USCIRF Highlights Continued Systematic Religious Freedom Violations in Saudi Arabia

30 April 2018 – On Friday 27 April, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its 2018 annual report, “documenting religious freedom violations and progress in 28 countries during the 2017 calendar year and making recommendations to the United States (US) government.” In the report, USCIRF notes that throughout 2017, “religious freedom[…]

Medina 2009: Sheikh Nimr’s rise to prominence

Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr was not always a prominent cleric in Saudi Arabia, but by the time of his execution on 2 January 2016, he had become a symbol of Shia demands for political equality. He began to rise in prominence and popularity in the wake of confrontations between Shia pilgrims and the Saudi[…]

New laws won’t stop CPVPV harassment of women in Saudi Arabia

In April 2016, the government of Saudi Arabia announced it would no longer allow religious police, or the hay’a (commission), to request information from suspects or arrest civilians. The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (CPVPV) has now been instructed to report suspects of moral infractions to security forces and must have[…]