Saudi Arabia Religious Reforms - A new start
Saudi Arabia is modifying its society to meet the goal of Vision 2030. The country is experiencing reforms, which are positively impacting its reputation worldwide. For example, for the first time in the history of Saudi Arabia, women soldiers were appointed as guards to maintain law and order during Hajj. Saudi Arabia is one of the Arabian nations that still practices the male guardianship system and thus, recruiting women soldiers as guards during Hajj signifies a huge step of Saudi Arabia’s efforts towards social change.
Along with social changes, Saudi Arabia is also implementing religious reforms. Saudi Arabia is home to Wahhabism for more than two centuries. According to PBS, Wahhabism follows the literal interpretation of the Quran and also believes in the fact that those who do not practice Islam are enemies and heathens. Many scholars have criticized Wahhabism for producing extremists like Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban. Since the 1970s, Saudi Arabia has sponsored Wahhabi schools or madrassas in various countries like Pakistan and America. Nonetheless, the kingdom’s de-facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salaman is chipping away the power of conventional religious establishments, which had controlled every aspect of lives in Saudi Arabia. Also, the religious ‘resetting’ has provoked backlashes and criticism of the royal family. The purpose of this article is to delve into the various religious reforms that Saudi Arabia has undergone to achieve the goal of Vision 2030.
What is Vision 2030?
King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud once said that his “first objective is for [his] country to be a pioneering and successful global model of excellence, on all fronts”. In 2015, King Salman’s son, Mohammed bin Salman was appointed as the Crown Prince and thus, he became the de-facto leader of Saudi Arabia. As the Crown Prince (popularly known as MBS) rose to the power, he brought a flurry of reforms such as letting women drive, lifting the decades-long ban on cinemas, banning segregation of women and men in restaurants, etc. In 2016, MBS launched ‘Vision 2030’, which includes a “number of goals and reform strategies for Saudi Arabia’s long-term economic success” by diversifying and decreasing its reliance on oil exports. Through this aim, the kingdom thrives to achieve a vibrant society, a prosperous economy, and an ambitious nation. Therefore, to achieve the aim of ‘Vision 2030’, MBS began introducing reforms to relax the rigid and punitive structure of the Saudi society. Saudi Arabia has also undergone historical religious reforms, which is also part of MBS’ plan to liberalize society.
Religious Institutions
To achieve the aim of Vision 2030, the religious institutions have welcomed reforms under the leadership of the Crown Prince MBS.
In Saudi Arabia, the Council of Senior Scholars is the torchbearer of Wahhabism. Without the permission of the council, no reforms could be implemented in the country. The council was formed in 1960 and is in charge of advising the king on religious matters. The council is also considered as the Kingdom’s highest religious body. Although the council has never really supported ground-breaking changes related to religion, it has adjusted itself to MBS’ reforms. For instance, when the ban on women driving was lifted, the Council of Senior Scholars supported the move.
Established in 1993, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah, and Guidance is another Saudi agency that is responsible for overseeing Islamic affairs and supervising mosques. Abdullatif al-Sheikh is the current minister of Islamic affairs, who also conforms with the Wahhabi doctrine. According to Farouk and Brown (2021), the Ministry of Islamic Affairs stated that “those who do not fit with the new vision of the King and his Crown Prince…” would be ousted from their posts.
Reforms
Shura Council
The Council Assembly of Saudi Arabia or Shura Council works as an advisory body and it also functions as a parliament. The council had no women in “active roles” before 2013. However, in 2013, King Abdullah released a royal decree that guaranteed women representation in the council. The religious councils also supported this move in accordance with the Sharia. Later, the Crown Prince too issued series of orders in which more women were allowed to join the Shura Council. By 2017, women made up about 20% of the council.
The Legal System
In 2021, the kingdom departed from the existing religious legislative structure and announced four new laws i.e., Personal Status Law, Civil Transaction Law, Penal Code for Discretionary Sanctions, and Law of Evidence. In Saudi Arabia, the Sharia system is applied in both criminal and civil matters. In practice, Sharia generally consists of Islamic principles derived from the Quran. Traditionally, case reports and decisions were not allowed to be published. Nonetheless, the reforms were brought upon the nation to pursue the dream of ‘Vision 2030’ and make the judicial system more transparent. According to Norton Rose Fulbright, following the vision’s goals, the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Judicial Council published a book of legal principles and court judgments to provide an insight into the methods of implementing Sharia for the first time in history.
Moreover, the Saudi courts also began using email and SMS as electronic summons or legal notifications. Following the pandemic, an online system is being used to file complaints. Hearings are also taking place through video conferencing. Furthermore, there is no need of referring to any Sharia-based guidance while developing new legal subjects (such as electronic transactions).
Religious Police
The religious police or the Committee for Promoting Virtue and Preventing Vice is a formal body that “helps the Saudi rulers to carry out religiously sanction tasks” (Farouk & Brown, 2021). Before 2017, the committee used to perform the task of religious policing with compulsion. To make sure that people enforced Muslim religious sensibilities in their day-to-day activities, the committee ensured “that women dressed modestly, men and women did not mix socially, shops were closed during prayers, and art was absent from public places” (Farouk & Brown, 2021). The committee members often used different ways such as cajoling, scolding, encouraging, patrolling, coercing, arresting, and detaining, to teach a lesson to shenanigans.
Since 2017, the committee is scrapped out of its absolute powers. In the current times, the religious police cannot arrest or detain whoever they desire. Now, the committee must inform the police or public prosecution about the matter. There has also been a gradual disappearance of religious police from public life. Many Saudi citizens have reported seeing fewer on-foot patrollers. In addition, there are fewer restrictions on dressing, gender segregating, and store closing.
Other Changes
Along with major changes such as curbing of religious changes and legal reforms, there has been the implementation of minor reforms, which helped in positively reflecting the image of Saudi Arabia. In 2021, the Crown Prince ordered the mosques to limit the volume of their loudspeakers to one-third of their maximum capacity. To check noise pollution, the mosques are also told to not broadcast full sermons. Some shops and restaurants are also allowed to be open during prayer hours. School textbooks have also been revised. Demeaning words such as ‘apes’ and ‘swines’ were used to refer to non-Muslims, which are now being scrubbed.
Implications
The new reforms surely support the king’s dream to achieve ‘Vision 2030’ by diversifying the financial sector and by decreasing its dependence on oil exports. Nonetheless, the new reforms have placed the royal family with a stand-off with conservatives, who believe that Wahhabism is the source of the kingdom’s stability. The conservatives have sparked online backlash with hashtags such as “we demand the return of mosque speakers”. Some clerics have also expressed their fear of the end of Wahhabism due to social liberalization. Nonetheless, according to Duaa Dhainy, the reforms have a limited impact in Saudi Arabia. There is still a dominance of religious police in public places. Moreover, anyone can be easily arrested if he or she opposes the reforms.
Yet, the reforms have bought winds of social liberalization, all due to the reformist Crown Prince MBS. Gradually, the conservative clerics have begun following his move. The reforms have led to optimal results for people living in Saudi Arabia. There are clear shreds of evidence of progress on Vision 2030. The reforms have created a comfortable atmosphere, especially for women. For instance. the officials have lifted the mandatory permission of a male guardian to go on a pilgrimage to Mecca. Allowing the shops and restaurants to open during prayer hours would also have a positive impact on the economy of Saudi Arabia. With revolutionary reforms, the Crown Prince has already signalled that Saudi Arabia is getting prepared for its ambitious goals and hence more reforms are inevitable in the future.
References
1. Afp. “Saudi Arabia Allows Businesses to Open during Prayers in Key Reform.” Mint, 17 July 2021, www.livemint.com/news/world/saudi-arabia-allows-businesses-to-open-during-prayers-in-key-reform-11626523581159.html.
2. Afp. “Saudi Arabia Pursuing Religious Reforms.” Thenews, The News International, 21 June 2021, www.thenews.com.pk/print/852753-saudi-arabia-pursuing-religious-reforms.
3. “Analyses - Wahhabism | PBS - Saudi Time Bomb? | Frontline.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 2014, www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/saudi/analyses/wahhabism.html.
4. Farouk, Yasmine, and Nathan J Brown. “Saudi Arabia's Religious Reforms Are Touching Nothing but Changing Everything - Islamic Institutions in Arab States: Mapping the Dynamics of CONTROL, Co-Option, and Contention.” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 7 June 2021, carnegieendowment.org/2021/06/07/saudi-arabia-s-religious-reforms-are-touching-nothing-but-changing-everything-pub-84650.
5. Nasr, Donna Abu. “Saudi Religious Revolution Is Testing New Ground.” Bloomberg.com, Bloomberg, 2021, www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2021-07-15/saudi-religious-revolution-is-testing-new-ground.
6. “The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia.” Vision 2030 | The Embassy of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, www.saudiembassy.net/vision-2030.
7. “Saudi Arabia Implements Wide Ranging Legislative and Judicial Reforms.” Saudi Arabia Implements Wide Ranging Legislative and Judicial Reforms | Global Law Firm | Norton Rose Fulbright, www.nortonrosefulbright.com/en/knowledge/publications/8b9a1182/saudi-arabia-implements-wide-ranging-legislative-and-judicial-reforms.
8. “Saudi Arabia Seeks Religious Reset as Clerical Power Wanes.” The Economic Times, 2021, economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/saudi-arabia/saudi-arabia-seeks-religious-reset-as-clerical-power-wanes/articleshow/83682542.cms?from=mdr.
9. Schaer , Catherine. “Saudi Arabia Reforms: Royal Power Play or Meaningful Change?” DW.COM, 27 June 2021, www.dw.com/en/saudi-arabia-reform-royal-family/a-58017860.
Pic Courtesy- Haidan at unsplash.com
(The views expressed are those of the author and do not represent views of CESCUBE.)
