CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VOLUME VIII (1) ContemporaryEurasia81 | Page 41

ARAKS PASHAYAN
In June 2017, three months after becoming crown prince, MBS
launched the arrests of several well-known clerics. 20 Among them were
Sahwa movement 21 representatives Salman al-Ouda and Awad al-Qarni.
There were also opposition activists and journalists among the arrested.
Several international human rights organizations have reacted to the
domestic policy of Mohammed bin Salman. His biggest and most risky
move may yet prove to be his bid to curb the power of the conservative
religious establishment.
Sarah Leah Whitson, Executive Director of Middle East and North
Africa Division at Human Rights Watch, made a statement noting that
Mohammed bin Salman’s pledges to uproot extremism are solely a showcase
if people continue to be imprisoned. Severe violations of human rights,
including not only torture, but also travel bans, terrorism, judicial
proceedings, fraudulent schemes, etc., continue as before. 22
It is noteworthy that violence against women, which was already
widespread, continues. 23 Human Rights Watch has documented numerous
escape attempts by Saudi women over the years. Women face systematic
discrimination and are left exposed to domestic violence under the male
guardianship system and have few places to turn when they face abuse,
leading some women to undertake dangerous escape attempts to flee the
country. 24
To this day, it has not become clear as to what МBS meant when he
was speaking about returning to moderate Islam. It is interesting that
Mohammed bin Salman replaced clerics having dissenting voices with
younger clerics from his circles so that they will not be able to obstruct the
process of those reforms, the boundaries of which have been outlined by the
crown prince. His appointments to the clerical establishment, particularly
20
“Saudi Arabia. Prominent clerics arrested,” Human Rights Watch, September 15, 2017,
https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/09/15/saudi-arabia-prominent-clerics-arrested (accessed
April 6, 2019).
21
Sahwa is a Saudi term that refers to all political Islamic movements whose major umbrella
is the Muslim Brotherhood. It’s a faction of Saudi Qutbism. In Saudi Arabia Sahwa
movement has been involved in peaceful political reforms. The representatives of this trend
are active on social media and have earned some support amongst the more educated youth.
The leader of the new national vision MBS intend to end the chapter of “Sahwa” promising to
destroy extremists (accessed April 6, 2019).
22
“Saudi Arabia. Prominent clerics arrested,” Human Rights Watch, September 15, 2017,
https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/09/15/saudi-arabia-prominent-clerics-arrested (accessed
April 4, 2019).
23
“Allow to access to detained women activists,” Human Rights Watch, December 6, 2018,
https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/12/06/saudi-arabia-allow-access-detained-women-activists
(accessed April 2, 2019).
24
“10 Reasons Why Women Flee,” Human Rights Watch, January 30, 2019,
https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/01/30/saudi-arabia-10-reasons-why-women-flee (accessed
March 30, 2019).
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