taught in Arabic.

The Foreign Missions Act gives the 

Secretary of State the authority to regulate 

foreign missions in the United States and 

the broad discretion to decide how to treat 

such missions based on, among other 

things, “matters relating to the protection 

of the interests of the United States.”12 The 

Secretary’s authority includes the powers 

to require a foreign mission to divest itself 

of or forgo the use of property and to order 

it to close. 

Under the Act, a foreign mission 

is defined as “any mission to or agency 

or entity in the United States which is 

involved in the diplomatic, consular, or 

other activities of, or which is substantially controlled by, a foreign government...

including any real property of such a mission and including the personnel of such 

a mission.”13 The Saudi Embassy and 

Ambassador clearly fall within this definition, as do the two properties on which 

the Islamic Saudi Academy is operating 

since they are owned or leased by the 

Embassy.14 In addition, the definition of 

a foreign mission could also encompass 

ISA itself, given the evidence of Saudi 

government control.

Background of Commission’s Concerns

Significant concerns remain about 

whether what is being taught at the ISA 

promotes religious intolerance and may 

adversely affect the interests of the United 

States. In December 2003, a former Saudi 

judge and Saudi journalist presented a 

study on the state religious curricula in 

boys schools in Saudi Arabia at the second 

National Dialogue forum on religious 

extremism and moderation. The study 

found that the approach used in the texts 

“encourages violence toward others, and 

misguides the pupils into believing that in 

USCIRF delegation meets with Iyad bin Amin Madani, Minister of Culture and Information. 

Commissioners Felice D. Gaer and Preeta D. Bansal are to the right; to the left, with their backs 

to the camera, are Commissioners Imam Talal Eid and Michael Cromartie.
order to safeguard their own religion, they 

must violently repress and even physically eliminate the ‘other’.”15 They cited 

examples found in the textbooks, such as 

“the blood and property of the polytheists 

are permitted” and “there is no prohibition on spilling their [polytheists] blood.”16 

Furthermore, one scholar who examined 

“revised” state religious textbooks concluded that “there are passages in the various Tawhid editions stating that the blood 

and property of polytheists may be taken 

by Muslims, and these passages have been 

contextualized but not removed...What 

remains then, is a principle of behavior 

sanctioning the murder of those with 

whom one disagrees.”17

Moreover, a 2006 report analyzing 

some Saudi textbooks from the 2005-2006 

school year found that “a ninth grade Saudi textbook on Hadith teaches teenagers 

in apocalyptic terms that violence towards 

Jews, Christians and other unbelievers is 

sanctioned by God.”18 For example, the 

textbook reads, “the hour [of judgment] 

will not come until the Muslims fight the 

Jews and kill them.”19 Another example 

taken from a twelfth grade textbook reads, 

“Jihad in the path of God – which consists 

of battling [Arabic, qital] against unbelief, 

oppression, injustice, and those who perpetrate it – is the summit of Islam.”20 The 

study concludes that “while, as the text 

explains, one of the meanings of jihad is 

self-perfection or ‘wrestling with the spirit’, 

it acknowledges a more militant meaning 

as well.”21 This state-driven disregard for 

freedom of religion not only violates international human rights standards, but also 

serves to embolden radical Islamists who 

seek to perpetuate acts of terrorism and 

other violence on Americans and others 

around the world. 

These concerns are exacerbated by 

the Saudi Embassy officials’ repeated 

refusals, despite the strong basis of 

concern and requests from the Commission and Members of Congress, to make 

textbooks available for outside scrutiny. 

The Saudi government has claimed that 

it has made changes to the textbooks, 

including in the July 2006 confirmation 

of policies, by stating that it thoroughly 

reviews and revises “educational materials 

and other literature sent abroad to ensure 

that all intolerant references are removed, 

and where possible, attempts to retrieve 

previously distributed materials that contain intolerance.” Nevertheless, none of 

these textbooks have been made available 

by the Saudi government to the Commission or other U.S. official entities despite 

repeated requests over a period of several 

years by the State Department and the 

Commission to multiple Saudi representatives, including the Saudi Ambassador to 

the United States and other responsible 

officials. Following its visit to Saudi Arabia, 

the Commission requested copies of the 

textbooks used at the ISA, but as of this 

writing, Saudi Embassy officials have not 

made them available.

S A U DI ARA B IA

13

Mecca Gate, Jeddah
In March 2006, the Saudi Embassy in 

Washington published a report summarizing efforts by the Saudi government to revise the state curriculum and 

a number of school textbooks to exclude 

language promoting religious intolerance.22 Nevertheless, non-governmental 

organizations from outside Saudi Arabia 

continue to report the presence of highly 

intolerant and discriminatory language, 

particularly against Jews, Christians, and 

Shi’a Muslims, in educational materials 

published by the Ministry of Education.23

It was these very kinds of contradictory 

assessments that the Commission sought 

to learn more about during its visit to 

Saudi Arabia. However, as mentioned 

above, the Commission’s request to meet 

with a representative of the Ministry of 

Education was denied.

In several meetings with a variety 

of other Saudi officials, the Commission 

requested copies of textbooks, which were 

not supplied during the visit. Specifically, 

the Commission requested copies of 

textbooks used at all grade levels on hadith (Islamic traditions), fiqh (matters of 

religious law and ritual), tawhid (matters 

of belief), and Arabic language and Saudi 

history. Despite the promise of several 

officials to send them to the Commission’s 

office in Washington and later written requests, as of this writing, nothing has been 

received. A July 2007 letter to the Commission from the Saudi Human Rights Commission stated that textbooks currently 

are being reviewed and copies would be 

sent to the Commission upon completion, although no completion date was 

given. The Commission delegation was 

told by U.S. Embassy officials that it also 

had not received copies of textbooks from 

the Saudi government, despite numerous 

requests over a period of several years.

According to a high-level Saudi official, oversight for textbooks and curricula 

fall within the jurisdiction of the Ministry 

of Education and the Ministry of Higher 

Education. The Ministry of Islamic Affairs 

stated that it does not have jurisdiction 

over textbooks or the education curriculum. Saudi officials did confirm that an 

inter-Ministerial committee was formed 

“some years ago” to review textbooks 

for intolerant content, although it was 

never made clear whether final decisions 

for changes to be made were under the 

purview of the Ministry of Education or 

the inter-Ministerial committee. A highlevel Foreign Ministry official told the 

Commission that the Saudi government 

did review all the textbooks and removed 

language that was deemed to promote 

hatred and violence. According to this official, a representative of the Foreign Ministry served as a member on the committee. Most Saudi officials admitted to some 

intolerant material in textbooks, but 

claimed that this was a very small portion 

of the curriculum. Furthermore, Saudi officials contended that much progress has 

been achieved over the past two – three 

years and that the government continues 

to work on the issue. They also claimed 

that the government does not discriminate against any particular religious 

group and that government textbooks 

do not promote discrimination against 

people of different religious backgrounds. 

However, as discussed below, evidence 

from textbooks shown to the delegation 

privately demonstrates the contrary.

During the visit, non-governmental 

interlocutors offered varied perspectives 

on Saudi textbooks and the education 

system. Some claimed that the Saudi government has made progress in removing 

some disparaging references in textbooks, 

and ascribed the overhaul to both internal 

and international pressure. Others, however, while stating that some intolerant 

material had been removed over the past 

few years, indicated that much objectionable and discriminatory material remains. 

Some individuals pointed out that children from non-Sunni families must, on 

exams, affirm statements in the textbooks 

to the effect that their own religious beliefs 

are false; these children will otherwise fail 

the course and be forced to repeat it until 

they answer correctly. This is particularly 

true when the texts refer to Shi’a beliefs 

and tenets. The consequences frequently 

induce serious confusion for children 

regarding their beliefs, and, in some cases, 

psychological trauma. 

Despite a request for clarification by 

the Commission, the Saudi government 

officials did not respond to questions as 

to whether all students at the primary, 

14

POLICYFOCUS

Princess Loulwa Bint Faisal, Vice Chair of 

the Board and General Supervisor of Effat 

College for Women in Jeddah, Speaks with 

Commissioner Elizabeth Prodromou.

Review and Revise Educational Materials and Textbooks and Remove Intolerant References

SAUDI ARABIA
secondary, or university levels are required 

to receive the same instruction in Islamic 

religious education, regardless of the 

child’s religious background. Nor would 

the officials clarify whether students from 

different religions or sects of Islam are 

able to question the conclusions drawn 

about their sects or communities in the 

classroom. Private individuals told the 

Commission that only one form of Islam is 

taught in schools and several Shi’a interlocutors supported this claim.

Other non-government interlocutors 

drew attention to additional weaknesses 

in the education system that resulted 

in the promotion of intolerance. Many 

pointed to the fact that the majority of 

Saudi teachers were poorly qualified; others stated that most teachers indoctrinated students in a “culture of intolerance” 

and that the attitudes and training of the 

teachers needed to be addressed in order 

to bring about change in the system. 

Some argued that regardless of the quality of the textbooks, it is the teachers who 

are manipulating the texts to promote 

intolerance, rather than understanding, 

among and between religious groups, 

Muslim and non-Muslim alike. 

On this matter, one Saudi government official claimed that some teachers 

who promote intolerance and hatred 

have been fired and that others are being 

retrained. However, despite attempts to 

get further information from Saudi authorities, the Commission did not receive 

information about how many teachers 

and principals have been retrained. 

Furthermore, the Saudi government did 

not provide information about how many 

teachers have been held accountable for 

deviating from the approved curriculum 

or if teachers’ manuals have been revised 

to include promotion of tolerance.

Some non-governmental interlocutors stated that the entire education 

system is in disarray and needs a complete 

overhaul, beyond simply removing intolerant language in the textbooks, to ensure 

that students are properly prepared for the 

job market. Earlier this year, the Saudi government approved a $3 billion project “to 

ensure overall development of its students 

by increasing their knowledge as well as 

their physical, professional, psychological 

and intellectual capabilities.”24 According to interlocutors, this process will take 

approximately three years to complete. 

However, none of these reform efforts will 

directly address the issues of intolerance.

S A U DI ARA B IA

15

There are no non-Muslim citizens in 

Saudi Arabia and no places of worship 

in the country are permitted other than 

mosques. In addition, the Saudi government enforces and limits public worship 

to its sanctioned version of Sunni Islam.

In meetings with the Commission 

delegation, several Saudi officials argued 

that it is not possible to have places of 

worship other than mosques in the Kingdom because Saudi Arabia is home to Islam’s two holiest sites: Mecca and Medina. 

Moreover, most officials asserted that 

there is a hadith (oral tradition) from the 

Prophet Muhammad which says that only 

Islam can exist on the Arabian Peninsula, 

although another Saudi official and other 

interlocutors contended that this hadith

is subject to differing interpretations. Although the Commission pointed out that 

other countries on the Arabian Peninsula, 

such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, do permit non-Muslim public places 

of worship, some officials went so far to 

state that having non-Muslim places of 

worship on Saudi soil would be equivalent 

to building mosques on Vatican property 

in Italy. Commissioners drew a distinction 

between a geographic entity in Italy of 

two square miles with 800-900 residents 

versus a country the size of Saudi Arabia 

containing between two – three million 

non-Muslim residents. In addition, some 

officials claimed, without providing any 

evidence, that if a non-Muslim place of 

worship were built in the Kingdom, the 

public would be outraged and the place 

of worship would be subject to attack by 

extremists and conservative elements in 

the Kingdom. Another official claimed, 

again without providing any evidence, 

that public opinion among Muslims outside of Saudi Arabia would never permit 

the government to allow public worship 

by non-Muslims because the Kingdom is 

Ensure Private Worship and the Ability to Obtain and Possess Religious Materials

without Harassment
Leaders of Saudi Arabia’s Shi’a Muslim minority community meet with the Commission 

delegation in Qatif.

16

home to the twin holy sites. What is more, 

some officials suggested that if expatriate workers wish to practice their faith in 

public, they should leave Saudi Arabia and 

go to other countries in the region. 

Saudi officials reiterated the government position that non-Muslim expatriate workers are permitted to worship in 

private. However, guidelines as to what 

constitutes “private” worship remain 

unclear and vague. The Foreign Ministry 

estimated that there are between two 

– three million non-Muslim expatriate 

workers in the Kingdom. Some officials 

suggested that as long as non-Muslims 

practice their religion in small groups in 

private homes, no security entity would 

interfere, since there is no law that prohibits non-Muslims from practicing in 

this manner. Furthermore, they maintained that members of the Commission to Promote Virtue and Prevent Vice 

(CPVPV) are not permitted to enter private dwellings under any circumstances. 

Despite these claims, there continue 

to be instances in which members of the 

CPVPV have entered and raided private 

homes where non-Muslim expatriate 

workers were worshipping. According to 

some non-governmental interlocutors, 

the incidents of raids on private homes 

of non-Muslim expatriate workers by 

members of the CPVPV and other security 

authorities have decreased in the past 

year. However, expatriate workers from 

countries such as the Philippines, India, 

Pakistan, and some African countries 

continue to be vulnerable to surveillance 

and raids by Saudi authorities, despite the 

fact that CPVPV members are not permitted to conduct such surveillance.25 In fact, 

representatives of non-Muslim communities continue to assert that, in practice, 

religious freedom simply does not exist in 

the Kingdom. The Commission was told, 

however, that conditions for private worship are better in the Eastern Province 

than elsewhere in the country, such as in 

the Nejd region in the central part of the 

country, where private religious services 

continue to be surveilled and, in some 

cases, raided by Saudi authorities. 

It is unclear whether Saudi missions 

abroad inform expatriate workers who 

will be entering the Kingdom about their 

right to private worship, including the 

right to bring personal religious materials inside the Kingdom. Despite previous 

assurances by the Saudi government 

that this policy is in place, requests for 

clarification were not answered. Furthermore, Saudi officials do not accept that 

for members of some religious groups, 

the practice of religion requires more 

than individual private worship, but 

includes the need for religious leaders to 

be able to conduct services in community 

with others. Religious leaders continue to 

be prohibited from seeking and obtaining visas to enter and minister to local 

religious communities. 

On a positive note, non-governmental interlocutors indicated that there has 

been a decrease in the practice on the 

part of customs officials of confiscating personal religious materials when 

expatriate workers or visitors enter the 

Kingdom. Nevertheless, in August 2007, 

a press report found that the official Web 

site of the state-owned Saudi Arabian Airlines included information for travelers 

that the Airlines claimed was based on 

Saudi government customs regulations: 

“Items and articles belonging to religions 

other than Islam are also prohibited. 

These may include Bibles, crucifixes, 

statues, carvings, items with religious 

symbols such as the Star of David, and 

others.”26 This information clearly contradicts the reported Saudi policy, also confirmed to the United States, that customs 

inspectors at borders will not confiscate 

personal religious materials. Within days 

of the publication of the initial press 

report and other subsequent articles, the 

Saudi Arabian Airlines Web site removed 

the language about prohibiting specific 

religious materials.
S A U DI ARA B IA

17

Restrictions on public religious practice, for both Saudis and non-Saudis, 

are officially enforced in large part by 

the Commission to Promote Virtue and 

Prevent Vice (CPVPV), a government 

entity that includes a force of approximately 5,000 all-male field officers and 

a total of 10,000 employees in over 500 

offices throughout the country. There are 

also hundreds of “unofficial” volunteers 

who take it upon themselves to carry 

out the work of the CPVPV. The CPVPV, 

which reports to the King, is tasked 

with enforcing public morality based on 

the Saudi government’s interpretation 

of Islamic law. Members of the CPVPV 

patrol the streets enforcing dress codes, 

maintaining the strict separation of men 

and women, and ensuring that restaurants and shops are closed during daily 

prayers. During its visit to the Kingdom, 

Commission requests to meet with representatives of the CPVPV were denied 

by the Saudi government.

Within the past year, members of 

the CPVPV have occasionally conducted 

raids on worship services in private 

homes. They continue to harass, detain, 

whip, beat, and otherwise mete out extra 

judicial punishments to individuals 

deemed to have strayed from “appropriate” dress and/or behavior, such as 

wearing Muslim religious symbols not 

sanctioned by the government. 

Saudi officials told the Commission 

delegation that members of the CPVPV 

are required to be accompanied by law 

enforcement officials while in the line of 

duty, although this is not always the case 

in practice. One high-level Saudi official 

said that CPVPV members are required to 

be trained, but many are not, and others 

work alone instead of together with police 

officers. According to one press report, 

members of the CPVPV did not receive 

their first ever training until early September 2007.27 According to the Interior 

Ministry, members of the CPVPV do not 

have the right to detain or conduct investigations of suspects and must immediately 

turn suspects over to the police.28 Saudi 

government officials claimed to have 

dismissed and/or disciplined members of 

the CPVPV for abuses of power, although 

reports of abuse persist. 

During the Commission’s visit, 

representatives of the National Society 

for Human Rights (NSHR) said that it 

had received numerous complaints from 

Saudi citizens and expatriate workers 

about alleged abuses by the CPVPV. In its 

first ever report released in May 2007, the 

NSHR documented several such cases, 

including unsubstantiated accusations, 

questionable interrogation practices, 

beatings, unnecessary body searches, 

forced entry into private homes, and 

coerced confessions.29 The NSHR has 

recommended that CPVPV regulations 

be specified publicly for clarification. According to representatives of the NSHR, 

members of the CPVPV are required to 

wear uniforms and badges, but many do 

not comply with this regulation and it is 

not necessarily enforced. 

In recent months, there has been unprecedented media coverage, both inside 

and outside Saudi Arabia, of alleged abuses by the CPVPV. At least four separate cases have gone to trial or are going to trial, 

including alleged beatings and deaths of 

Saudi citizens.30 In late May 2007, nearly 

a dozen members of the CPVPV raided 

the home of a man suspected of possessing and selling alcohol in Riyadh. The 28 

year-old man, Salman al-Huraisi, died 

in custody at one of the CPVPV offices 

in Riyadh, and family members accused 

members of the CPVPV of beating him 

to death. Autopsy results confirmed that 

he died due to physical abuse. After an 

investigation by Saudi authorities, in 

June the Riyadh Governorate announced 

that all official CPVPV members involved 

were cleared of any wrongdoing, and that 

Curb Harassment of Religious Practice 

In recent months, CPVPV abuses were the subject of 

numerous articles in the Arabic and English press, 

garnering unprecedented attention in the public and 

international media. There have been a greater number of 

investigations of abuses, yet in the recent cases that have been 

prosecuted, CPVPV members have not been held accountable 

and complainants report summary dismissals without 

due process for them to obtain redress.

 
POLICYFOCUS

an “unofficial” volunteer, or part-time 

worker, would be held responsible for the 

death of the man.31 Even before the official investigation was complete and the 

announcement made, Minister of Interior 

Prince Naif stated publicly that a preliminary investigation proved that members 

of the CPVPV were not responsible for the 

man’s death. 

In another case, a man died in early 

June in the northern town of Tabuk in the 

custody of members of the CPVPV after he 

was apprehended for being found alone 

in a vehicle with a female who was not his 

relative. It was later established that the 

man, Ahmad al-Bulaiwi, was a part-time 

driver for the woman’s family. Four individuals, including three members of the 

CPVPV and a police officer, went on trial 

for their involvement in the man’s death; 

however, in late July, the court dropped 

the charges against all four men, reportedly due to the fact that an autopsy showed 

the man died of natural causes while 

in CPVPV custody.32 Bulaiwi’s family is 

appealing the decision of the court.

Several non-governmental interlocutors with whom the Commission met 

expressed outrage about the abuses of 

the CPVPV and believe that members 

of the CPVPV have long overstepped 

their authority with impunity. Many 

expressed concern that CPVPV members 

believe themselves to be “above the law” 

and have never been held responsible 

for abuses. Some believe that a fatwa

(religious edict) exists that does not allow 

CPVPV members to be held accountable 

under the law, although this fatwa could 

not be verified. Despite the media attention, many believe that members of the 

CPVPV will not be prosecuted or brought 

to justice because they are protected by 

elements within the religious establishment and the Royal family.

In July 2007, after the Commission’s 

visit, Interior Minister Prince Naif issued 

a directive requiring CPVPV members 

to deliver immediately any individual 

arrested—male or female—to local 

authorities, reaffirming a Royal decree issued in 1981.33 According to this directive, 

interrogations at CPVPV centers are prohibited and members who fail to abide by 

the guidelines should be dismissed. Furthermore, the directive gives authority to 

the General Investigation and Prosecution 

Authority to conduct random inspections 

at CPVPV offices. In June, the president of 

the CPVPV, Ibrahim al-Ghaith, announced 

that the CPVPV had established a legal 

department, the Department of Rules and 

Regulations, to handle legal matters and 

compliance with internal regulations, 

and had hired a spokesperson to handle 

public relations at its national headquarters.34 It is too early to determine if these 

changes represent genuine reform efforts 

or only reform on paper.

Despite specific requests for further 

information, the Commission did not 

receive any response from the Saudi 

government on the number of CPVPV 

members who have been trained or retrained to ensure that the human rights of 

Muslims and non-Muslims are protected. 

In addition, the Saudi government did not 

respond to an inquiry about the number 

of CPVPV members who have been held 

accountable in the past for committing 

abuses or overstepping their jurisdiction.

SAUDI ARABIA

18 

Commissioners Leonard Leo, Preeta D. Bansal, Felice D. Gaer, Michael Cromartie and 

Imam Talal Eid flank the Deputy Interior Minister, Dr. Ahmad al-Salem.
19

S A U DI ARA B IA

Human Rights Commission 

In September 2005, the Council of Ministers, chaired by King Abdullah, approved 

the establishment of a governmentappointed, 24-member Human Rights 

Commission (HRC) that reports directly 

to the King. The membership of the HRC 

was not finalized until early 2007 and 

does not include any female members. 

The HRC is mandated to “protect and 

promote human rights in conformity with 

international human rights standards in 

all fields, to propagate awareness thereof, 

and to help ensure their application in a 

manner consistent with the provisions 

of the Islamic Sharia.”35 During its visit, 

the Commission delegation met with the 

HRC’s Chair, Turki Al Sudairy, and numerous members of its Board.

According to several members, the 

HRC hopes to develop a knowledge of 

international human rights norms among 

the citizens and residents of the Kingdom, 

including about international treaties 

that the Saudi government has ratified. 

Because the Koran is the constitution of 

the country, members of the HRC stated 

that the country must operate strictly in 

accordance with Islamic law. The HRC 

stated that it already has negotiated agreements for cooperation with some government agencies, including the Ministry of 

Defense, the Ministry of Social Affairs, 

and the Red Crescent Society. In July 2007, 

the Ministry of Islamic Affairs agreed to 

work with the HRC to begin an awareness 

campaign in the Kingdom “to promote the 

ideals of human rights in the teachings of 

Islam.”36 The campaign will focus on creating awareness among Saudi citizens and 

residents about the teachings of human 

rights in Islam and will reportedly include 

Friday sermons, with the intention that 

imams will take part in fostering a culture 

of human rights in mosques.

The HRC has not yet trained the 

police and security forces in human rights 

practices, but plans to do so. In addition, 

the HRC has initiated a dialogue with the 

Office of the UN High Commissioner for 

Human Rights (UNHCHR) in Geneva and 

UNHCHR representatives are scheduled 

to go to the Kingdom to conduct a training session for members of the Board. 

According to members of the HRC, the 

Board will also receive technical assistance from the UN in Geneva. 

The HRC is also developing pamphlets on various human rights issues to 

demonstrate that human rights are not a 

“foreign” concept, but rather, in accordance with Islam. In this context, however, one of the representatives of the HRC 

told the Commission that there are two 

principles in the Universal Declaration of 

Human Rights with which it disagrees: 1) 

allowing Muslim women to marry nonMuslim men, and 2) conversion from 

Islam to another faith, although the HRC 

representative acknowledged that the latter is in dispute among Muslim scholars. 

Procedurally, the HRC receives 

complaints from individuals and follows 

up to determine whether there has been 

a possible violation. The HRC then begins 

an investigation and makes appropriate 

recommendations to relevant government 

agencies. According to the HRC, it has 

received more than 1,000 complaints and 

has resolved at least two-thirds of them. 

The members of the HRC identified 

several ways in which the HRC and the 

Saudi government are working to advance 

freedom of religion or belief in the Kingdom. These include the fact that: 1) the 

King regularly makes statements against 

religious bigotry; 2) the King Abdul Aziz 

National Center for Dialogue brings together all sectors of society, including various Muslim sects; 3) the government has 

removed approximately 2,000 imams who 

preached religious hatred and intolerance; 4) the HRC is introducing a “culture 

of human rights” to the public; 5) several 

cases involving imams inciting violence 

were brought to the attention of the HRC, 

which reported the cases to the relevant 

Ministries; and 6) an HRC women’s section will be established soon to deal with 

women’s rights in accordance with sharia. 

In addition, during the Commission’s visit, 

the HRC publicly announced that it would 

take up the issue of societal discrimination against Muslims who follow different 

schools of thought within Islam.37

Several Board members admitted that the HRC’s mission is still in 

the process of being formulated. They 

acknowledged that there is much to be 

accomplished, but also expressed a need 

to move slowly and introduce concepts 

gradually, so as not to push too hard on 

a population that is not familiar with 

international human rights concepts, 

Empowerment of Officially Sanctioned Human Rights Institutions
20

POLICYFOCUS

particularly those related to freedom of 

religion or belief. 

It is the Commission’s view that the 

HRC can advance human rights protections if it examines all internationally 

recognized human rights issues and its 

inquiries regarding individual complaints 

and recommendations to the Saudi government are implemented in practice. 

National Society for Human Rights

In March 2004, the Saudi government 

approved the formation of a National 

Society for Human Rights (NSHR), the 

country’s first and up to now the only 

independent, legally recognized human 

rights body. The NSHR is comprised of 

41 members, including 10 women, and 

is chaired by a member of Saudi Arabia’s 

Consultative Council (or Shura), a 150-

member advisory body. The NSHR, which 

was originally endowed by King Fahd, 

submits its reports and recommendations 

directly to King Abdullah. The Commission delegation met with members of 

the NSHR in Jeddah, the Eastern Province, and at its national headquarters in 

Riyadh. The NSHR has offices in Riyadh, 

Jeddah, Dammam, and Jizan, and will be 

opening an office in the northern region 

in the near future.

Representatives of the NSHR stated 

that they work to promote the human 

rights of all in Saudi Arabia, both citizens 

and residents, as well as Saudi citizens 

abroad. They obtain information through 

individual complaints, site visits, public 

reports, and the media. The NSHR also 

studies state compliance with Islamic and 

international law and works to explain 

to the public that there is no contradiction between international human rights 

standards and Islamic law. According to 

members of the NSHR, their work is conducted in accordance with Islam and they 

are hoping to clarify through reporting 

that many human rights problems arise 

in the Kingdom because of old, outdated traditions and customs rather than 

religious precepts. Therefore, the issues 

can be addressed without contradicting 

Islamic principles.

The NSHR works with Saudi government agencies in order to press for the 

implementation of its recommendations. Representatives of the NSHR told 

the Commission it had already received 

cooperation from several government 

agencies, admitting, however, that the 

Ministry of Interior has not been fully 

cooperative. Generally speaking, the 

NSHR continues to have difficulties in 

getting government agencies to comply 

with international standards. As of this 

writing, no members of security agencies 

have received training on international 

human rights treaties, including the UN 

Convention Against Torture, which NSHR 

members believed to be particularly 

important for security personnel. According to members of the NSHR, government agencies are required to respond to 

NSHR inquiries within three weeks, but 

this does not usually happen in practice.

Over the last three years, NSHR officials explained that the organization had 

Delegation Head Felice D. Gaer with Dr. 

Saleh Al-Khathlan, Member of the National 

Society for Human Rights, in Riyadh.

Turki Al Sudairy, Chair of the Saudi Government’s newly established Human Rights Commission, 

second from right, and other Members of the Commission meet with the USCIRF delegation.
S A U DI ARA B IA

received approximately 8,500 complaints 

in various areas, from judicial issues to 

labor matters. Representatives claimed 

to have resolved almost 70 per cent of all 

complaints. Expatriate workers also lodge 

numerous complaints with the NSHR. Complaints related to family matters make up 

approximately 40 percent of all cases; some 

of the most important issues on the social 

level are domestic violence, divorce, and 

sexual harassment by relatives. According 

to the NSHR, raising women’s issues used to 

be a taboo some years ago, but today their 

issues can more openly be discussed in the 

media and in public. The NSHR office in 

Dhahran said it receives at least four complaints about domestic violence per day. 

According to NSHR members, the Ministry 

of Social Affairs recently established a new 

unit within the Kingdom to deal with violence against women. 

Just days before the Commission 

delegation arrived in Saudi Arabia, the 

NSHR published its first ever report calling 

for wide-ranging improvements in human 

rights practices in the Kingdom. The lengthy 

report details abuses in the Kingdom on 

most international human rights issues and 

offers numerous recommendations for the 

Saudi government. 

Although the section of the NSHR 

report on the “Right to Freedom of Religion 

and Belief” uses religious justifications to 

support the international right to freedom of 

religion or belief, it also reaches some troubling conclusions. The section highlights 

the fact that there should be no compulsion 

in religion and that “it is forbidden to force 

someone to forsake his religion and adopt 

another...[and] man’s freedom to choose 

his religion is the basis of belief.”38 Later 

in the section, the report states that “every 

individual is free to believe in anything and 

to adopt any ideas he wants.” However, the 

report also specifies reasons that so-called 

apostates from Islam deserve retribution: 

“the apostate...according to Islamic Sharia, 

deserves punishment for raising fitnah (sedition), mayhem and damaging the general 

public order of the Islamic state.” The Commission is disappointed that the report does 

not discuss any objections, from scholars 

or from a universal human rights perspective, to the concept of apostasy or the severe 

punishments. The report notes that no one 

has been executed for apostasy in recent 

years and claims that non-Muslims enjoy 

the right to private worship. 

The section also states that because of 

decades of “conservative religious culture,” 

there is a consensus within Saudi society 

that no religion other than Islam should be 

practiced in public. The report concludes 

that “this does not represent a violation 

of the right to freedom of belief, which is 

essentially a personal belief...” Despite the 

NSHR’s conclusions, it should be noted that 

the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 

and international treaties to which Saudi 

Arabia is a party clearly provide that the 

right to freedom of religion or belief includes 

freedom “either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to 

manifest his religion or belief in worship, 

observance, practice and teaching.”

The Commission believes that the 

NSHR can play a more constructive role in 

protecting human rights by maintaining its 

independence from the government and 

ensuring that its reporting and recommendations are in conformity with universal 

human rights standards.

1

 Office of the Spokesman, State Department Media Note, “Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Briefs Congress 

on U.S.-Saudi Discussions on Religious Practice and Tolerance,” 

July 19, 2007 (http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2006/69197.htm).

2

 Under IRFA, the simple designation as a CPC is not by itself 

sufficient action. CPC designation carries an obligation that one 

or more of certain actions specified in Section 405 of IRFA be 

taken, unless the Secretary of State, as the President’s designee, 

determines that pre-existing sanctions are adequate or otherwise 

waives the requirement.

3

 Unfortunately, the Commission did not have access to certain 

Muslim minority communities. Therefore, this section of the report 

is limited in its focus to minority Muslim communities on which the 

Commission obtained firsthand information.

4

 Expatriate workers are also reportedly subject to physical abuse 

by their employers.

5

 Commission staff interviewed one of the American Shi’a Muslim 

visitors upon his return to the United States in September 2007. 

Also see Stephen Schwartz, “Saudi Arabia’s Koran Cops,” The 

Weekly Standard, September 3, 2007 (http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/014/023xwsaa.asp).

6

 Hadd, a punishment mandated by the Koran, generally cannot 

be overturned by the state. Tahzir, a punishment not mandated by 

the Koran, is considered discretionary and less serious and can be 

overturned by the state.

7 The primary mission of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs is to 

supervise and finance the construction and maintenance of the vast 

majority of mosques in the country, in addition to spreading the 

teachings of the Koran and translating it into as many languages 

as possible. The Ministry also maintains all Islamic endowments, 

particularly the two holy sites in Mecca and Medina. The Ministry 

publishes Korans and reviews materials in mosques to ensure 

compliance with its standards. 

8

 Raid Qusti, “Awareness Drive to Promote Human Rights Set,” 

Arab News, July 11, 2007 (http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&s

ection=0&article=98370&d=11&m=7&y=2007).

9

 For example, see Center for Religious Freedom and Institute for 

Gulf Affairs, Saudi Arabia’s Curriculum of Intolerance, Freedom 

House, 2006 (http://www.hudson.org/files/publications/CRF_

SaudiReport_2006.pdf).

10 http://www.saudiacademy.net/html/Admin-Committee.html.

11 Foreign Missions Act, 22 U.S.C. §4301 et seq.

12 22 U.S.C. 4301 (c).

13 22 U.S.C. 4302 (a)(3).

14 The Act broadly defines the “real property” of a foreign mission 

as “any right, title or interest in or to, or the beneficial use of any 

real property in the United States. . . .” 22 U.S.C. 4302(a)(4)).

15 Aluma Dankowitz, “Saudi Study Offers Critical Analysis of the 

Kingdom’s Religious Curricula,” The Middle East Media Research 

Institute, November 9, 2004, (http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Pag

e=countries&Area=saudiarabia&ID=IA19504). 

16 Ibid. In this case, polytheists can be identified as anyone, Muslim 

or non-Muslim, who do not adhere to the Saudi government 

interpretation of Islam.

17 Eleanor Abdella Doumato, “Saudi Arabia: From ‘Wahhabi’ Roots 

to Contemporary Revisionism,” in Teaching Islam: Textbooks and 

Religion in the Middle East, edited by Eleanor Abdella Doumato 

and Gregory Starrett, Lynne Reiner Publishers: Boulder and 

London, 2007. Doumato evaluated textbooks used during the 

2001/2002 school year and compared them with revised textbooks 

from the 2003/2004 school year, p.171.

18 Center for Religious Freedom and Institute for Gulf Affairs, 

Saudi Arabia’s Curriculum of Intolerance, Freedom House, 

2006, p. 25 (http://www.hudson.org/files/publications/CRF_

SaudiReport_2006.pdf).

19 Ibid.

20 Ibid., p. 29.

21 Ibid.

22 “Summary of Saudi Arabia’s Comprehensive Program to Revise 

the National Educational Curriculums,” Royal Embassy of Saudi 

Arabia, Washington, DC, March 2006.

continued on page 24

END NOTES
POLICYFOCUS

Recommendations

Below are Commission recommendations regarding U.S. policy toward 

Saudi Arabia.

 Strengthen U.S. Human Rights 

Diplomacy as Part of the Bilateral 

Relationship 

The U.S. government should:

• continue to designate Saudi Arabia 

a “country of particular concern,” or 

CPC, under IRFA, for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of the right to freedom of religion 

or belief;

• create a formal mechanism to monitor implementation of the July 2006 

policies as part of every meeting of the 

United States-Saudi Arabia Strategic Dialogue, co-chaired by the U.S. Secretary 

of State and the Saudi Foreign Minister; 

and ensure that U.S. representatives 

to each relevant Working Group of the 

Strategic Dialogue, after each session, 

or at least every six months, report its 

findings to Congress; 

• work with the Saudi government to 

establish a civil society component of 

the United States-Saudi Arabia Strategic 

Dialogue so that non-governmental entities from both countries can be given 

a platform to discuss mutual human 

rights concerns, including freedom of 

religion or belief; 

• report to Congress, as part of the reporting required under H.R. 1, Section 

2043 (c) (1(b)) (“Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission 

Act of 2007”), on progress by the Saudi 

government to implement the July 2006 

previously identified and confirmed 

policies related to religious practice and 

tolerance; a description of such progress should include Saudi government 

transparency and any benchmarks 

and timetables established for implementation of the July 2006 conformed 

policies;

• expand the religious educators 

program—which brings Saudi religious 

leaders and scholars to the United 

States through a three week International Visitor Program ( IVP) to learn 

about religious freedom in the United 

States—to include visits to Saudi Arabia 

by appropriate American leaders and 

educators, and increase the numbers 

and diversity and range of experience 

of visitors to both countries;

• address the work of the Human Rights 

Commission (HRC) and National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) by:

• urging the Saudi government 

to ensure that all government 

agencies cooperate fully with the 

HRC and the NSHR, including by 

publishing the decree requiring 

cooperation and abiding by it, 

including with penalties for failure 

to cooperate;

• urging the HRC to study the situation of freedom of religion or belief 

in the Kingdom, based on universal human rights standards, and 

report its findings publicly;

• offering to facilitate training on 

universal human rights standards, 

including the right to freedom of 

thought, conscience, and religion 

or belief, as well as to provide limited technical support on universal 

norms to the HRC and NSHR; and

• urging the Saudi government to 

implement recommendations 

from the NSHR’s May 2007 report, 

which, while not addressing religious freedom concerns per se, if 

implemented, could be a welcome 

initial step towards improving 

overall human rights compliance 

in the Kingdom.

 Address Exportation of Extremist Ideology and Intolerance in 

Education Materials in Saudi 

Arabia and Around the World

Given that official Saudi school textbooks 

have in the past included language encouraging violence that adversely affects 

the interests of the United States and that 

the Saudi government, despite repeated 

requests over a period of several years, 

has failed to make its current textbooks 

available to support its claims that such 

language has been eliminated, and also 

given that the Saudi Embassy’s relationship with the Islamic Saudi Academy (ISA) 

appears to violate the Foreign Missions 

1 

2 

22
23

Act, the U.S. Commission on International 

Religious Freedom recommends that:

(1) the Secretary of State should immediately begin diplomatic discussions 

with the Saudi government with the 

goals of:

 (a) having the Saudi government 

close the ISA until such time as the 

official Saudi textbooks used at the 

ISA are made available for comprehensive public examination in the 

United States; and

 (b) ensuring a verifiable prohibition 

of any scheme(s) aimed at continuing 

Saudi government funding to the ISA 

through other indirect means;

(2) the Secretary of State should conclude 

these discussions within 90 days and, 

while the discussions are ongoing, the 

Secretary should also be preparing to 

take action under the Foreign Missions Act, should such action become 

necessary;

(3) at the conclusion of the 90 day period, 

the Secretary should report to Congress 

on the results of the discussions:

 (a) if the Secretary has succeeded in 

securing the release of the textbooks 

used at the ISA, those textbooks 

should be thoroughly examined and, 

if they are determined to contain 

language encouraging violence, then 

the U.S. government should take 

appropriate action under applicable 

U.S. laws, including the Foreign Missions Act; and

 (b) alternatively, if, at the conclusion 

of the 90 day period, the Secretary 

has failed to secure the release of the 

textbooks, then the Secretary should 

immediately commence action under 

the Foreign Missions Act to close the 

ISA on the ground that the non-diplomatic activities of the ISA cannot be 

conducted by and through an embassy, and because significant concerns 

remain about whether what is being 

taught at the ISA promotes religious 

intolerance and may adversely affect 

the interests of the United States.

In addition, the U.S. government should:

• request that the Saudi government: 

• make publicly available the educational texts, curricula, and teacher 

training manuals used in state 

primary and secondary schools 

inside the country;

• provide an accounting of what 

kinds of Saudi official support have 

been and continue to be provided to which religious schools, 

mosques, centers of learning, and 

other religious organizations globally, including in the United States;

• make public the content of educational and other materials sent 

abroad to demonstrate whether 

such activities promote hatred, 

intolerance, or justify or encourage 

other human rights violations; 

• establish a transparent public 

effort to monitor, regulate, and 

report publicly about the activities 

of Saudi charitable organizations 

based outside Saudi Arabia in 

countries throughout the world;

• cease granting diplomatic status 

to Islamic clerics and educators 

teaching outside Saudi Arabia; and

• ensure that Islamic affairs sections 

in Saudi embassies throughout the 

world remained closed indefinitely 

in accordance with past promises;

• report publicly to Congress on all the 

above areas as part of the reporting on 

progress of Saudi government implementation of the July 2006 confirmation of policies, referred to in the 

recommendation above; and

• communicate and share information 

with other concerned governments 

about the July 2006 policies related to 

Saudi exportation of hate literature and 

extremist ideology. 

 Press for Immediate Improvements in Other Areas Related to 

Freedom of Religion or Belief

The U.S. government should continue 

to advance adherence to international 

human rights standards, including the 

freedom of everyone to “manifest his 

religion or belief in worship, observance, 

practice and teaching” and prohibit 

coercion in matters of religion or belief. 

Saudi government persistence in severely 

restricting all forms of public religious 

expression other than the government’s 

interpretation and enforcement of its 

version of Sunni Islam is a violation of 

the freedom of thought, conscience, and 

religion or belief. As initial steps, the U.S. 

government should press for immediate 

improvements in respect for religious 

freedom, including by urging the Saudi 

government to: 

S A U DI ARA B IA

3 
POLICYFOCUS

24

• establish genuine safeguards for 

the freedom to worship privately; 

• end state prosecution of individuals charged with apostasy, blasphemy, sorcery, and criticism of 

the government; 

• dissolve the Commission to 

Promote Virtue and Prevent Vice 

(CPVPV) and entrust law enforcement to professionals in law enforcement agencies with a precise 

jurisdiction and subject to judicial 

review and immediately ensure 

that members of the CPVPV are 

held accountable and prosecuted 

for abuses; conduct prompt and 

independent investigations into 

reported abuses; ensure complainants all universal due process and 

other rights, including the right to 

challenge the lawfulness of his/her 

detention and be released if it is 

not lawful; and provide the right to 

a remedy, including an enforceable 

right to compensation; 

• allow clergy to enter the country to 

carry out private worship services; 

• review cases and release those who 

have been detained or imprisoned 

for violations of human rights 

including their religious belief or 

practices; 

• permit independent non-governmental organizations to monitor, 

promote, and protect human rights; 

• invite the UN Special Rapporteur 

on Freedom of Religion or Belief 

to conduct a visit to Saudi Arabia 

in accordance with the standard 

terms for such UN visit; 

• ratify international human rights 

instruments, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and cooperating with 

UN human rights mechanisms;

• urge the Saudi government to 

implement the recommendations 

made in Section II above (Address 

Exportation of Extremist Ideology 

and Intolerance in Education Materials in Saudi Arabia and Around 

the World).

DELEGATION TO

SAUDI ARABIA

• Felice D. Gaer, 

Then Commission Chair

• Michael Cromartie, 

Current Commission Chair

• Preeta D. Bansal

• Elizabeth H. Prodromou

• Imam Talal Y. Eid

• Leonard A. Leo

23 Center for Religious Freedom and Institute for Gulf Affairs, Saudi Arabia’s Curriculum of Intolerance, Freedom 

House, 2006 (http://www.hudson.org/files/publications/

CRF_SaudiReport_2006.pdf).

24 P.K. Abdul Ghafour, “Education System Undergoing 

Major Overhaul,” Arab News, April 17, 2007 (http://www.

arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=95083&d=1

7&m=4&y=2007).

25 It should be noted that during its visit, the Commission 

delegation had very limited access to non-Muslim expatriate workers from non-Western countries.

26 Michael Freund, “Saudis Might Take Bibles from Tourists,” Jerusalem Post, August 8, 2007 (http://www.jpost.

com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1186557401034&pagename=J

Post%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull). See the customs regulations language on the Saudi Arabian Airlines website at 

http://www.saudiairlines.com/services/travelguide.jsp.

27 Mariam Al Hakeem, “Case Against Saudi Religious Police Adjourned,” Gulf News, September 4, 2007 (http://

archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/09/04/10151174.html).

28 Faiza Saleh Ambah, “An Unprecedented Uproar Over 

Saudi Religious Police,” The Washington Post, June 22, 

2007, A14.

29 The Commission obtained from the U.S. Embassy in 

Riyadh a provisional translation into English of the original 

NSHR May 2007 report in Arabic.

30 Roula Khalaf and Andrew England, “Saudi Religious 

Police Face Pressure,” Financial Times, June 5, 2007.

31 See Human Rights Watch, “Saudi Arabia: Hold 

Religious Police Accountable for Killing,” July 25, 2007 

(http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/07/25/saudia16476.

htm); and Raid Qusti, “Commission Cleared in Huraisi 

Death,” Arab News, June 26, 2007 (http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=94954&d=26&

m=6&y=2007).

32 Abdullah Shiri, “Charges Dropped Against Saudi 

Police,” Associated Press, July 31, 2007 (http://www.

washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/31/

AR2007073101044.html).

33 See Asharq Al-Awsat, “Saudi Interior Ministry Issues 

Warning Against Commission,” July 15, 2007 (http://

aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=1&id=9580) and 

Raid Qusti, “Govt Cautions Commission Members,” July 

15, 2007 (http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=

0&article=98507&d=15&m=7&y=2007).

34 Raid Qusti, “Virtue Commission Chief Disputes NSHR 

Findings,” Arab News, June 11, 2007 (http://www.

arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=97340&d=1

1&m=6&y=2007).

35 The Commission delegation obtained from the Human 

Rights Commission a copy of their Statute, Saudi Council 

of Ministers Decision No. 207, dated September 12, 

2005. See article I of the Statute.

36 Raid Qusti, “Awareness Drive to Promote Human 

Rights Set,” Arab News, July 11, 2007 (http://www.

arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=98370&d=1

1&m=7&y=2007).

37 Raid Qusti, “Rights Group to Study Claims of Sectarian 

Prejudices in Society,” Arab News, June 3, 2007 (http://

www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=96997

&d=3&m=6&y=2007).

38 See chapter III, Section I, Paragraph I, of the National 

Society for Human Rights May 2007 report.

END NOTES continued

For Additional Information 

on this Issue Contact:

Dwight Bashir

Senior Policy Analyst

202-523-3240, Ext. 122

Dbashir@Uscirf.Gov

U.S. Commission on 

International Religious Freedom

800 North Capitol Street, N.W.

Suite 790 • Washington, D.C. 20002

202/523-3240 • 202/523-5020 (fax)

WWW.USCIRF.GOV