Report savages Abdullah Centre

The Austrian Ministry for Foreign Affairs has published a damning report on the King Abdullah Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue in Vienna (KAICIID) which has come under fire for refusing to comment on Saudi Arabia’s sentence of 1,000 lashes for Raif Badawi for insulting Islam, writes Christa Pongratz-Lippitt.

The ministry found short­comings in the centre’s structure, its way of operating and its communication policies. On account of its “limited mandate”, KAICIID had been unable to condemn cases of violation of freedom of religion, the report stated. However, as closing it would break inter­national agreements, an in-depth reform of the centre would be ­better, the report, discussed in cabinet on 27 January, states.

The Holy See is a founding observer at KAICIID.