I have hopes that the prince will trigger a reformation in Islam. It is long overdue. He has somewhat progressive views. He has the power and the money. Imagine a world in which extremist Muslims acted like extremist Christians (help people, pray for even their enemies, champion for pro life.... instead of blowing stuff up)
I do too. I think some of these guys are able to see the Big Picture of a future where the oil money has dried up and diversification made possible through foreign investment becomes necessary. There's a fork in the road that points to wealthy, cosmopolitan UAE or ignorant, poverty-stricken backwater Yemen and it is up to Saudi leaders which direction to take.
The Prince cannot trigger a reformation of Islam because that is not possible - Islam is NOT Christianity. Reformed Islam would not be Islam because they would have to remove over half of the suras and Mohammad, as well as all the hadiths and sunnahs; sort of like stripping the New Testament down to a few harmless, Christless phrases and calling it Christianity.
The half they would have to remove is the half that Mohammad claimed as the last words of allah. What would be left is the half that Mohammad claimed as irrelevant, in other words part he plagiarized from the Bible and the Torah.
Haven’t even mentioned that every on of the billon or so mussulman would be obligated to kill him ...
See the problem?