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Jakarta, CNN Indonesia –
Reform Saudi Arabia metallic sound especially after Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) was appointed crown prince in 2017.
Since then, MbS has implemented a series of policies that seek to change the culture of Arabia, an ultra-conservative state, to be more moderate, especially in the application of Islamic Sharia law.
Several parties consider this step taken by the Saudis to maintain economic stability, especially to attract foreign investment like Western countries.
However, the reform of social norms and values has come a long way since MbS’s father, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, came to power in 2015.
Soon after in power, King Salman announced that the religious police were under the direct leadership of the king in the spring of 2016.
The religious police are responsible for maintaining religious observance and public morals, such as dress code, observance of worship, and others based on Islamic law. The religious police also have the authority to impose sanctions on offenders.
So far, these troops have provoked criticism and negative feelings towards the image of the kingdom because it is seen as restricting the rights of citizens, especially women.
Limiting the powers of the religious police is a “fundamental change” for the Saudis, according to Kristin Smith Diwan, senior researcher at the Institute of Arab Gulf States.
“It allows (the kingdom) to take a number of different actions, such as relaxing some of the rules and regulations that were previously strictly enforced,” Diwan said. First line.
Diwan said the move could allow for other changes, such as narrowing gender gaps and allowing women to play a more prominent role in public life.
Eman Alhussein, a researcher at the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank, also said.
“One of the things that has changed dramatically in recent years is the general relaxation in social life. For a long time people (especially women) have had to maintain two different lifestyles, one at home and one in public.” , said.
However, Alhussein said that now “there is a very relaxed atmosphere in big cities like Riyadh and Jeddah.”
These social and cultural changes were increasingly visible when MbS was named successor to the royal throne in 2017.
Within months of being crown prince, in September 2017, MbS announced that the Saudis allowed women to drive, something that has been prohibited for decades.
Three months later, Saudi jobs began allowing public cinemas to operate after three decades of being banned. The Saudis have also started allowing concerts to take place where world-class musicians such as Mariah Carey and the Black Eyed Peas have performed.
In August 2019, the Saudis also removed the guardian system so that women do not have to ask their guardians for permission to travel. This step also allows women to become guardians of their children, filing for divorce, birth, and death.
In October 2019, the Saudis began allowing foreign tourists of different sexes and not yet married to share rooms in inns. They did so as a follow-up to the decision to start granting visas for tourism purposes.
In the past, different-sex couples who came to Saudi Arabia and wanted to stay in the same room had to prove that they were husband and wife through a marriage book. If they cannot, they will have to live separately.
The Saudis also continue to involve women in government, appointing them to important national positions.
For example, the Saudis appointed a royal princess, Rima bin Bandar, as their ambassador to the United States. Rima became the first Saudi woman to hold this strategic position.
At an international investment conference in October 2017, MbS viewed the social and cultural reforms underway as a sign that Saudi Arabia is returning to an open country.
“We are going back to what we used to follow: moderate Islam is open to the world and all religions,” he said.
In addition to empowering women, the Saudis have also carried out a number of reforms in other areas, such as the abolition of the spanking law last April.
Until now, flogging has generally been ordered for convicts found guilty of acts ranging from sex outside of marriage, breach of the peace, to murder.
According to the ruling, in the future, the judges must sentence the convicted person to a fine and / or prison, or non-custodial alternatives such as community service.
Although it has stopped whipping, the Saudis say legal reforms have not decided to end the death penalty.
‘Wild’ dreams come true
A Saudi-born anthropologist, Saad Al-Sowayan, says his country now feels “much more free, open and tolerant” than it had known as a child.
Sowayan said that in the past, the man born in 1944 had never seen a woman roaming freely without a man by her side. If you remember his childhood, he also never felt like watching foreign movies with a group of strangers in the cinema.
He was quite astonished when he heard that his children were now discussing the various entertainment activities and programs organized by the Saudi Entertainment Authority, including local and international concerts.
“But when I was walking through the streets of Riyadh city last night with my family, I was delighted to see a cinema open for people who want to see the latest movies and women walking through the mall without obstacles or forced to cover their faces,” he said Sowayan. quoted Al arabiya.
“Never in our wildest dreams could we imagine that one day we would see our beloved nation in this light. It seems that all we need to achieve this level of progress is a clear vision accompanied by wise leadership and unwavering determination.”
Sowayan believes that Saudi society has demonstrated its ability to change and develop, especially under the leadership of the king.
(RDS / DEA)
[Gambas:Video CNN]
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