黑料社

Two decades after Saudi Arabian militants masterminded and carried out the September 11 attacks, the desert kingdom is striving for change in a reform drive aimed at updating its ultra-conservative image.

Women can drive and cinemas have reopened in the 鈥渘ew鈥� Saudi Arabia under crown prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman, among many modernizing reforms that some believe can be linked to the trauma of 9/11.

The initiatives are 鈥渙ne of the long-term consequences鈥� of the worst terrorist attack on US soil, Yasmine Farouk of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace told AFP.

Fifteen Saudis were among the 19 hijackers in the plane attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, which left nearly 3,000 dead and were plotted by Saudi-born Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

The kingdom, a long-time American ally, denied any involvement but faced harsh US rhetoric over its social and education systems that critics said promoted extremism.

More pressure could follow in the coming months after US President Joe Biden ordered the declassification of secret documents from a US investigation into the attacks.

Biden was responding to pressure from families of some of those killed on 9/11 who have long argued that the classified documents may contain evidence that the Saudi government had links to the hijackers.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by its Washington embassy, Saudi Arabia said it 鈥渨elcomes鈥� Biden鈥檚 move.

It said it 鈥渃an only reiterate its longstanding support for the full declassification鈥� of any documents with the hope they 鈥渨ill end the baseless allegations against the kingdom once and for all鈥�.

Rise of MBS

Saudi Arabia鈥檚 austere image was rooted in the strict Wahhabi interpretation of Islam, a puritanical doctrine it was accused of exporting around the world.

The country, which houses Islam鈥檚 holiest sites and is the world鈥檚 biggest oil exporter, at first resisted pressure for reforms.

But the rise of Prince Mohammed, or 鈥淢BS鈥�, who was named crown prince in 2017, and the need to diversify as demand cools for oil has brought a string of economic, social and religious changes.

Prince Mohammed has sought to position himself as a champion of 鈥渕oderate鈥� Islam, even as his international reputation took a hit from the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

The kingdom鈥檚 heavily criticised ban on women driving was lifted in 2018, mixed-gender music concerts are now allowed and businesses can remain open during the five daily prayers.

Saudi Arabia has also neutered its once-feared religious police, who聽would chase people out of malls聽to go and pray and berated anyone seen mingling with the opposite sex.

The Gulf country, a destination for millions of Muslim pilgrims each year, has also flung open its door for non-religious tourism.

The kingdom 鈥渋s a profoundly different and better place鈥�, Saudi government adviser Ali Shihabi told AFP.

鈥淭he (reforms) have dismantled the structures and networks of radical Islam within the country.

鈥淭errorists planning an outrage similar to 9/11 will have to go somewhere other than the kingdom to fish for recruits, since the pool of Saudi youth indoctrinated in reactionary Islam is rapidly shrinking.鈥�

But some Saudis warn that rapid and sweeping reforms carry the risk of a backlash, with popular sentiment hard to gauge when authorities continue to crack down on any opposition or activists.

鈥楨normous task鈥�

In 2019, a Yemeni resident went on a stabbing spree during a live musical in Riyadh and, in another incident that year, a Saudi man shot and killed three people at a Florida naval base.

Farouk said it was in many ways a 鈥渘ew Saudi Arabia鈥�, but warned the reforms are 鈥渘ot sufficient鈥� to eradicate extremism.

鈥淭hey don鈥檛 involve a dialogue with the society that would address the extremist arguments,鈥� she said.

鈥淎 dialogue is something very important to reach the objectives and not just imposing changes on people.鈥�

Reform must focus on the聽educational system that has long been associated with Wahhabism, said Kristin Diwan of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.

鈥淩eforming an entire educational system 鈥� curriculum, instructors, institutions 鈥� is an enormous task akin to remaking society itself,鈥� she told AFP.

The kingdom is currently reviewing textbooks that refer to non-Muslims as 鈥渒uffar鈥� or non-believers, while the education ministry has announced it is working on a new curriculum that promotes 鈥渢he values of freedom of thought and tolerance鈥�.

In 2018, Prince Mohammed told CBS television that he aims to remove all 鈥渆xtremist鈥� elements from the education system, in which hard-line Islamists were widely employed.

鈥淭here is no question that the intent is there, but effective execution will take time,鈥� said Diwan.