USCIRF Releases New Report on Religious Freedom in Saudi Arabia

USCIRF Releases New Report on Religious Freedom in Saudi Arabia

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report:

Saudi Arabia Country Update – This report provides an overview of the situation of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) in Saudi Arabia and is largely informed by an official USCIRF trip to the country in March 2024. While identifying FoRB-related government reforms that have been implemented gradually in recent years, the report addresses key issues that emerged in consultations with civil society and Saudi government officials during the trip. These issues include: the changing role of religion and national identity; systematic barriers to religious freedom in the judicial system; education curriculum reform; the Saudi legal apparatus; and the targeting of religious minorities, women, and other vulnerable groups on the basis of religion. It encourages U.S. leaders to center religious freedom as an essential component of the U.S.-Saudi bilateral relationship and the implementation of Vision 2030.

In its 2024 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. State Department re-designate Saudi Arabia as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom, and lift the national security waiver releasing the administration from taking otherwise legislatively mandated action as a result of the designation.

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].