Saudi Crown Prince: I Will Restore Moderate Islam to the Country

Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, promised to restore "moderate Islam" to his country and called for international support to transform this conservative kingdom into an open society that empowers citizens and attracts foreign investment. In an interview with The Guardian published on Tuesday, November 2, he stated that the country's highly conservative governance over the past 30 years has not been a normal situation and attributed it to the Islamic Revolution in Iran, which Saudi leaders "did not know how to deal with." Mohammed bin Salman added, "We are one of the G20 countries. We are one of the largest economies in the world. We are at the crossroads of three continents. Improving the situation in Saudi Arabia means helping the region and changing the world. Our goal is to implement such a thing, and we hope to receive support from everyone." He continued, "What has happened in the past 30 years is not really Saudi Arabia. What has happened in the region over the past 30 years is not the real Middle East. After the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979, people tried to implement this model in various countries, one of which is Saudi Arabia. We did not know how to deal with this phenomenon, and the problem spread worldwide. Now it is time to get rid of it." These are the clearest statements from the Crown Prince since the beginning of cultural and economic reform plans in the country, which were unimaginable in previous decades. The remarks coincide with his efforts to strengthen his position and marginalize the clergy who have not supported his plans. One of the main focuses of these reforms is to break the link between governance and the radical clergy that have defined the national image of the country and even the policies of the House of Saud over the past decades. These reforms include breaking old taboos such as the ban on women driving, reducing the scope of the enforcement of Sharia guardianship laws that limit women's roles, and establishing an Islamic center tasked with validating the hadiths and commands of the Prophet of Islam. The Guardian notes that the scope of these reforms is unprecedented in Saudi history, and there is still concern that deeply conservative layers of society will oppose these reforms, which are essentially a cultural revolution. On Tuesday, the Crown Prince also promised in his speech at the Future Investment Initiative conference held in Riyadh that he would destroy "extremist ideologies" and would strive to restore "moderate Islam" to Saudi Arabia. According to CNN, Mohammed bin Salman stated that alongside implementing major economic plans to transform the country, cultural changes would also enable Saudi Arabia to continue its progress alongside many countries in the world. In part of his speech, he said, "We want to have a normal life, be able to coexist with the rest of the world, and be part of global transformation and development." Although these statements and positions of the Crown Prince will face opposition from conservatives and radical clerics in the country, at the same time, the youth, who make up a large part of the country's population, will welcome them. Mohammed bin Salman added, "70% of the Saudi population is under 30 years old. Frankly, we will not spend 30 years of our lives fighting extremist ideologies. We will destroy them today and quickly." He stated, "Saudi Arabia is not like it was before 1979. Saudi Arabia and the entire region underwent a change and a regression after 1979 (the Islamic Revolution in Iran). What we want to do today is to return to the period before '79, a moderate Islam that interacts with all religions and the entire world, traditions, and diverse peoples with tolerance and openness." CNN reminds that the Saudi government, in response to the Islamic Revolution in Iran and the activities of Shiites in this country and the entire region, strengthened its ties with Wahhabism and radical Islamism and took extremist positions. At that time, the few cinemas in the country were also closed. The influence of Wahhabis gradually increased in various aspects of cultural and political life in Saudi Arabia, and for the past thirty years, elderly kings who had close relations with conservative religious institutions governed the country. In 2015, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ascended to the throne of Saudi Arabia, marking the beginning of a new era in the country's politics. In June of this year, the King appointed his young son Mohammed bin Salman as Crown Prince and his successor. During the reign of Salman bin Abdulaziz, the powers of the Saudi religious police have been limited, permission has been granted for music concerts for the first time in decades, some women's rights, including the right to drive, have been recognized, and efforts have been made to combat religious violence.