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. 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