USCIRF Says Bush Should Raise Religious Freedom Issues With Saudis

President George W. Bush, on a tour of the Middle East, today heads for Saudi Arabia. (BBC News.) In anticipation of Bush's visit, last week the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued a statement urging the President "to raise the critical issue of ongoing Saudi violations of the freedom of religion and other human rights when he meets with Saudi leaders." It called for Bush to seek the release of all religious prisoners in Saudi Arabia, including 17 Ismailis in Najran. The USCIRF statement decried the power given to religious police in Saudi Arabia and the impact on rights of women flowing from the government's strict enforcement of Islamic principles.