Mohammed bin Salman introduced reforms as part of his 2030 vision, including curbing Wahhabi influence and improving women's rights.

Saudi Arabia's reforms, particularly those on women's rights, are met with skepticism.

Saudi Arabia granted women's rights, including driving and reduced male guardianship.

Over 175,000 women in Saudi Arabia applied for driving licenses after the 2018 legislation change allowing them to drive.

Women can now apply for passports without male guardian consent.

MBS' Vision 2030 plan aims to protect citizens' rights and uphold justice through social and economic transformation.

The plan aims to reduce oil dependence and modernize public life, potentially weakening radical Islamism.

Mohammed bin Salman has reduced the Wahhabi institution's role and ended the vice police's power.

The Saudi Entertainment Authority promotes entertainment and mixed concerts, formerly prohibited activities.

Mohammed bin Salman has declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group and abandoned Wahhabism.

The Saudi government has arrested and jailed clerics opposed to Mohammed bin Salman's policies, including Sheikh Saleh al-Talib, sentenced to 10 years.

Saudi Arabia achieved a full score of 100 in five World Bank indicators measuring women's rights.

Saudi females' economic participation rate increased by 94% from 2017 to 2020.

Women held 41.4% of senior and middle management positions in 2021.

Saudi Arabia scored 80 out of 100 on gender equality, indicating significant progress in women's rights.

Women own 45% of SME projects in Saudi Arabia, showing a significant increase in their economic participation.

The kingdom aims to empower women under Vision 2030 through various initiatives promoting women's rights and opportunities.

Saudi Arabia aims to attract $100 billion in foreign investment by 2030 to support economic diversification.

Mohammed bin Salman introduced reforms as part of his 2030 vision, including curbing Wahhabi influence and improving women's rights.

Title:

Content: After the Salma case.
Doubting the reality of Saudi reforms in the field of women ’ s rights
22 / 08 / 19 | 19: 15 - Source: Free
An opinion piece published in the New York Times sheds light on the reality of the reforms announced by Saudi Arabia in granting women ’ s rights, especially allowing them to drive and loosening the control of their male guardians.
Note: The content of the title (after the case of Salma..
Doubting the truth of Saudi reforms in the field of women's rights) was first published on the website of (Al-Hurra) and does not bear the content of this day's news encyclopedia in any way.
You can find out the details of this post (after Salma ’ s case).
Doubting the reality of Saudi reforms in the field of women ’ s rights) through its original source (Al-Hurra).
Continue reading Free.
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How has Vision 2030 affected women's rights and workforce participation?

gender equality
Strengthened women's rights

How has the role of the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice changed under Muhammad bin Salman?

No longer acts as the de facto religious police.

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

allow recreational activities; Saudi women benefit from relaxed restrictions

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

What is one of the first priorities of Vision 2030 regarding ideological extremism?

Combating extremist and ideological thinking

Avoiding actions that cause dissent, encourage violence, or spread dangerous ideas

Saudi Arabia's reforms, particularly those on women's rights, are met with skepticism.

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Arabia granted women's rights, including driving and reduced male guardianship.

How has Saudi Arabia empowered women and increased their labor market participation under Vision 2030?

By removing restrictions on freedom of movement

How has Vision 2030 affected women's rights and workforce participation?

gender equality
Strengthened women's rights

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

allow recreational activities; Saudi women benefit from relaxed restrictions

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

What new permissions have Saudi women gained under Mohammed bin Salman's rule?

Over 175,000 women in Saudi Arabia applied for driving licenses after the 2018 legislation change allowing them to drive.

Title:

Content: Despite the government ’ s alleged reforms,
Widespread violations of women ’ s rights in Saudi Arabia
Sunday 01 January 2023 - 05: 52 GMT
The widespread German network Deutsche Welle has highlighted the persistence of widespread violations of women ’ s rights in Saudi Arabia despite alleged government reforms.
World - Saudi Arabia
Saudi authorities continue to discriminate against women as second-class citizens with an unchanging authoritarian guardianship system and strict disobedience laws and rules that restrict the rights of unmarried women.
Since Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman launched the so-called “social and economic reform ” dubbed Vision 2030 in April 2016, the status of women has changed dramatically, with the network seeing that some laws were in favor of women and others headed for the worse.
While women activists like Loujain al-Hathloul were jailed for three years following a drive for women to drive, the relevant legislation was changed in 2018 — and according to research firm Statista — within a year and a half, more than 175,000 women applied.
Driving license in Riyadh.
Other laws have been amended since 2018, meaning women are now allowed to apply for a passport without the consent of a male guardian and go to cinemas with their boyfriends.
Lina al-Hathloul, the sister of women ’ s activist Loujain al-Hathloul, who is the head of communications and surveillance at the London-based ALQST Human Rights Organisation, said: “The regime of repression is still in place ” in Saudi Arabia.
Because of the male guardianship system, girls and women still rely on male guardian consent for most decisions.
In case of disobedience, these guardians, who could be fathers, husbands, brothers or sons, are entitled to be sent to so-called “care homes ” — forever, al-Hathloul said.
Moreover, this year, three court rulings starkly emphasized the Saudi ambivalence between men and women.
In January, a court in the city convicted Yasser M.
Verbal sexual harassment of a woman.
He was sentenced to eight months in prison and a fine of 5,000 rials (1,265 euros / $1,330).
Yasir M was one of the first cases to be convicted following the tightening of Saudi legislation to combat sexual harassment in 2019.
But in August, PhD student Salma al-Shehab, 34, was sentenced to 34 years in prison, and a month later Noura bint Saeed al-Qahtani was sentenced to 45 years in prison.
Both were convicted of retweeting human rights calls.
“The result is fear — people no longer know what the red lines are, ” said al-Hathloul. For her, the liberation of women ’ s rights over the past four years is nowhere near what Saudi women really want.
“We want to live in Saudi Arabia without fear and be able to claim our rights. ”
According to the 2019 Women, Peace and Security Index (WPS), Saudi Arabia ranks lowest globally.
According to the index, female labor force participation remains low across the region despite a rapid rise in female education rates and improved access to health care.
Women hold only 16 per cent of legislative seats in MENA countries compared to 25 per cent globally.
Certain States actively suppress women's rights by persecuting women's rights activists.
Nowhere is this more evident than in Saudi Arabia, where authorities arbitrarily arrest and detain women ’ s rights leaders with impunity.
The authorities of the House of Saud, a legitimate permanent resident of the United States, arrested Aziza al-Yousef in May 2018 on charges related to her peaceful human rights activism.
Despite her provisional release in March 2019, Ms. Al-Yousef cannot leave the Kingdom due to pending charges in court.
Source: Saudi Leaks

How has Saudi Arabia empowered women and increased their labor market participation under Vision 2030?

By removing restrictions on freedom of movement

How has Vision 2030 affected women's rights and workforce participation?

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

allow recreational activities; Saudi women benefit from relaxed restrictions

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

What new permissions have Saudi women gained under Mohammed bin Salman's rule?

Women can now apply for passports without male guardian consent.

How has Saudi Arabia empowered women and increased their labor market participation under Vision 2030?

By removing restrictions on freedom of movement

How has Vision 2030 affected women's rights and workforce participation?

gender equality
Strengthened women's rights

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

allow recreational activities; Saudi women benefit from relaxed restrictions

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

MBS' Vision 2030 plan aims to protect citizens' rights and uphold justice through social and economic transformation.

Title:

Content: - A plus A.
Ali Mohammed Al-Hazmi
“There are many people who want to make sure that my project, Saudi Vision 2030, is failing, but they can ’ t touch it, and it will never fail, and no one on this planet has the power to fail it, you can slow it down by 5%, that ’ s the most you can do, but more than that, no one can do anything. ”
One of the strings played by some who want to thwart Saudi Vision 2030 is human rights issues.
Despite the fact that over the past six years the Kingdom has carried out more than 82 historical reforms in the field of human rights, the Western media and some politicians there have from time to time launched an unjustified attack on the Kingdom either out of hatred of Islam or because of the developmental and economic achievements achieved by the Kingdom at all levels in recent years.
These reforms demonstrate Saudi Arabia ’ s deep commitment to upholding the principles of justice by putting in place comprehensive safeguards to protect the rights of its citizens and ensuring its adherence to the highest human rights standards.
These human rights transformations continue within the framework of the Vision 2030 agenda for social, cultural and economic transformation, in order to modernize its legal, institutional, judicial and regulatory environment, most recently the personal status system, which aims to codify the judicial system and ensure a more systematic approach to justice.
The Kingdom believes that the relationship between social and economic development, democracy, culture and human rights goes hand in hand and cannot be isolated from each other.
Our only consolation against these systematic attacks against the kingdom in general and our vision in particular is that the more “barking ” we are on the right track.
History always tells us that there are enemies of success everywhere and at all times.
When it comes to human rights, the West must be more careful. Their history of slavery, imperialism, apartheid and sexism is still being told to this day, and there are still more stories of colonized peoples that have not yet been told. They still remember the dismemberment of their countries and their families, the atrocities of their enslavement, the destruction of their values and beliefs, the denial of their most basic rights, their language and their local culture. racially, perpetuating division, fear, and suspicion.
The West continues to practice these abuses to the present day, directly or indirectly, the wealth and wealth of the former colonized countries are still confiscated to this day, and the Guantánamo prison is still a witness to the most terrible human rights crimes today.

How has Vision 2030 affected women's rights and workforce participation?

What does the UN human rights report covering November 2018 to October 2023 confirm about Saudi Arabia's commitment to human rights under Vision 2030, as reflected in reforms and developments during that period?

Its commitment to upholding the highest international human rights standards.

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

The plan aims to reduce oil dependence and modernize public life, potentially weakening radical Islamism.

Title:

Content: In June, Saudi Arabia, along with two other Gulf states and Egypt, began putting pressure on Qatar on the grounds that Doha was providing financial support for international terrorism.
Saudi Arabia ’ s statements against Qatar could be taken as a joke, given that Riyadh itself has long financed the spread of fundamentalist Salafi Islam, which is often associated with extremism, writes Ayaan Hirsi Ali in an article for The New York Times.
Ivan Shilov IA REGNUM
The Saudis
On the one hand, Saudi Arabia ’ s actions against Qatar can be called a classic example of “whose cow is moaning ”.
On the other hand, Riyadh could use the smokescreen of the diplomatic crisis around Qatar to divert attention from the growing tensions within its own kingdom.
See also: Asia Times: US and China do not face the danger of the “Thucydides trap ”
The newly appointed crown prince of the Saudi throne, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, has promised to modernize the country ’ s economy, which includes measures to diversify the national economy to reduce its dependence on oil prices, expand trade, increase employment and eliminate some restrictions in public life.
However, within Saudi Arabia there are two factors that could put all plans of the crown prince in jeopardy.
First, the crown prince has a rival who can challenge him.
This is the former Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef Al Saud, whom in November 2017 Mohammed bin Salman placed under house arrest and froze all his bank accounts.
The current crown prince has taken a very bold step, even by the standards of the royal dynasty.
However, Mohammed bin Nayef, who previously headed the secret intelligence of Saudi Arabia, can be a very dangerous enemy.
Ivan Shilov IA REGNUM
Saudi Arabia
Second, Mohammed bin Salman ’ s grand strategic reform plan, known as Vision 2030, poses a direct threat to the prestige and authority of the Wahhabi clergy in Saudi Arabia.
The clergy have influence, and they have a motive to try to thwart the Crown Prince ’ s plans.
If private enterprise begins to strengthen its position through reforms, the resources and influence of the clergy will decrease, therefore, the opportunities for retaining control over the kingdom will be reduced.
For centuries, the royal family relied on the support of the Wahhabi clergy to ensure the religious legitimacy of the ruling dynasty.
If modernization threatens to destroy the authority of the clergy, how long will it remain submissive to the crown prince?
Earlier, the crown prince made it clear that the influence of the clergy could become an obstacle to economic growth and reduce the dependence of the Saudi economy on oil.
In case of resistance of the clergy, the Crown Prince promised to take appropriate measures.
Most likely, the clergy will begin to openly resist the Westernization of the country with the same zeal with which Saudi Arabia seeks to attract foreign investors.
Since 1973, the Saudi government and its semi-official “charities ” have spent billions of dollars spreading Wahhabi ideology abroad.
The continuation of such a policy would be detrimental to the efforts of the international community to combat radicalization.
Saudi clerics have a powerful social network that provides a direct link to their supporters across the country.
The clergy can use this platform to undermine the plans of the Crown Prince and the position of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia.
In this regard, there is a risk of fomenting unrest in a country with a high youth unemployment rate.
In an effort to stifle dissent, in September 2017, Saudi Arabia detained several influential clerics who opposed Saudi Arabia ’ s position on Qatar.
In November, the fight continued, only under the guise of anti-corruption purges, in which more than 200 officials, large businessmen and members of the royal family were detained.
See also: “On whom should the US make the main bet in the Middle East? ”
Riyadh
Saudi Arabia ’ s Wahhabi clerics have extensive ties to Islamist organizations around the world.
Qatar can use these ties to discredit the crown prince in the eyes of international public opinion.
As a response to diverting attention from Saudi Arabia, Riyadh may intensify the conflict with Qatar.
The stakes are very high.
If the crown prince manages to carry out modernization, it will strike a blow to radical Islamism.
If modernization plans fail, the country could roll back several decades, continuing to export extremism abroad.
From the point of view of most Middle Eastern political players, any compromise is seen as a disgrace to the country.
Instead of accepting an ultimatum from Saudi Arabia, such as closing the news agency and severing ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, Qatar has only strengthened its alliance with Iran and Turkey.
Back in June 2017, the diplomatic crisis around Qatar seemed like a minor event in the Middle East, in 2018 it could trigger a big conflict.

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

What is one of the first priorities of Vision 2030 regarding ideological extremism?

Combating extremist and ideological thinking

Mohammed bin Salman has reduced the Wahhabi institution's role and ended the vice police's power.

Title:

Content: After the call to stop the "Riyadh Season"
The Saudi youth.
Between the closed hammer of Wahhabism and the anvil of loose entertainment
Monday 20 December 2021 - 03: 58 GMT
Mohammed bin Abdulwahab, the grandfather of the Al-Sheikh family, is the first to spread the doctrine that bears his name, the Wahhabi doctrine, in the land of Arabia, with the sword of Mohammed bin Saud, the grandfather of the Al-Saud family, and ironically, the end of this doctrine, or almost, at the hands of the grandson of the first, Turki Al-Sheikh, head of the Saudi Entertainment Authority, and the grandson of the second Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.
The World as a Collection
The Saud family had the upper hand in the context of the historical alliance that arose between Mohammed bin Abdul Wahab and Mohammed bin Saud, given that the elements of power were in the grip of Ibn Saud, and when the role of Mohammed bin Salman, to reach the throne, a young man did not exceed the age of 20, felt that the road will not be impassable to the throne as long as the Wahhabi institution in the joints of the state, To get rid of both.
In the beginning, he ended the power of the sheikhs of Wahhabism, and reduced the role of the Authority for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, in order to win young people to his side, after Wahhabism kept their breath, and in the second removed everyone who felt that he was competing with him, the Sultan of Al Saud and others and imprisoned them under various pretexts.
Since the youth represent the vast majority of the people, bin Salman tried to get closer to them, through the policy of openness, which he entrusted the implementation of one of the grandchildren of Mohammed bin Abdul Wahab, called Turki al-Sheikh, who headed the entertainment authority, and used the wide powers granted by bin Salman, and opened the doors of Saudi Arabia wide to music groups, singing and dancing, and held loud and mixed concerts. Cut, gambling clubs and wine bars.
It is remarkable that the Saudi people, was the victim, to the grandparents and grandchildren of Sheikh Wal Saud, the grandparents and grandchildren, dealt with the Saudi people superior treatment, the grandparents imposed on him the closed Wahhabi doctrine, which was a distorted and false reading of the true Islamic religion, and spawned all the bloody Takfiri groups that appeared in the world without exception, and today imposed grandchildren, dissolution and moral decline In its western version, without any red lines, as entertainment!!
One of the most important symbols of moral laxity in the policy of openness led by Turki al-Sheikh in Saudi Arabia, is the "Riyadh Season", where mixed dance concerts are held, which do not find a counterpart even in countries known for opening to such concerts for many decades, but what happened in the current Riyadh season, made activists in Saudi Arabia, ringing the bell of danger, because of the dangers of moral deviation. They live in the shadow of Wahhabism.
Since Monday morning, the hashtag “Stop _ Riyadh _ Season _ Muttalib ” has been trending on Twitter in Saudi Arabia, where activists expressed their anger at the inappropriate behavior witnessed during the Riyadh season in the past days, thousands have tweeted this hashtag posting pictures and clips of young men and women dancing to loud music, and wearing bold clothes, stressing that these practices do not suit customs and traditions. The Saudi people, and it is absurd not to represent them.
Many commentators directed their contributions to the organizers of this season, considering that it is a waste of money and an alienation from the religion, customs and traditions that Saudi society still maintains to this day. Others felt that the gathering of huge crowds in light of the threat of Coronavirus and the mutated new strains is not wise, calling on the concerned authorities to stop the events immediately to avoid returning to point zero in relation to the spread of the epidemic.

How has the role of the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice changed under Muhammad bin Salman?

Has been reduced to morality awareness campaigns and COVID-19 efforts.

No longer acts as the de facto religious police.

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Has consolidated his power and removed potential rivals

What is one of the first priorities of Vision 2030 regarding ideological extremism?

Combating extremist and ideological thinking

The Saudi Entertainment Authority promotes entertainment and mixed concerts, formerly prohibited activities.

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

allow recreational activities; Saudi women benefit from relaxed restrictions

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Mohammed bin Salman has declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group and abandoned Wahhabism.

Title:

Content: The Haddad.
“Son of Solomon ” uses the Shaykh al-Fawzan to expiate those who do not call for the guardian!
(Witness)
After Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman turned it into a mere “tail ” and stripped it of all its powers, the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice published a new fatwa of a member of the Council of Senior Scholars Sheikh Saleh Al-Fouzan explaining the rule of those who refuse to pray to the Crown Prince, in a message addressed after the high level of public awareness and their opposition to the policies of“ Bin Salman ”.
According to the fatwa published through the Authority ’ s account on the microblogging site “Twitter ” and monitored by“ Watan ”, a question was received for “Al-Fouzan ” asking for opinion on who says I do not need to pray for the guardian, to respond“ Al-Fouzan ” saying: “Because you do not like the guardian. ”
He added: "This is evidence of hypocrisy because the guardian of Muslims loves and is called to him and this is the year of the believers that they love the rulers of the affairs of Muslims and pray for them success and guidance and help because their guidance is guidance to Muslims."
He said that the prayer of the rulers of the matter is one of advice, adding: "Religion is advice to Allah, His Messenger and the Imams of Muslims and their people."
He pointed out that the predecessors were calling for the imams of Muslims on the pulpits and their guidance and goodness.
This is good for the Muslims, and this is only denied by those who have the “spirit of the Kharijites, ” according to him.
The role of “Ibn Salman ” in the destruction of the religious institution
It is noteworthy that unlike the previous rulers of the Kingdom, some of whom carried reformist selves such as King Fahd bin Abdulaziz in the 1980s and King Abdullah in the past stage.
No one dared to challenge the religious establishment in Saudi Arabia as King Salman and his son did.
Since their arrival, they have worked to limit their role and reduce their impact in preparation for neutralizing them in a second stage.
Mohammed bin Salman ’ s reform initiatives have never been taken into account, especially with regard to restricting the function of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, which previously served as a tool for imposing totalitarian militancy within Saudi Arabia and a determinant of the kingdom ’ s closed social and cultural landscape.
The new Saudi Arabia has for some time been trying to distance itself little by little from the radical religious trend.
In this context, several steps have been taken that have severely curtailed the role of the religious establishment and domesticated it.
In order to publicize the king and his crown prince and not to hinder the latter's effort to liquidate the remaining voices rejecting his policy.
The blasphemy of the Muslim Brotherhood
Mohammed bin Salman was largely successful when in November 2020 the Saudi Council of Senior Scholars issued a statement declaring the Muslim Brotherhood “a terrorist group that does not represent the method of Islam. ”
And follow its partisan goals contrary to the guidance of our religion, and cover up religion and practice what is contrary to the division and fomenting sedition and terrorism. ”
It is a political move par excellence that demonstrates bin Salman ’ s fear of certain Islamist currents and well-known leaders that could undermine his new authoritarian program.
Abandoning “Wahhabism ”
Bin Salman didn ’ t stop there, so he moved to top speed.
Soon, the crown prince put forward his project to reform the kingdom ’ s religious status, which could be called Islamic prestroika.
It calls for the first time to break with the Salafi Wahhabi school and abandon the vast arsenal of prophetic hadiths on which jurists have relied for centuries and have formed with the time the religiosity common today.
Arrest of Religious Scholars
Through his security arm and repressive apparatus, Mohammed bin Salman was able to divide the category of scholars into two categories.
The first section is an opponent who is branded as a traitor and working against the best interests of the country and carries a foreign agenda, silencing his voice and being sent to the cellars of prisons and detention centers.
The second venerates and elevates its status to become the ruler ’ s breadwinner to demolish the existing and replace it with a different model.
As a result, fatwas emerged in Saudi Arabia that legitimized the decisions of the Saudi crown prince, shined his image and defended his erroneous steps to absorb and degrade criticism.
Like the Imam of the Haram Abdul Rahman al-Sudais, who praised what he called “the march of renewal under the auspices of its rulers, and the keenness and interest of the ambitious young man updated inspiring the crown prince of this guarded country.
He continued with his vision of renewal and his vision of modernization despite the threats and pressures. ”
At a time when his country ’ s authorities assassinated journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The serpent turns into a son of Solomon.
Other clerics quickly joined the normalisation complex with MBS ’ s project, including Ayad al-Qarni, who expressed remorse for embracing old ideas and supporting the young prince ’ s “moderate foreign policies. ”
He used all his ability to slander and slander against Turkey and its president Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the Arab siege of Qatar.
He had previously been one of the main supporters of his policies.
Abdul Aziz Al Rais and the input current
The Madkhali movement in Saudi Arabia is one of the most important propaganda tools adopted by the bin Salman regime.
To pass his agenda and his new project, he used them to strike at the Muslim Brotherhood and reinforce the hostile rhetoric directed at them.
Recently in the kingdom, there have been posters in the streets and public squares warning of what they call the Kharijites.
Some, such as controversial Salafi preacher Abdul Aziz al-Rais, have called for their execution.
Read also.
Source
Twitter is home
Salem Hanafi
- Salem Mohammed Hanafi, a Palestinian journalist and member of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate.
He is interested in political and Arab affairs and supervises the editing of political issues in the Hadhod section of the site "WATAN" has been tweeting out of the flock since 2018. "
He holds a Bachelor of Political Science from the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences at Al-Najah University in Nablus, Palestine.
- Master of Political Science from the Faculty of Law and Economic and Political Sciences at the University of Tunis El Manar in the specialization "Political Systems".
Currently, he is enrolled in the doctoral program at the same university to present a thesis entitled: "The Salafist Current and its Impact on the Democratic Decline in the Arab Spring Countries".
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What internal changes has MBS implemented in Saudi Arabia?

Suppressed dissent--especially Islamist opposition

The Saudi government has arrested and jailed clerics opposed to Mohammed bin Salman's policies, including Sheikh Saleh al-Talib, sentenced to 10 years.

Title:

Content: Former Imam-e-Kaaba gets 10-year jail for slamming 'concerts, mixed gatherings' in Saudi Arabia

02:35 PM | 27 Aug, 2022
Source: @Saleh_Altaleb2 (Twitter)
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DUBAI – A court in Saudi Arabia has awarded ten-year imprisonment to a former imam of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Sheikh Saleh al-Talib, after he reportedly slammed the policies of the ruling family.

The Specialised Criminal Appeals Court in Riyadh sentenced the former Imam-e-Kaaba to prison after it overturned a previous acquittal, a London-based news portal Middle East Eye reported.

Sheikh Saleh was first arrested by Saudi authorities in 2018 without giving any reason. However, it comes after he delivered a sermon against concerts and mixed gathering being arranged by the kingdom’s General Entertainment Authority.

His arrest also came when Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman kick started his driver to reform Saudi society in a bid to diversity the country’s oil-dependent economy.

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A few days ago, a court in the kingdom sentenced a woman social media activist to jail for 30 years for reportedly criticizing the Royal family.

Mariah Carey and DJ Tiesto's concert in Saudi ... 03:01 PM | 4 Feb, 2019

LAHORE - Mariah Carey and DJ Tiesto's concert in Saudi Arabia has offended some people. Earlier David Guetta and ...

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Has consolidated his power and removed potential rivals

What internal changes has MBS implemented in Saudi Arabia?

Suppressed dissent--especially Islamist opposition

Saudi Arabia achieved a full score of 100 in five World Bank indicators measuring women's rights.

Title:

Content: - A plus A.
"Oakaz" (grandmother)
Saudi Arabia affirmed that it is determined to achieve the effective and real empowerment of women and enable them to play their role in building the nation with the full support and assistance of their fellow Saudi citizens without discrimination, disruption or neutralization.
This came in a speech delivered by the Chargé d'affaires of the Permanent Delegation of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations, Counsellor Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Ateeq, during the annual session of the Executive Board of the United Nations Women and Gender Equality.
Al-Ateeq expressed Saudi Arabia ’ s appreciation for the report issued on the implementation of the Strategic Plan 2018-2021, which many governments have aligned in line with their orientations in order to achieve the goals of women ’ s empowerment and equality.
In the past few years, Saudi Arabia has witnessed extensive reforms in the field of human rights, and the field of women's rights has received the largest share of these developments and reforms, as many laws, regulations and legal bases have been promulgated and amended to ensure that women enjoy their rights on an equal basis with men, and a number of measures have been taken to promote women's rights and empowerment.
He pointed out that many legal frameworks have been amended and promulgated to achieve equality between women and men, most notably the Traffic Regulations, the Travel Documents Regulations, the Civil Status Regulations, the Labour Regulations and the Social Insurance Regulations.
As a result of these accelerated reforms in the file of Saudi women, the World Bank ’ s Women, Business and the Law report for the years 2020 and 2021 respectively ranked Saudi Arabia among the most countries in the world in implementing reforms related to laws and regulations related to women, and Saudi Arabia achieved a full score of “100 ” in five indicators: mobility, workplace, entrepreneurship, retirement and wages.
Al-Ateeq pointed out that Saudi Arabia has taken a number of special measures to accelerate equality in various fields through the launch of several initiatives aimed at accelerating the achievement of concrete and effective achievements in this regard.
He said: The initiative was launched by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, the launch of the "National Platform for Saudi Women Leaders" in cooperation with Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, where the number of registered women in the platform reached 9077, and the launch of "Qara" program to support the transport of working women. From a program of 13,950 beneficiaries to the third quarter of 2021.
He added that the measures taken include the "Support for Self-Employment" program, which expands the circle of opportunities to increase women's income according to their skills, the "Partial Work" and "Remote Work" programs, which enable women to achieve a balance between work and family, as well as empowering women in rural and remote areas to enter the labor market.
It is noteworthy that the economic participation rate of Saudi females has been increased by 94% from 2017 to 2020, and the launch of the Women Empowerment Program at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology to increase their participation in the digital sector, and to enable access to leadership positions in the sector. By encouraging companies to commit and pledge to support women ’ s access to senior positions in their organizations and encouraging other companies to join, more than 30 companies in Saudi Arabia have joined the alliance.
Al-Ateeq explained that the Human Resources Development Fund (HDF) has launched a number of initiatives, including Tamheer Program, which reached 70,000 beneficiaries until 2019, Doroob, a national e-training platform where women accounted for 53.8% of the total trainees in the second quarter of 2021, and the Employment Support Program, where the Fund provides financial support for targeted employment. Beneficiary.
He stressed that work has been done to empower women to occupy senior positions, so that Saudi women have reached senior positions in government institutions, universities and others, where they occupy leadership and supervisory positions in a number of ministries and government institutions, and the percentage of women in senior and middle management positions increased from 28.6% in 2017 to 41.4% in the first quarter of 2021.
He reiterated that women are active partners in the political and public life in Saudi Arabia by participating in decision-making or elections and running for election. Saudi women have been included in their participation in the Shura Council, and the number of women working in the Council has reached 97. Women also participate in municipal elections and in running for and election to the Council of Chambers of Commerce.
At the international level, Saudi women have held senior international positions and participated in international and regional organizations, including the United Nations, where a Saudi woman was the Executive Director of UNFPA and the Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations, and a Saudi woman was the Assistant Director-General of the World Health Organization, in addition to her participation in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the League of Arab States and the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf.

How has Vision 2030 affected women's rights and workforce participation?

Saudi females' economic participation rate increased by 94% from 2017 to 2020.

Women held 41.4% of senior and middle management positions in 2021.

Saudi Arabia scored 80 out of 100 on gender equality, indicating significant progress in women's rights.

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Content: Sunday 27 Dhu al-Qaʿda 1443 AH - 26 June 2022 |
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Saudi Arabia leads the Middle East and North Africa in the field of women ’ s rights
Saudi Arabia has made new progress for the second year in a row, according to the report.
Business Activities and Law 2021, published by the World Bank Group.
The report aims to compare the level of discrimination in gender systems in the field of economic development and entrepreneurship among 190 countries, where the Kingdom scored 80 out of 100, ahead of the score achieved in the results of last year ’ s report of 70.6, to raise its ranking among the leading countries in the Middle East and North Africa.
According to the World Bank report, this achievement is a confirmation of the strength and continued momentum of legislative reforms in laws and regulations related to women ’ s rights, as Saudi Arabia has achieved gender equality in all areas of employment to meet the needs of the labor market.
According to the report ’ s findings, the Kingdom achieved a full score of 100 in five of the eight key indicators measured by the report: mobility, access to pension, entrepreneurship, work environment, and access to pay, while maintaining its score in the other three indicators: marriage, child care, and assets and property.
These results place the Kingdom in the ranks of advanced economies, which have a historical depth in implementing women-related regulatory and regulatory reforms.

How has Vision 2030 affected women's rights and workforce participation?

Women own 45% of SME projects in Saudi Arabia, showing a significant increase in their economic participation.

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Content: Foreign Minister Opens International Conference on Women in Islam
Praise the leadership role in his care.
Condemns the violations and illegal practices against Palestinian women and the Palestinian people.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, welcomed the participants in the International Conference on Women in Islam Status and Empowerment, which is now being held in Jeddah. He said in his opening speech: "I welcome you all to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia." He thanked Karim for their response to the Kingdom's call to hold this important conference on women in Islam, which is under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs said that the conference aims to clarify the status and role of women in our religion past and present and their rights guaranteed to education and Islamic values and their important role in the development process of our societies and countries and discuss the various challenges they face and ways to overcome them.
He added that the multiple challenges faced by women in war zones and armed conflicts such as violence, poverty, fear, marginalization and lack of health and educational care for their children make it imperative for us to work hard to protect and support these most affected and vulnerable groups.
“We are meeting today under the difficult circumstances that Palestinian women in the Gaza Strip are living under the continuous Israeli violations of international laws and humanitarian principles, in light of the silence and failure of the international community to carry out its duties and responsibilities to stop the escalation and bloodshed and ensure immediate access to urgent and necessary humanitarian assistance, ” he said.
He condemned and condemned in the strongest terms the violations, illegal practices and crimes against humanity to which Palestinian women and the Palestinian people are subjected by the Israeli war machine, praising their pivotal role and their great sacrifices for the justice of their cause.
He continued: “Muslim women today face many challenges, harassment and discrimination in some other countries in light of a wave of legislation restricting their rights to wear the hijab and others due to the weight of Islam, which is contrary to the provisions of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1979. ”
He pointed out that "women are the pillars of the family and society, where our Islamic religion honored women, guaranteed their full rights, and legislated their duties and ordered us not to discriminate against them or hinder their opportunities, whether in political, economic, social, scientific or other affairs.
He pointed out that "despite this, women have not been spared from the injustice of some customs and traditions in some societies throughout the ages and attempts to link them to religion through some arbitrary readings and interpretations of those who are contrary to the tolerance of Islam."
He pointed out that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has made great strides to achieve the empowerment of women under our ambitious vision 2030 so that Saudi women have become an indispensable partner in the process of transformation, development and growth in various fields. The Kingdom has enacted a set of legislations and decisions derived from Islamic Sharia to enhance women ’ s participation in economic and social development, ensure their rights and prevent discrimination against them in education, jobs and wages. Since 2016, it has owned 45% of SME projects and increased its representation in leadership positions from 17% to 39%.
“In this context, we commend the efforts of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to empower women and put them at the forefront of their concerns, including the establishment of a specialized organization for women ’ s development led by one of Saudi women ’ s competencies, ” he said.
In conclusion, he thanked everyone for responding to the invitation and participating in the conference, one of the most important outputs of which will be the official document entitled Jeddah Document for Women in Islam, which will cover all the rights of women in Islam and be a legal, legislative and intellectual reference document that contributes to achieving empowerment as a reality in our Islamic society.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs opened the exhibition accompanying the conference, which was prepared by Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University.
The speeches followed where the Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh delivered a speech in which she praised the role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and His Highness the Crown Prince, and then explained what Muslim women are suffering in many countries.
In his speech, the OIC Secretary General stressed that this conference is an important and pivotal occasion that works to highlight the rights of women in Islam.
It is an occasion that would not have been possible without the great support we always feel from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the generous patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and his Crown Prince, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and their clear efforts in supporting the march of women inside and outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I would also like to extend my thanks and gratitude to all the women leaders from the OIC Member States, including women presidents, prime ministers, vice-presidents, ministers and directors of international organizations, directors of national bodies for women ’ s affairs, all in their name and proper status, and to all those who responded to our invitation to attend and honor this conference. This important event.
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How has Vision 2030 affected women's rights and workforce participation?

The kingdom aims to empower women under Vision 2030 through various initiatives promoting women's rights and opportunities.

How has Vision 2030 affected women's rights and workforce participation?

gender equality
Strengthened women's rights

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

allow recreational activities; Saudi women benefit from relaxed restrictions

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Arabia aims to attract $100 billion in foreign investment by 2030 to support economic diversification.

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Content: (Bloomberg) -- It’s only a matter of time before Saudi Arabia starts attracting more foreign direct investment to support Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s economic diversification drive, according to boutique firm deNovo Partners.

The lack of meaningful FDI so far isn’t “something that will be there forever,” said May Nasrallah, a former Morgan Stanley banker who founded the Dubai-based advisory and serves as its executive chairwoman.

Changes in regulation and clarity on rules around bankruptcy law, for example, are needed to draw in greater sums of international capital, she said in a Bloomberg television interview on the sidelines of the Qatar Economic Forum.

Saudi Arabia’s goal to lure $100 billion of overseas money by 2030 seems out of reach for now, with many potential investors still viewing the country as somewhat of a risky bet, Bloomberg has reported. The kingdom wants external capital to help ease the spending burden on mega projects and other initiatives aimed at diversifying away from oil.

Nasrallah’s own advisory shop earlier this year secured a provisional license to operate in Saudi Arabia, joining numerous other boutique and investment banks rushing to the kingdom.

While Saudi Arabia has made a wealth of changes to rules and regulations aimed at making it easier to navigate the investment environment, there’s still an “issue of perception” and “issue of practicality” that may be limiting the inflow of capital, Nasrallah said.

“But they’re certainly heading in the right direction and doing a lot,” she said.

In a sign of the need for more capital, executives from so-called giga projects like Neom and Qiddiya were out in force this week at events in the capital city of Riyadh to pitch themselves to potential partners and investors. Neom also recently held a show-and-tell for bankers.

Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan has previously said some Vision 2030 projects would be delayed, while others are accelerated as the kingdom considers its funding needs, among other things. Saudi Arabia is also trying to avoid a scenario where the economy overheats, stokes inflation and leads to more imports for things like building materials for projects.

“Jadaan has been very smart in the way he has handled the hiccups facing the Saudi gigaprojects,” Andrew Hammond, Middle East historian at Oxford University, said at QEF. “He doesn’t deny any problems in maintaining funding lines.”

“He turns it around as a positive that allows for reassessing and streamlining them,” he said. “It’s the best answer. In any case, no one ever took seriously the idea that they would all be ready by 2030.”

(Updates with Jadaan comments, quote in final paragraphs)

©2024 Bloomberg L.P.

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

To lessen reliance on oil.
To attract foreign investment
To diversify Saudi Arabia's economy