Without attributing too much significance to this one incident, other Muslims said Saudi Arabia might be feeling pressure to entertain interpretations of Islam that are less strict than those of the kingdom's Wahhabi clerics. As gatekeepers to Islam's holiest sites, they've been able to enforce traditions such as the mahram."They've been imposing their doctrine on the rest of the Muslims, and it's very unfair," said Assad Busool, a professor at the American Islamic College in Chicago. "There are a lot of rumblings about this, even in Saudi Arabia, so they must open up."Is this a one-time event or a new approach? Is Saudi Arabia opening up Islam to modern moderation?
LGF makes a good point, it is a puff piece, not much context, not covering persecution of non-Islamic religions in Saudi Arabia, (what if members of another religion want to worship openly?) nor the Saudi push for sharia in Europe (as well as here):
By way of comparison, Saudi Arabia, whose Wahhabi clergy has dispatched missionaries to Western countries, does not allow a single Christian church."Or the prevalence of honor killings--that might have some relevance in explaining why Saudi Arabia usually requires male escorts and their brand of Islam gives men such authority. Or how about polygamy?
Meanwhile, in Turkey, one of the few democracies in the Middle East, and one of the few with a secular tradition, people are engaging in mass demonstrations protesting a return to the "dark ages" of strict Islam.
And here in the US, "progressive" Burlington, VT progresses backwards, putting Al Jazeera on its city-owned cable, whose director describes it as "more objective and more mainstream than CNN". (Background on Al Jazeera.)
Freedom is a fragile thing. Especially in Saudi Arabia. Or maybe not too far in the future in Burlington. One good quote anyway in Chicago.
Related posts: Hirsi Ali Targeted, Heroes and Fools
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