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U.S. Mulls Citing Saudi Arabia for Intolerance
In a move likely to foment tension with Riyadh, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has recommended that Secretary of State Colin Powell name Saudi Arabia a "country of particular concern," opening the possibility of diplomatic or economic sanctions, reported a leading American newspaper Saturday, January 18. Oh, did they notice? The Washington Post quoted John Hanford, the U.S. ambassador for religious freedom, as saying that adding Saudi Arabia to the list of "particular concern" was "something that we're going to have to consider very seriously." It quoted Rep. Tom Lantos as claiming that the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act requires the move. Adopting the same viewpoint, Rep. Frank R. Wolf alleged the kingdom "clearly ought to be named." Last month, Senator John McCain sponsored the same position by urging Powell to declare the kingdom a "major violator of religious freedom," said the newspaper. If we're going to make faces at other countries for their internal practices — and doing so is a relatively recent phenomenon — then the Soddies should be at the very top of the religious freedom list. Off the top of my head, I can't think of another country in the world where people are flat out forbidden to belong to another religion. Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2003-01-18 |
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