Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's 'Vision 2030' has once again been tarnished. A member of a US agency promoting religious freedom is asked to take off his Jewish headgear in the city of Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. USCIRF has described this incident as condemnable and has once again increased the tension between America and Saudi Arabia.
According to media reports, Abraham Cooper, a member of the American Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which promotes religious freedom, had gone to visit the city of Diriyah near Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Abraham Cooper was asked to remove his Jewish headgear, the 'kippah', to which USCIRF objected. Diriyah is a historical city, which has also been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
A condemnable incident happened during 'Vision 2030'
Actually, Saudi Arabia's Prince Mohammed bin Salman launched 'Vision 2030' in the year 2016. This approach is aimed at improving the image of Saudi Arabia, which is known for its Islamic fundamentalism. Under this thinking, Saudi Prince is continuously making changes in the laws of the country. The influence of Sharia law is gradually decreasing in the country. Recently the Saudi Prince had banned organizing Iftar parties in mosques. Apart from this, women have also been allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia. This was being seen as part of 'Vision 2030'.
America was improving relations with Saudi
America has reacted in this matter. America has said that Saudi Arabia has taken several steps against religious fundamentalism in recent times, but it is not correct to say that it is removing the religious cap. According to media reports, Saudi-American relations are tense since the Israel-Hamas war. America was constantly trying to improve its relations with Saudi Arabia, but after this incident, relations between the two countries have once again turned sour.