According to media reports, Saudi Arabian King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz is scheduled to meet with U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday, June 29 in Washington DC. Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) will have a public awareness event in front of the White House at 12 Noon on Tuesday June 29 during the meeting, to urge Saudi Arabia to support religious freedom, freedom of worship, and freedom of conscience under Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Religious freedom groups and groups concerned about women’s rights are asking President Obama to urge King Abdulaziz to seek reforms on religious freedom and women’s rights in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has called upon President Obama to urge “the Saudi government to implement effective strategies for preventing people from embracing violent extremism in the first place. They will need to focus on reforms that ensure that intolerance has no place in their culture. Despite the Saudi government pledging to the United States nearly four years ago that it would undertake such reforms, very little progress has been made. In this regard, we appeal to you to raise three important issues: revising the Saudi government-controlled curriculum and textbooks; reining in the government-funded Commission to Promote Virtue and Prevent Vice (CPVPV), or religious police; and releasing Hadi Al-Mutif, the longest serving religious prisoner in Saudi Arabia.”
Women’s rights groups, led by the Muslims for Progressive Values, have organized a demonstration outside the Saudi Arabian embassy on Saturday, June 26, at 1:30 PM, to “to declare to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the U.S. Government that Americans are demanding Nathalie Morin and her children, as well as any foreign nationals held captive, be returned to their countries immediately, that they respect the human rights of women and children and ensure the safety of Nathalie Morin and the safety of her children.”
In addition to R.E.A.L.’s June 29 White House event, Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) will be joining the Saturday, June 26 demonstration at the Saudi Arabian embassy.
We support the universal human rights for all people of all religions, of all genders, of races, and all ethnic backgrounds. We call for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to support freedom of religion, freedom of worship, and freedom of conscience in accordance with Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We also call upon the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to ensure the universal human rights of women, children, and all of its citizens in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
We urge others to join us in such support for unqualified, universal human rights as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Choose Love, Not Hate. Love Wins.
Additional Reports:
USCIRF Urges President Obama to Raise Religious Freedom Concerns During Saudi King’s Visit
June 26: DC Saudi Arabia Embassy Protest for Women’s Rights
Saudi Arabia’s Abdulaziz to meet with Obama at the White House later this month
— BNO News: “President Barack Obama and Saudi Arabia King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz will meet at the White House in Washington, D.C. later this month, officials announced on Sunday.”
— “The two leaders plan to meet at the White House on June 29, where they are set to discuss issues such as Gulf Security, peace in the Middle East, and other regional and global matters.”
— DNA News: “In another meeting between Obama and a key ally in the Middle East, Saudi King Abdullah will visit Washington for talks on June 29, the White House said.”
