CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VOLUME VIII (1) ContemporaryEurasia81 | Page 43

ARAKS PASHAYAN
said that Saudi Arabia should replace its crown prince in order to save its
reputation and avoid becoming a pariah state. 29
Conclusion
The current human rights situation and solely cosmetic changes in
Saudi Arabia show that Mohammed bin Salman’s plans are not sincere and
they do not inspire confidence, since the tough restrictions on free speech, as
well as violence, torture, imprisonments, and travel bans continue in Saudi
Arabia. Just like in most recent years, harsh persecutions against female
activists who fight for women’s rights continue. In many cases, a large
number of women human rights defenders, who favor radical
transformations in women’s rights and in the country’s patriarchal society,
have found themselves in prison. Paradoxically, several reformist clerics are
also in prison.
At the same time, the question of what support Mohammed bin
Salman’s reforms have in Saudi Arabia within the society and the Wahhabi
ulama is of interest. It is a fact that it is virtually impossible to
conduct public opinion polls in Saudi Arabia, in connection with
the peculiarities of the political system of this state. According to scattered
data, there are circles in Saudi society, especially among the youth, who
defend the reforms and support Mohammed bin Salman. At any rate, this is
how many of them respond to the surveys. I tend to believe that if there
were a chance to speak freely and to oppose in Saudi Arabia, the same youth
would take to the streets, just like in other Arab countries, and protest against
the ruling Saudi family.
Even though the definitions of “moderate” Islam are not so
clear, every change is viewed as a retreat from ultra conservatism. It is worth
mentioning that radical changes will hardly be made in Saudi Arabia as long
as it is still a “God-state” and the ruling royal family governs the country
together with the Wahhabi elite, as long as the alliance between the
Wahhabism and the Saud family is not dissolved, and while Wahhabism lies
at the foundation of state ideology.
Finally, to what extent is the theory that Saudi Arabia was an open and
moderate country before the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran true? This
theory will not withstand any criticism, since Wahhabism has been an
inseparable part of Saudi Arabia’s education, ideology, public and political
system - an ideology that disputes the truthfulness and orthodoxy of the non-
Wahhabi interpretations of Sunni Islam. It can be stated that the Islamic
revolution in Iran did not change or cause Islamic extremism in Saudi
29
Madawi al-Rasheed, “Why King Salman must replace MBS,” The New York Times, October
18,
2018,
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/18/opinion/saudi-arabia-jamal-khashoggi-
crown-prince-murder-King-salman-must-replace-mbs-stability.html (accessed April 1, 2019).
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