Posted on 10/24/2017 8:10:15 AM PDT by mairdie
The crown prince of Saudi Arabia has revealed the country will return to moderate, open Islam.
Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud also announced the kingdom would do more to tackle extremism today.
Speaking at the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh he said: "We will not waste 30 years of our lives dealing with extremist ideas, we will destroy them today".
The conference, which runs until Thursday, aims to show how the country is opening itself up to the modern world and diversifying economically.
Prince bin Salman was appointed heir to the throne of Saudi Arabia by his father King Salman earlier this year.
The 32-year-old is seen as the face of the modern kingdom and is the driving force behind its long term economic plan to wean itself off dependence on oil by 2030.
Last month the ultra-conservative Kingdom issued an order lifting the 60-year ban on women driving.
The absolute monarchy was the only in the world where women weren't allowed legally to get behind a wheel but the ban is expected to be officially lifted by next summer.
Women in Saudi Arabia are also bound by law to wear a headscarf and require the consent of a male guardian for most legal actions.
Recently the country has been opening more areas for women through the government's modernising reforms.
But they have sparked tensions with influential clerics upon whose support the ruling family relies.
Saudi Arabia is governed under a puritanical form of Sunni Islam known as Wahabism.
Extremist versions of Wahabism have been adopted by jihadist groups such as Al Qaeda and Isis and the kingdom has long been accused of not doing enough to tackle extremism.
Prince bin Salman was appointed heir to the throne earlier this year
(Excerpt) Read more at mirror.co.uk ...
>>Feeling the pinch in oil exports
Reasonable explanation. But he’s still setting himself up as a bowling pin in a shooting range.
I will believe it when I see it. The Wahhabi clerics have a stranglehold on Saudi Islam and they have spread their venom throughout the Muslim and western world.
Great. When are Christian churches going to be allowed to open?
Pardon my cynicism. Saudi funds the Wahabi religion to the detriment of the US.
The Saudis have planted so many seeds of terrorism in so many countries, backing away from this now is pointless.
>>backing away from this now is pointless
Interesting point.
The concept of moderate islam is akin to the concept of a tame Black Widow spider.
“do not have places that attract tourists”
That is a big exception to your other good points. They get mobs of muslim tourists for Mecca and Medina.
They include increased tourism in their 2030 vision, but as you rightly point out, they have a long way to go to develop a diversified economy.
And they have a short time to get there. Oil is unlikely to get expensive for any sustained length of time, with the US pumping, shale oil plentiful, and solar developing quickly.
One prospect is that they could invest in the near abroad, like agriculture in Iraq, and low-cost manufacturing in Yemen, as part of their diversification.
Just more Taqqiya.
Glad to hear it, but I don’t believe them.
TAQIYYA !!
Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud also announced the kingdom would do more to tackle extremism today.
Pure bull. That we even have diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia is a disgrace, let alone all the various butt-kissing every administration does to them.
if only...inshala
I thought about Mecca and Medina. The haj visitors are already part of their economy, but they need to expand their economic base. I agree those cities would be big draws particularly in the years after opening them up, but that allure would fade quickly. Their best bet might be becoming a major financial center like Dubai, HK, and Singapore.
“The Saudis have planted so many seeds of terrorism in so many countries, backing away from this now is pointless.”
True that many seeds will continue to sprout, but cutting off the funds will cause many professional indoctrinators to seek other employment, and slow the production base of jihadis.
If they change their State Religious doctrine, all the mosques, they sponsor, Imams that they train and pay, and books that they print, will start promoting the new version. Not only will they slow the production of new extremists, many of the existing or borderline extremists will follow their lead.
It would be a huge help. Without the Saudis doing this, we would really be fighting a difficult ideological battle. They are about the best lead we could possibly have in countering the ideology - if they are sincere about it.
My first thought upon reading the article is that this might be the spark that triggers an extremist revolution against the Saudi monarchy.
How many will they have to kill to achieve this?
6 very important words.
And I'd add one more: taqiyya.
Gee, I guess opening up the Arctic Wildlife Refuge to drilling has them scared.
The whole thing is a bogus hoax....moslums don't have monarchs. They're just tyrranical dictators, unashamedly flaunting their ill-gotten wealth.
has revealed the country will return to moderate, open Islam.
Whatever, it's still a murderous death-cult.
Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud also announced the kingdom would do more to tackle extremism today.
MORE! They're the ones that have been promoting and funding it.
Speaking at the Future Investment Initiative conference
Sounds like Trump threatened them with economic terrorism.
"We will not waste 30 years of our lives dealing with extremist ideas, we will destroy them today".
More likely....get better at money laundering to avoid detection.
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