Is Mohammad Bin Salman Promoting Modernity in Saudi Arabia?
Human
Rights Violations Are Not a Characteristic Feature Of The Western Society He Is
Aping
Main
Points:
1. MBS has been
suppressing dissidence since he became the crown prince in 2017.
2. Human rights
activists, journalists and clerics have been arrested for criticising his
modernisation moves.
3. Journalist
Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of the government was murdered in suspicious
circumstances.
4. Imam of
Makkah Mokarramah Saleh al Talib was sentenced to ten years for criticising his
policies.
5. A PhD
student Salma al Shehab was sentenced to 34 years imprisonment for criticising
the government.
-----
By
New Age Islam Staff Writer
22 October
2022
Mohammad
Bin Salman
-----
Since
Mohammad Bin Salman became the crown prince of Saudi Arabia in 2017, he has
been pursuing his ambitious goal called Vision 2030. He plans to bring about a
total transformation in Saudi Arabia as a modern state. His goal is to reduce
Saudi Arabia's dependence on oil, diversify its economy and develop public
services such as health, education, infrastructure, recreation and tourism.
These cannot
be a subject of opposition as every country wants to develop its economy and
infrastructure. Then why is there resentment, opposition and criticism over
MBS's Vision 2030. The prominent clerics, journalists and human rights
activists have been criticising his projects and plans to modernise the country
and the society. The reason for this opposition and criticism is that Prince
Salman seems to be a young man in a hurry and wants his goal to be achieved
within a span of 13 years. The prophet of Islam brought about a revolution in
23 years. Second, the Vision 2030 envisages to bring modernity in Arab society
but he has got the notion or definition of modernity wrong. Islam does not
oppose modernity but opposes modernity promoted under the guise of promoting
consumerist culture and unethical and un-Islamic ways of life. The true
modernity would have been achieved if Prince Salman had pushed for setting up
IITs, technical colleges, encouraged research and study in science and
technology, setting up big industries to reduce import, developing health
industry and medical science and plans and schemes to promote scientific
thinking among the Arabs. But what has been making news in the media is the
setting up of malls, cinema halls, night clubs, mixed gender parties and
entertainment programmes sponsored by the government. Recently, the Madina
Regional Municipality released infographics about a project under which it
would build shops, restaurants, ten cinema halls and two entertainment sites.
In this project no health centre or educational institution is mentioned though
the Saudi government claims that it also plans to promote health services and
education. Islamic society across the world also expressed anxiety over the
setting up of cinema halls in Madina, the final resting place of the holy
prophet of Islam. But the government claims that the site is outside the
boundaries of Madina.
However,
the clerics, journalists and activists have been criticising the wrong policies
of the government. In August, an imam of the holy mosque of Makkah, Sheikh
Saleh al Talib was sentenced to ten years of imprisonment only for criticising
the policies of the government. He had been arrested in 2018 and and a lower
court had acquitted him. But a Special Appeals Court overturned the verdict and
sentenced him to ten years in prison. He had reportedly delivered a Friday
sermon in the holy mosque criticising the government move to legitimise
homosexuality, means of entertainment, gambling, cinema halls and had asked the
Muslims to keep away from these evils. As a religious preacher and imam he had
his duty to enjoin good and forbid evil but the Saudi government interpreted it
as an effort to provoke the people against it.
During the
last ten years, at least 25 clerics, journalists and human rights activists
have been sentenced to ten to fifteen years for simply criticising the
government. Prominent feminist activist Loujaine al Hathloul was arrested and
jailed for fighting for driving rights fof women. Shd spent about three years
in jail where she was reportedly tortured and sexually assaulted in the prison.
She was released last year due to Joe Biden's intervention.
Weeks
before Sheikh Saleh's imprisonment, a Saudi PhD student Salma al Shehab
studying at ths Leeds University in thd UK was arrested when she had visited
Saudi Arabia on a holiday. She was sentenced to 34 years imprisonment followed
by a 34 year travel ban. This judgment is a travesty of justice because this is
probably the longest sentence for a peace activist. Her crime was that she made
some statements criticising the Saudi government, particularly expressing
support for Loujaine al Hathloul. A terrorism tribunal convicted her for aiding
dissidents to disrupt public order and causing a threat to national security. Salma
is not even an activist. She introduces herself as a dental hygienist, medical
educator a PhD student at Leeds University and a lecturer at Princess Nourah
bint Abdulrehman University. She is married and a mother of two sons.
The
unjustified and farcical punishments have sparked condemnation from human
rights activists and organisation across the globe. There was a social media
backlash against the sentencing of Salma and Sheikh Saleh. Syed Waseem wrote on
Twitter:
"The
jailing of Sheikh Saleh al Talib for outspoken words on the evils of Saudi
Arabian government is a prime example of how that country has veered so far off
course.A shameful and disgusting example for the rest of the Muslim world.
Turki al
Shaloub wrote on Twitter:
"The verdict was one of the stories of cruelty, corruption and
injustice of the Salman regime."
Reforms are
brought about in a gradual way and are not imposed on the people by force. The
way Prince Salman has been pushing for reforms shows that he is more interested
in development than in the westernisation of the Saudi society. The first thing
he should have done, if he is really interested in modernisation, is usher his
country in the parliamentary democracy. The western democracy does not imprison
a PhD student for 34 years or a priest for ten years just for criticising the
government. Therefore, prince Salman seems to have got a wrong idea of
modernity or of the western culture he is aping.
It is also
an irony that the Muslim world has remained silent to the human rights violations
and the crackdown on the Saudi Ulema. Last year, Muslims in India and Pakistan
expressed their anger on the news of setting up of cinema halls in Madina after
Maulana Taqi Usmani of Pakistan broke the news on social media. But no Muslim
cleric from India condemned the jailing of Sheikh Saleh or of Salma al Shehab.
Maulana Salman Hasani Nadwi lashed out on the silence of Maulana Arshad Madani
for not speaking up in support of Sheikh Saleh and other ulema jailed by Salman
regime. Their silence is really disgusting. The Ulema of India may have their
own compulsions as they need the support of Saudi government in face of a
government hostile towards madrasas and Ulema in India. Saudi government's
intervention sometimes saves them harassment. It is therefore in the interests
of the Indian Ulema, particularly from Deoband. But what prevents the Ulema
from Bareilly from raising their voice against the crackdown on Ulema and human
rights activists of Saudi Arabia? Is it because they consider Saudis Wahhabis?
Maulana
Salman Nadvi also points out that Urdu newspapers or media of India and
Pakistan generally suppress the news of human rights violations and crackdown
on Ulema in Saudi Arabia because the Salman regime has bought their loyalty.
The Urdu newspapers, and Urdu media of India and Pakistan cry hoarse on
injustice to and persecution of the Muslims elsewhere but ignore the
persecution of Ulema and activists and journalists of Saudi Arabia.
All this
makes Muslims of the world believe that westernisation of the Saudi culture and
not modernisation and economic and scientific development of Saudi Arabia is
behind Vision 2030 of Salman regime.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-society/crown-prince-modernity-saudi-arabia/d/128242
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