Saudi Arabia Liberalizing and changing Fast, opening up under new King MBS

I vaguely recall about half of those from the news (from like two or three years ago), but a few made my bandana twitch. :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

Allowing foreign entertainment into country

They’ve had foreign entertainment (heavily censored of course) since, what, forever? They have more now, sure, but it’s not like they just invented sliced bread.

Kicking ISIS out of Saudi Arbia

It’s beyond the scope of this thread, but (1) they were “kicked out” of basically every country everywhere, and (2) the official policy of opposing them started before MBS came to (de facto) power.

Arresting princes that funded ISIS

Also beyond the scope here, but (1) the population of that family is measured in 5-digit numbers, (2) there were hundreds rounded up in the famous “Ritz purge”, and (3) while I have no trouble believing some of them were involved directly or indirectly in the terrorist funding you speak of, there was a lot more going on than just that.

Removing Fundamentalist Wahabbist Clerics from power

Okay, it’s debatable whether “Fundamentalist Wahhabist” and just plain Wahhabist are the same thing or not, but I think you’re drawing the wrong conclusion, namely…

Removing Wahabbi Islamic dogma from ruling the country

…it’s a secular state now? Separation of mosque and state has been realized? :mosque: :thinking:

Legalizing alcohol

Yeah, about that…

Tldr: The so-called legalization was fake news, which you fell for and posted at least twice. Please make some kind of effort.

Or were you referring to this sort of thing?

Tldr: some peoiple like to spend a lot of money on mocktails.

Closing down Secret religious police

They are on a leash now, but they are not shut down. They still patrol the streets looking for, say, people who consume alcohol, but now instead of arresting you themselves, they’ll call the normal cops and have them arrest you.

Getting rid of Sharia law

:roll:

So letting women drive etc. is the bar for that now? And all the westerners who get hysterical about “Sharia is coming! Sharia is coming!” because of women choosing to wear veils in public or stuff like this can calm down?

Seriously, show us an edict from the King (who btw is not MBS) abolishing sharia, and I will eat my laptop. :computer: :yum:

Allowing Tourists into SA with 1st visitor visa ever

MBS certainly is pro-tourism, but tourist visas started before his (de facto) tenure.

Closing down Execution Square.

And he knows not every niche market is worth courting! :+1:

Incidentally…

True, very true. Maybe even truer than you think.

You really do sound like Mark Ndesandjo talking about China ~10 years ago, if he were a Manichean echo-chamber keyboard warrior.

What’s the solution to anything? Adopt an if you’re not with us you’re against us attitude to every damn thing in the world? That’s exactly the type of short-sighted thinking that you claim, over and over, to be against. Yet here we are, being lectured by you that we must either praise MBS :notworthy: or praise terrorism, oppression of women, etc. etc.

Have you put any serious thought into this?

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