The Awakening of Saudi Arabia
Bateel Saber
Every country goes through a time in which all common sense is lost, a period which is resented by the vast majority, and all rational thinking is set aside for no apparent reason. For Saudi Arabia, this period was the Awakening of Islam in 1979, a conservative religious movement aiming to reshape Saudi society using extreme religious views. Ironically, its name contradicts its purpose, because the actual effect of the movement was the repression of the entire country.
Saudi Arabian society was built on religious foundations, resulting in a fragile community programmed to follow authoritarian figures, regardless of their message. Any reforms made by a newly appointed king, no matter how drastic, are always limited by other authorities, scholars and conservatives.The country has been going through gradual changes over the past few years, and the most significant ones are happening currently. Witnessing these cultural and social changes in Saudi Arabia, I felt compelled to analyze the factors which formed the society we see today. In my thesis project I combine my personal views with an impartial timeline of events. Together they provide a new outlook on the contemporary condition of Saudi society.