Saudi officials had also required that, while in the kingdom and in public, Rabbi Cooper remove his kippah, a mandate that the USCIRF chair quietly but firmly rejected.
“The sheer scale of destruction against houses of worship and religious sites in conflicts around the world is a shocking affront to the universal right to freedom of religion or belief."
“We urge Japanese authorities and courts not to proceed with a measure that would forever taint the image of Japan as a country committed to democratic principles.”