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Saudi Arabia under Mohammed bin Salman's de facto leadership

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Saudi Arabia's King Salman is reportedly set to announce he will step down as monarch and name his son as successor.

If confirmed, it would cement the power of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 32, who has ordered the arrests of more than three dozen princes and ministers in a corruption crackdown.

A source told the Daily Mail that King Salman would remain "custodian of the holy shrines" in Mecca and Medina and that the incoming ruler will focus on the kingdom's policy towards Iran.

"Unless something dramatic happens, King Salman will announce the appointment of MBS as King of Saudi Arabia next week, " the high level source told the paper.

"MBS is convinced that he has to hit Iran and Hezbollah. Contrary to the advice of the royal family elders, that's MBS's next target. Hence why the ruler of Kuwait privately calls him "The raging Bull".

"MBS's plan is to start the fire in Lebanon, but he's hoping to count on Israeli military backing. He has already promised Israel billions of dollars in direct financial aid if they agree," the source said.

Ties are expected to get closer between the Saudis and the Jewish state with Israeli lieutenant-general Gadi Eisenkot telling the publication Elaph on Thursday (16 November) that it was prepared to share intelligence to tackle Iran. The countries do not have diplomatic relations.

Lebanon's prime minister Saad al-Hariri resigned on Saudi television, saying that he feared being assassinated. Tensions in the region have spiked after Riyadh blamed Iran for a thwarted missile attack on the Saudi capital which had been fired from Yemen.

Saudi Arabia continues to face criticism over the humanitarian crisis unfolding in its neighbour as it leads a coalition attack on Yemen that aid agencies say have contributed to thousands being killed and tens of thousands at risk of starvation.
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http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/saudi-arab...-next-week-paving-way-son-succeed-him-1647685
 
Somethings not right. The king normally stays till death in KSA, and the successor is always a brother and usually in their 80s or 90s. King Salman is really shaking things up over there.
 
This new guy, MBS they call him is either a great news or either a bad news for KSA/the region and ultimately the world.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_bin_Salman
Crown_Prince_Mohammad_bin_Salman_Al_Saud_-_2017.jpg



He is reforming a lot and very fast. Which seems very 'good' and dandy. But history and common sense tells us things are never what they seem on surface.

All I ask for is no more wars in ME :facepalm:
 
WhenSultansBowled said:
This new guy, MBS they call him is either a great news or either a bad news for KSA/the region and ultimately the world.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_bin_Salman
Crown_Prince_Mohammad_bin_Salman_Al_Saud_-_2017.jpg



He is reforming a lot and very fast. Which seems very 'good' and dandy. But history and common sense tells us things are never what they seem on surface.

All I ask for is no more wars in ME :facepalm:
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Optically reforming while trying to destroy a nation that has already reformed even before family of Saud named a country after them.
 
A source told the Daily Mail that King Salman would remain "custodian of the holy shrines" in Mecca and Medina and that the incoming ruler will focus on the kingdom's policy towards Iran.

"Unless something dramatic happens, King Salman will announce the appointment of MBS as King of Saudi Arabia next week, " the high level source told the paper.
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That is very telling. It's saying that if MBS is referred to as the "custodian of the holy shrines", a title that goes hand-in-hand with being King, it won't go down well in the Muslim world.
 
Pakistanian said:
Somethings not right. The king normally stays till death in KSA, and the successor is always a brother and usually in their 80s or 90s. King Salman is really shaking things up over there.
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It's King Salman's, and his son's, way of making a 'coup', akin to say the Queen dismissing Parliament and proclaiming Prince Charles to be Prime Minister. Or Trump getting rid of Congress and taking Congress's powers for himself.
 
WhenSultansBowled said:
This new guy, MBS they call him is either a great news or either a bad news for KSA/the region and ultimately the world.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_bin_Salman



He is reforming a lot and very fast. Which seems very 'good' and dandy. But history and common sense tells us things are never what they seem on surface.

All I ask for is no more wars in ME :facepalm:
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There's two methods of making changes in society..1) sudden change where initially it's really hard to accept but hopefully after the initial hurdle people accept the new normal..2) bringing about change slowly so people can adapt and ease in to it.

I think the former is the better way to do it. Not sure if MBS will pull it off though...but if you do want to bring drastic changes then this method is not a bad one if you ask me. Bringing about changes in society and lifestyle slowly is a painstaking process and one that can dwindle due to other issues that may arise. Will be interesting to see how it all pans out.
 
anybody who supports MbS is implicitly supporting Israel and Trump
 
"MBS is convinced that he has to hit Iran and Hezbollah. Contrary to the advice of the royal family elders, that's MBS's next target. Hence why the ruler of Kuwait privately calls him "The raging Bull".

"MBS's plan is to start the fire in Lebanon, but he's hoping to count on Israeli military backing. He has already promised Israel billions of dollars in direct financial aid if they agree," the source said.
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Great... more trouble for the region. Just what was needed.


Pakistan should stay away from these Saudis as far as possible. Most troublesome nation on earth.
 
if he's allying with Isreal its simply bad news. I cant see this ending well for him..
 
sshakir411 said:
There's two methods of making changes in society..1) sudden change where initially it's really hard to accept but hopefully after the initial hurdle people accept the new normal..2) bringing about change slowly so people can adapt and ease in to it.

I think the former is the better way to do it. Not sure if MBS will pull it off though...but if you do want to bring drastic changes then this method is not a bad one if you ask me. Bringing about changes in society and lifestyle slowly is a painstaking process and one that can dwindle due to other issues that may arise. Will be interesting to see how it all pans out.
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He's not doing this to bring about changes; This is a spoiled brat of a King who wants to be total control by eliminating all potential opposition. If he stays for long he's going to be Saddam, Assad and all other mid-east dictators rolled into one.
 
Yossarian said:
He's not doing this to bring about changes; This is a spoiled brat of a King who wants to be total control by eliminating all potential opposition. If he stays for long he's going to be Saddam, Assad and all other mid-east dictators rolled into one.
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I was born and raised there and recently visited after 4 years. The changes to society are happening at a fast rate and are being pushed by MBS...this is a fact. It was a pleasant surprise. I'm not talkin about arresting princess and ministers (that is a power grab) but the changes he's pushed for in Saudi society.

The recent MISK Global Forum is an example of that...never before have Saudi women openly sat on stage without burqa's....women can go out alone without having religious police hunting them down and men can roam around malls...that is all due to MBS and did not happen before. Saudi as a society needs these changes. I'm not supporting MBS but just stating the changes that are visible.
 
Yossarian said:
He's not doing this to bring about changes; This is a spoiled brat of a King who wants to be total control by eliminating all potential opposition. If he stays for long he's going to be Saddam, Assad and all other mid-east dictators rolled into one.
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A King should be in control and should be the single source of power. So if anything His Highness MBS is doing what a King (to be) should.
 
sshakir411 said:
I was born and raised there and recently visited after 4 years. The changes to society are happening at a fast rate and are being pushed by MBS...this is a fact. It was a pleasant surprise. I'm not talkin about arresting princess and ministers (that is a power grab) but the changes he's pushed for in Saudi society.

The recent MISK Global Forum is an example of that...never before have Saudi women openly sat on stage without burqa's....women can go out alone without having religious police hunting them down and men can roam around malls...that is all due to MBS and did not happen before. Saudi as a society needs these changes. I'm not supporting MBS but just stating the changes that are visible.
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I also spent many years living / working there.

During my years there it was obvious that the younger generations, due to social media, living & studying in the west .... were fanning out into two opposing camps. Those that wish to bring back to Saudi some of the freedoms they enjoy in their forays to the West (not just liberalism, womens rights, freedom of the press, equality of opportunity & justice and such like, but also alcohol, clubs, cinemas, et al that they partake full off when in the West) and those that do not wish Saudi Arabia to go down this path, and wish to retain the old ways of their forefathers. The middle ground was fast disappearing.

MBS is pandering to the former whilst suppressing the latter. Couple that with the fact that Saudi Arabia is home to Makkah, Medina and the two holy mosques, means that Saudi society splitting into opposing extremes can only result in one outcome. Eventual civil war. And there's literally thousands of Saudi Princes (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th cousins of MSB considering his grandfather ibn Saud had almost 40 sons who reached adulthood) who have now been imprisoned/sidelined/pushed underground/ had properties confiscated/bank accounts frozen and who will be going all out, with the help of the clergy who have had their powers and influence removed, to remove MBS and those advising him.

The traditionalists, the clergy and the rest of the Royal Family with it's thousands of princes will be a formidable force if/when they get united in their efforts to oust MBS
 
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CricketCartoons said:
A King should be in control and should be the single source of power. So if anything His Highness MBS is doing what a King (to be) should.
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That's not the power structure of the Royal Family that was designed to work by the man who was the father of the current and all previous Kings since him. King Salman has let the genie (the devil ?) out of the bag. There is only going to be one outcome resulting from this - civil war. That is unless MBS starts a war first against Iran with the help of Israel and the USA.
 
Yossarian said:
And there's literally thousands of Saudi Princes (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th cousins of MSB considering his grandfather ibn Saud had almost 40 sons who reached adulthood) who have now been imprisoned/sidelined/pushed underground/ had properties confiscated/bank accounts frozen and who will be going all out, with the help of the clergy who have had their powers and influence removed, to remove MBS and those advising him.
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All the more reason to have the purge now and have a single power center, instead of having many power centers with conflicting interests. Future looks bright for Saudi Arabia, whatever the naysayers say.
 
CricketCartoons said:
All the more reason to have the purge now and have a single power center, instead of having many power centers with conflicting interests. Future looks bright for Saudi Arabia, whatever the naysayers say.
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You're really naive in such matters aren't you? Have you ever been to Saudi, or even the Middle East, ... or even out of India/Bangladesh? :))
 
Yossarian said:
You're really naive in such matters aren't you? Have you ever been to Saudi, or even the Middle East, ... or even out of India/Bangladesh? :))
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I have a friend who was born in saudi and keeps flying to Jeddah every couple of months (met her again last week). She says there is lots of freedom now in Saudi Arabia.
 
Looking from Saudia Arabia's perspective, they are losing ground against Iran on a global scale. The war in Syria with Asaad still holding ground, Hezbollah getting more control over the affairs in Lebanon and the Iran-US nuclear deal, all pointing in favor of Iran.

The reality is that the House of Saud is rotten to its core. Inept octogenarians rulers, a cabal of spoiled and degenerate Princes and its fading influence as the leader of the Muslim world. The current leadership especially King Salman and MBS probably see this as a time of reckoning. They either make drastic changes or drift into oblivion becoming increasingly isolated and marginalized while further alienating their younger generation.

I read somewhere that over 70% of Saudi Arabia's population in under 30 years of age. That makes MBS (age 32) accent to power even more understandable. Any change made in the direction towards reform and giving Saudi people and in particular women more freedom and independence should be welcomed. However, real reform would be when both Saudia Arabia and Iran can stop fighting proxy wars and learn to co-exist as powerful and responsible oil rich Muslim nations. Still a long way to go for that to happen as centuries old grudges are hard to resolve overnight.
 
CricketCartoons said:
I have a friend who was born in saudi and keeps flying to Jeddah every couple of months (met her again last week). She says there is lots of freedom now in Saudi Arabia.
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Ah the good old "I have a friend ...." :))

So you haven't personally been to Saudi. And about elsewhere in the Middle East, or even out of India/Bangladesh? More friends ...?
 
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"There is no doubt that the ambitious and arrogant Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, crown prince of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SaudiArabia?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SaudiArabia</a>, has entertained the world with an action series, similar to a Mexican soap opera"<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OPINION?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OPINION</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SaudiPurge?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SaudiPurge</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MBS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MBS</a><a href="https://t.co/7gPVN6AsKz">https://t.co/7gPVN6AsKz</a></p>— Middle East Monitor (@MiddleEastMnt) <a href="https://twitter.com/MiddleEastMnt/status/931613229154959361?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">17 November 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
I think this podcast is quite insightful and even handed

Seems a bit like the guy is repeating himself for first 3 minutes so you might want to skip that

Interesting on the women reformers who campaigned for women's driving being clamped down on...
Muslim economists and reformers being imprisoned

<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/355715018&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe>
 
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Saudi Arabia is collapsing. Its security threats are extreme now. <br>Lets see what Pakistan has to offer to protect our sacred cities in Hijaz & our own two million citizens there...cant abandon them... <a href="https://t.co/4z62t2Ed6R">pic.twitter.com/4z62t2Ed6R</a></p>— Zaid Hamid (@ZaidZamanHamid) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZaidZamanHamid/status/931878013146484736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">18 November 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Sidilicious said:
Have high hopes from MBS to bring SA into 21st century
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More likely to bring war to the Middle East on a scale never seen before. It's becoming open knowledge more and more each day that MBS is in cahoots with the Israelis, and with the support of the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia will join forces to attack Hezbollah in Lebanon, in order to drag Iran into a war with a combined grouping of the USA, Israel, Saudi Arabia and their allies.
 
Sidilicious said:
Have high hopes from MBS to bring SA into 21st century
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The same MBS bombing the heck out of Yemen killing tens of thousands of innocent men, women and children? With millions more starving because he's blockading the country and stopping supplies of food and medicines?
 
is this credible news ? because I'm not seeing any other site post anything about this
 
Syed1 said:
Great... more trouble for the region. Just what was needed.


Pakistan should stay away from these Saudis as far as possible. Most troublesome nation on earth.
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Agreed. It's a shame what the place where our religion originated has become
 
End times are well on the way. It has been predicted for over a thousand years that there will be a major power struggle within Saudi near major events.
 
Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz has been admitted to hospital, suffering from inflammation of the gall bladder, according to state media.

The 84-year-old ruler, who has ruled the country since 2015, was undergoing medical checks in the capital, state news agency SPA said on Monday. No other details were given.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi postponed his scheduled visit to Riyadh following the hospitalisation of King Salman, the Saudi foreign minister said.

"In recognition of the importance of the visit and a desire to make it succeed, our wise leadership in coordination with our brothers in Iraq has decided to postpone the visit," Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud wrote on Twitter.

King Salman, the custodian of Islam's holiest sites, spent more than two and a half years as the Saudi crown prince and deputy prime minister from June 2012 before becoming king. He also served as governor of the Riyadh region for more than 50 years.

The de facto ruler and next in line to the throne is his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS).

The crown prince has won praise at home for easing social restrictions in the conservative Muslim kingdom, giving more rights to women and pledging to diversify the economy.

But he has also drawn criticism for Saudi Arabia's involvement in Yemen's long-running war and attempts to silence dissident and consolidate power by marginalising rivals, including a purge of top royals and businessmen on corruption charges.

He came under intense international criticism over the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom's Istanbul consulate, which the CIA has reportedly said took place on the crown prince's orders.

MBS has denied ordering Khashoggi's killing but said he ultimately bears "full responsibility" as the kingdom's de facto leader.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...admitted-hospital-checks-200720033239212.html
 
Wishing our great ally in the Ummat a spredy recovery.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Heard with concern about hospitalisation of His Majesty King Salman bin Abdul Aziz, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. The government and people of Pakistan, and I myself, join our Saudi brethren in prayers for His Majesty's swift recovery, good health and long life. Ameen.</p>— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1285162521939398656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 20, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Looks to be the best king since faisal
Hopefully his visit to the hospital is a very short one

Apart from the war across the border he seems to have watered down Qatari Wahabism and even accepted uae sufism
 
chacha kashmiri said:
Looks to be the best king since faisal
Hopefully his visit to the hospital is a very short one

Apart from the war across the border he seems to have watered down Qatari Wahabism and even accepted uae sufism
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Best king? lol, hes hardly in charge with his son running the show and killing who ever he wants.

...and UAE sufism????? what are you talking about?
 
Saudi king chairs cabinet meeting from hospital, in stable condition

Saudi King Salman held a cabinet meeting via video call from hospital in the capital Riyadh on Tuesday, a day after the 84-year-old monarch was admitted with what state media said was inflammation of the gall bladder.

Three Saudi sources had previously told Reuters that the king was in stable condition.

A video of the king chairing the meeting was broadcast on Saudi state TV on Tuesday evening. In the video, which has no sound, King Salman can be seen behind a desk, wordlessly reading and leafing through documents.

The king, who has ruled the world’s largest oil exporter and close U.S. ally since 2015, was undergoing medical checks, state media on Monday cited a Royal Court statement as saying without further details.

Three well-connnected Saudi sources who declined to be identified, two of whom were speaking late on Monday and one on Tuesday, told Reuters the king was “fine”.

An official in the region, who requested anonymity, said he spoke to one of King Salman’s sons on Monday who seemed “calm” and that there was no sense of panic about the monarch’s health.

King Salman received phone calls from the leaders of Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan on Monday, state media reported.

A diplomatic source said the kingdom’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman flew back to Riyadh on Monday from his palace in the Red Sea city of NEOM, cancelling a planned meeting with a visiting Iraqi delegation.

The diplomatic source and the third Saudi source said the crown prince was still in the capital.

King Salman last spoke publicly on March 19 in a five-minute televised address about the coronavirus pandemic. State media have published pictures and videos of the king chairing online weekly cabinet meetings. Media have also carried images of the crown prince attending those meetings online.

King Salman, the custodian of Islam’s holiest sites, spent more than 2-1/2 years as the Saudi crown prince and was deputy prime minister from June 2012 before becoming king. He also served as governor of the Riyadh region for more than 50 years.

He named his young son Mohammed as crown prince to become next in line to the throne after a 2017 palace coup that ousted then-Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-s...spital-in-stable-condition-idUKKCN24M2WZ?il=0
 
Saudi King Salman leaves hospital after gallbladder surgery

Saudi Arabia’s 84-year-old ruler, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, left King Faisal hospital in the capital Riyadh after recovery, state news agency SPA reported on Thursday.

The Saudi king, the custodian of Islam’s holiest sites, was admitted to hospital on July **20‬‬ to undergo medical checks, after suffering from inflammation of the gall bladder, which he had removed later that week.

In a video released by SPA, the king could be seen walking steadily out of hospital, followed by several aides and his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, wearing a face mask. The king was walking with a cane, as he usually does.

The king, who has ruled the world’s largest oil exporter and close U.S. ally since 2015, chaired a meeting via video from hospital last week before his surgery. In a video aired by state media outlets, he could be seen reading and leafing through documents. Reuters could not independently verify the date the footage was filmed.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-s...-after-gallbladder-surgery-idUKKCN24V3FO?il=0
 
s28 said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Saudi Arabia is collapsing. Its security threats are extreme now. <br>Lets see what Pakistan has to offer to protect our sacred cities in Hijaz & our own two million citizens there...cant abandon them... <a href="https://t.co/4z62t2Ed6R">pic.twitter.com/4z62t2Ed6R</a></p>— Zaid Hamid (@ZaidZamanHamid) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZaidZamanHamid/status/931878013146484736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">18 November 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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So is Saudi Arabia still collapsing? Or is it another attempt at playing Nostradamus biting the dust?:96:
 
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been accused of sending a hit-squad to Canada in order to kill a former Saudi intelligence official.

The failed plan to kill Saad al-Jabri was soon after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey, court documents filed in the US allege.

Mr Jabri, a veteran of the government of Saudi Arabia, fled into exile three years ago.

He has been under private security protection in Toronto since.

The alleged plot failed after Canadian border agents became suspicious of the hit-squad as they attempted to enter the country at Toronto's Pearson International Airport, court documents say.

Family of exiled top Saudi officer Saad al-Jabri 'targeted'
Mr Jabri, 61, was for years the key go-between for Britain's MI6 and other Western spy agencies in Saudi Arabia.

What does the complaint say?
The 106-page unproven complaint, which was filed in Washington DC, accuses the crown prince of attempting to murder Mr Jabri in order to silence him.

Mr Jabri says this is down to him possessing "damning information". The document says this includes alleged corruption and overseeing a team of personal mercenaries labelled the Tiger Squad.

Members of the Tiger Squad were involved in the murder of dissident journalist Khashoggi, who was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018, it says.

All you need to know about Jamal Khashoggi's death
"Few places hold more sensitive, humiliating and damning information about defendant bin Salman than the mind and memory of Dr Saad - except perhaps the recordings Dr Saad made in anticipation of his killing," the document says.

"That is why defendant bin Salman wants him dead, and why defendant bin Salman has worked to achieve that objective over the last three years."

After fleeing Saudi Arabia ahead of a purge by the all-powerful crown prince in 2017, Mr Jabri fled to Canada via Turkey.

He alleges Mohammed bin Salman made repeated efforts to return him to Saudi Arabia, even sending private messages, including one that read: "We shall certainly reach you".


Media captionJamal Khashoggi: What we know about the journalist's disappearance and death
Then, less than two weeks after the murder of Khashoggi, Mr Jabri says the Tiger Squad travelled to Canada with the intention of killing him.

The court filing says the group - which included a man from the same department as the man accused of dismembering Khashoggi - were carrying two bags of forensic tools.

However, Canadian border agents "quickly became suspicious" of the group and refused them entry after interviewing them, it says.

"Bin Salman in fact dispatched a hit squad to North America to kill Dr Saad," the claim asserts.

Mr Jabri is accusing the crown prince of attempted extrajudicial killing in violation of the US Torture Victim Protection Act and in breach of international law.

The Saudi government did not respond to a request for comment.

In May, the BBC reported that Mr Jabri's children had been seized as "hostages", according to his eldest son, Khalid.

Who is Saad al-Jabri?
For years he was the right-hand man to Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who was widely credited with defeating the al-Qaeda insurgency in the 2000s. He was also the linchpin in all Saudi Arabia's relations with the "Five Eyes" (US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) intelligence agencies.

A quiet-spoken man with a doctorate in artificial intelligence from Edinburgh University, Mr Jabri rose to the rank of cabinet minister and held a major-general's rank in the interior ministry.

But in 2015 everything changed. King Abdullah died and his half-brother Salman ascended to the throne, appointing his young and untested son Mohammed bin Salman, widely known as MBS, as defence minister.

In 2017 Mohammed bin Salman carried out a bloodless palace coup with his father's blessing. He effectively usurped the next in line to the throne, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, becoming crown prince himself.

That deposed prince is currently arrested, his assets have been seized and those who worked for him have been removed from their posts. Mr Jabri then fled to Canada.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-53677869
 
Saudi ex-spy suing crown prince faces fresh death threat in Canada – report

A former senior Saudi intelligence official who has accused Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of trying to have him assassinated in 2018 has been placed under heightened security after a new threat on his life, a Canadian newspaper has reported.

The Globe and Mail said Canadian security services had been informed of a new attempted attack on Saad Aljabri, who lives at an undisclosed location in the Toronto region.

Aljabri served as a counterespionage chief under a rival prince, Mohammed bin Nayef, who was ousted in 2017 by Prince Mohammed.

The newspaper said its source – someone “with knowledge of the situation” – would provide no further details on the more recent threat by Saudi agents.

Aljabri is now under protection by “heavily armed” officers of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as well as private guards, the news report said.

In a lawsuit filed Thursday with a court in Washington, Aljabri accused Prince Mohammed of having sent a hit squad to Canada to kill and dismember him in 2018, the same fate that two weeks earlier befell dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey.

Aljabri’s suit said he was wanted dead because he had intimate knowledge of Prince Mohammed’s activities that could sour the close relationship being fostered with the Trump administration in Washington.

Asked to comment on the Globe report, Mary-Liz Power, spokeswoman for minister of public safety Bill Blair, directed a reporter to an earlier comment by Blair about the 2018 attempt.

“While we cannot comment on specific allegations currently before the courts,” he said then, “we are aware of incidents in which foreign actors have attempted to monitor, intimidate or threaten Canadians and those living in Canada.

“It is completely unacceptable and we will never tolerate foreign actors threatening Canada’s national security or the safety of our citizens and residents.”

Aljabri was already abroad in June 2017 when Prince Mohammed seized power, removing Prince Nayef as crown prince and placing him under house arrest.

After his children in Riyadh were hit with travel restrictions, Aljabri refused entreaties to return, fearing for his life, and moved to Canada, where a son lives.

In March his children in Saudi Arabia were taken away. They haven’t been heard from since.

The suit against Prince Mohammed and several others was filed as a claim of attempted extrajudicial killing under the Torture Victim Protection Act. Aljabri asked the court for unspecified damages.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...nce-faces-fresh-death-threat-in-canada-report
 
US court issues summons for Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) has been issued a summons by a US court for a lawsuit by a former top Saudi intelligence agent who was reportedly targeted in a foiled assassination attempt.

The US District Court for the District of Columbia issued the summons on Friday, a day after Saad al-Jabri filed the lawsuit accusing Prince Mohammed of sending a hit squad to Canada to try and kill him.

A summons is an official notice of a lawsuit, given to the person or persons being sued.

Al-Jabri, who lives in Canada, reportedly under increased protection by police and private security guards, claimed that his close ties with the US intelligence community and deep knowledge of the prince’s activities had rendered him one of the aspiring monarch’s key targets.

“Few places hold more sensitive, humiliating and damning information about Defendant bin-Salman than the mind and memory of Dr. Saad - except perhaps the recordings Dr. Saad made in anticipation of his killing,” the lawsuit read.

Saudi Arabia, which has issued Interpol red notices seeking al-Jabri’s return - which have since been dismissed by the agency as political - has urged other countries to send al-Jabri back to the kingdom, accusing the former senior intelligence officer of corruption.

The summons, which named 12 people in addition to Prince Mohammed, added: “If you fail to respond, judgment by default will be entered against you for the relief demanded in the complaint”.

The suit asserts that MBS had ordered the detention of two of al-Jabri’s children, who have gone missing from their home in the capital Riyadh in mid-March, and that other relatives have also been arrested and tortured “all in an effort to bait Dr. Saad back to Saudi Arabia to be killed”.

The claims in the lawsuit are allegations which have not been proven.

“MBS will now vigorously lobby President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to issue what is called a letter of suggestion immunity,” Bruce Fein, a former US associate deputy attorney general, told Al Jazeera.

“It is rather an odd realm of law, but it asks the court to dismiss the case because it will interfere with the foreign relations of the US and relations with a head of state or high-level officials.

“But that means November [US elections] will be critical for Saudi Arabia. I can guarantee you right now that Saudi Arabia and the crown prince are talking with Pompeo and Trump asking them get him out of this.”
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...abia-mohammed-bin-salman-200810081311989.html
 
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has rejected allegations that he sent a hit squad to kill an exiled Saudi former intelligence officer.

In a lawsuit filed in a US court, Saad al-Jabri has claimed that the assassination attempt took place in Canada, where he fled three years ago.

He says Mohammed bin Salman wanted him dead because he knew too much.

The crown prince - regarded as Saudi Arabia's de-facto ruler - said Mr Jabri was trying to conceal his own crimes.

He pointed out that he is immune from prosecution as a head of state. Serving foreign leaders are also normally immune from civil suits in the US.

However Mr Jabri is suing the crown prince under of the Alien Tort statute and the 1991 Torture Victim Protection Act, which allow foreign nationals to file complaints in the US over alleged human rights abuses.

Lawyers for the 35-year-old prince said Mr Jabri's complaint was "steeped in drama, including an introduction that likens the crown prince to one of Shakespeare's greatest villains".

"But, regardless of its merits as literature, the complaint fails as a legal pleading," they said.

Mr Jabri, 61, was for years the key go-between for Britain's MI6 and other Western spy agencies in Saudi Arabia.

What is Mohammed bin Salman accused of?
The 106-page complaint, which was filed in Washington DC in August, accuses the crown prince of attempting to murder Mr Jabri because he possessed "damning information".

The document says this includes alleged corruption and overseeing a team of personal mercenaries labelled the Tiger Squad.

Image captionSaad al-Jabri (circled) was welcomed by then UK Home Secretary Theresa May (right) during a visit to London in 2015
Members of the Tiger Squad were involved in the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018, it says.

All you need to know about Jamal Khashoggi's death
Mr Jabri alleges that Mohammed bin Salman made repeated efforts to return him to Saudi Arabia after he fled to Canada in 2017.

Then, less than two weeks after the murder of Khashoggi, Mr Jabri says the Tiger Squad travelled to Canada with the intention of killing him.

The court filing says the group - which included a man from the same department as the man accused of dismembering Khashoggi - were carrying two bags of forensic tools.

However, Canadian border agents "quickly became suspicious" of the group and refused them entry after interviewing them, it says.

How has the crown prince responded?
In new court filings, Mohammed bin Salman says Mr Jabri is attempting to cover up his own crimes.

The filing accuses Mr Jabri and his associates of misspending or outright stealing about $11bn (£8bn) of government funds. Mr Jabri denies this.

"The flaws in this complaint are so apparent and run so deep that it can only be regarded as an attempt to divert attention from plaintiff's massive theft," the filing states.

"The crown prince is the king's son and designated successor. Together with the king, he sits at the apex of Saudi Arabia's government. He is entitled to status-based immunity from any suit in a US court."

Who is Saad al-Jabri?
For years he was the right-hand man to Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who was widely credited with defeating the al-Qaeda insurgency in the 2000s. He was also the linchpin in all of Saudi Arabia's relations with the "Five Eyes" (US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) intelligence agencies.

Mr Jabri rose to the rank of cabinet minister and held a major-general's rank in the interior ministry. But in 2015 everything changed.

King Abdullah died and his half-brother Salman ascended to the throne, appointing his untested son Mohammed bin Salman, widely known as MBS, as defence minister.

In 2017, Mohammed bin Salman carried out a bloodless palace coup with his father's blessing. He deposed the next in line to the throne, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, becoming crown prince himself.

Those who worked for him have been removed from their posts. Mr Jabri then fled to Canada.

https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-middle-east-55232926?__twitter_impression=true
 
DUBAI:Saudi Arabia on Saturday executed three soldiers who were sentenced for “high treason” and “cooperating with the enemy”, a statement from the kingdom’s defence ministry said.

It said that the three had been sentenced to death by a specialist court after a fair trial.

The ministry did not name the alleged “enemy” but the executions were carried out in the southern province bordering Yemen where Saudi Arabia has been at war for more than six years against the Iran-aligned Houthi movement.

Saudi Arabia has come under increasing global scrutiny over its human rights record since the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year at the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate and the detention of women’s rights activists.

Rights groups, including Amnesty International, have called on Riyadh to stop the use of the death penalty, citing allegations of torture and unfair trials.

Saudi Arabia denies the accusations.

It has executed 27 people in 2020, the lowest in years, down from a record high of 185 the year before, according to the Human Rights Commission, a government body.
 
Saudi women can now live on their own without requiring the consent of their father or male guardian after a new legal amendment by the Kingdom, Gulf News reported on Wednesday.

According to the report, Saudi legal authorities removed paragraph (b) from Article 169 of the "Law of Procedure before Sharia Courts" which stated that an adult single, divorced, or widowed woman would be handed over to her male guardian.

Instead, it was replaced with an amendment which states: "An adult woman has the right to choose where to live. A woman’s guardian can report her only if he has evidence proving she committed a crime."

It also said, "If a woman is sentenced to a jail term, she will not be handed over to her guardian after completing her term," according to Gulf News.

“Families can no longer file lawsuits against their daughters who choose to live alone,” lawyer Naif Al Mansi said while speaking to the Makkah Newspaper. He added that the courts would not accept cases of this nature anymore.

Saudi media had first reported in February 2019 that the Kingdom was studying how its male guardianship system was being abused.

At the time, Saudi public prosecutor Saud al-Mojeb had said his office would “spare no efforts in protecting individuals, whether women, children or parents, from unfair treatment by those who abuse guardianship powers”, according to English daily Saudi Gazette.

Later the same year in August, the Kingdom had granted permission to Saudi women to travel abroad without approval from a male guardian.

The decision had come after high-profile attempts by women to escape their guardians despite a string of reforms. "A passport will be granted to any Saudi national who submits an application," said a government ruling published in the official gazette Umm al-Qura.

Additional input from Reuters and AFP.
 
https://www.dawn.com/news/1634449/us-considers-intervening-as-legal-battle-between-saudi-crown-prince-former-spymaster-threatens-to-expose-secrets

Two lawsuits pitting Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler against a former intelligence czar threaten to expose highly sensitive United States government secrets, prompting Washington to consider a rare judicial intervention, documents show.

The cases in US and Canadian courts centre on corruption allegations levelled by state-owned Saudi companies against Saad Aljabri, a former spymaster who long worked closely with American officials on covert counterterrorism operations.

That marks the latest twist in a long-running feud between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and Aljabri.

Aljabri's patron, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef (MBN), is currently in Saudi detention after being deposed as heir to the throne in a 2017 palace coup.

The legal drama sheds light on Shakespearean rivalries in the top echelons of the Saudi royal family, but Washington fears that a bitter courtroom showdown risks exposing sensitive information related to its covert operations.

A rare US Justice Department filing in a Massachusetts court in April noted Aljabri's intention to “describe information concerning alleged national security activities”.

“The (US) government is considering whether and how to participate in this action, including if necessary and applicable, through an assertion of appropriate governmental privileges,” the filing said, without elaborating.

In a second filing a month later, the Justice Department asked the court for more time as national security matters require “'delicate' and 'complex' judgements by senior officials”.

The filing said the government was prepared to “provide further information” to the court in secret.

Legal experts have said Washington could invoke the “state secrets privilege”, which would allow it to resist a court-ordered disclosure of information deemed harmful to US national security.

The CIA declined to comment to AFP. The Justice Department, which experts say only rarely intervenes in civil lawsuits, did not respond to a request for comment.

Last year, Aljabri alleged in another lawsuit that MBS sent “Tiger Squad” assassins to kill him in Canada, where he lives in exile, while detaining two of his children to pressure him to return home.

The feud took a new turn this March when state-run company Sakab Saudi Holding accused Aljabri of embezzling $3.47 billion while working at the Ministry of Interior under MBN. It urged the Massachusetts court to freeze his $29 million Boston property assets.

This came weeks after multiple state-owned companies sued Aljabri in Toronto on similar allegations. A Canadian court subsequently announced a worldwide freeze of Aljabri's assets.

While denying any financial wrongdoing, Aljabri's legal team says he is caught in the rivalry between MBS and MBN, who has not been publicly seen since his detention in March 2020.

State-run Sakab, which court filings say was established in 2008 by MBN, was part of a network of front companies to provide cover for clandestine security operations with the United States.

In order to prove his innocence, the court would need to probe Sakab's finances, including how they were used to “finance sensitive programs” operated in partnership with the CIA, the US National Security Agency and the US Defence Department, said a filing by Aljabri.

“Dr Saad would never expose covert counterterrorism projects that saved thousands of lives, including Americans,” a source close to the former spymaster told AFP.

“Unfortunately, MBS's blind vendetta against Dr Saad has cornered him in a position where he is compelled to do so in order to defend himself in court.”

While the Justice Department considers moves to prevent any disclosure of state secrets in Massachusetts, it remains unclear how it could do the same in the Ontario court, over which it has no direct sway.

The Aljabri source acknowledged any exposure could endanger “those who participated in (counterterrorism) operations, reveal sources and methods, and hinder [...] similar operations in the future”.

A US lawyer representing MBS declined to comment on the litigation.

But a source close to the Saudi leadership repeated multi-billion dollar corruption allegations, while accusing Aljabri of “poisoning the Saudi-US relationship”.

Several US officials who have worked alongside Aljabri have voiced support for him, with some acknowledging that he was privy to sensitive information.

“Dr Saad worked directly with at least the CIA, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, White House, Department of State, and Department of the Treasury,” former CIA official Philip Mudd wrote in a US court affidavit.

“When the United States had actionable intelligence or tactical information, we gave it to Dr Saad.”

In its April filing, the Justice Department said it anticipated engaging with both sides to understand their positions, suggesting it was keen for an out-of-court settlement.

“The more important thing for me is that MBS is holding Dr Saad's kids, essentially extorting Dr Saad,” Daniel Hoffman, a former director of the CIA's Middle East division, told AFP.

“That's very much against the humanitarian values of the United States.“
Click to expand...
 
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/saudi-women-barrel-into-workforce-changing-kingdom-2021-11-04/

Stepping out of a shared taxi in central Riyadh, Reham Al-Ahmed walked into the shopping mall where she works four days a week selling cosmetics.

Al-Ahmed, a high school graduate, is the first woman in her family to have a job. Her parents had never wanted her to work but they eventually relented as life in the capital became too expensive.

With steep new taxes and cuts to government subsidies, many families are increasingly relying on women to work. In so doing, women are negotiating a new place for themselves in their country's delicate social fabric – a trend celebrated by some and watched suspiciously by others in a country still tethered to its conservative traditions.

Al-Ahmed, who lives at home with her parents and five younger siblings, chose a shop with mostly female clients to allay her parents' concerns about mixing with men.

"I used to feel guilty asking my father for anything," the 24-year-old said. "But since I started working, I'm proud I can help out my family."

Showing up to work across the country every day are thousands of women like Al-Ahmed – unimaginable just a few years ago but now increasingly the norm under reforms led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to modernise the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia is highlighting its progress on women at a time of scrutiny in the West over its human rights record, including a crackdown on dissent that ensnared dozens of women's rights activists and the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. An absolute monarchy, it permits no political parties or elections.

Men still have a tight grip on power. There are currently no women in King Salman's cabinet or in senior advisory roles, and the advisory Shura Council has only 30 women members out of 150.

But women now make up 33% of Saudi's labour force – nearly double what it was five years ago. Across age brackets and education levels, they are taking up jobs previously restricted to Saudi men and migrant workers in restaurants, supermarkets, accounting and graphic design firms.

As part of the reforms, women have been allowed to drive since 2018. But Al-Ahmed, who earns 4,500 riyals ($1,200) a month, cannot afford driving lessons, let alone a car.

"I spend nearly a third of my salary on taxis," she said, and is saving up for a car. "But I'm really happy to have a job, to earn my own money finally. I never thought this would be possible for me."

A small number of women had long worked in Saudi Arabia but typically held public sector jobs as teachers or medical workers, in keeping with once-strict gender segregation rules.

But with looser restrictions on mixing, driving and some aspects of the male guardianship system, firms are hiring more women than ever.

This is particularly true in retail and hospitality, sectors in which the government launched a scheme in 2011 to replace cheaper foreign workers with citizens to tackle Saudi unemployment, currently at 11%.

"A lot of jobs that are going to women were traditionally occupied by non-Saudis," said economist Jennifer Peck. New laws have made it easier for women to work in client-facing jobs.

According to her research, the number of Saudi women in the private sector jumped to 935,508 in 2021 from 56,000 in 2010, and continues to climb.

The changes are not just happening in Riyadh.

In Unaizah, a city in the conservative heartland of Qassim, attitudes are shifting and more women are working despite wariness among some about upending decades of tradition.

After graduating from university, Ghada al-Salman, 33, struggled to find a job in Qassim, where women's unemployment still hovers at 18%, more than three times the rate for men.

She turned to baking, eventually opening three stores that employ 45 people. At a recent date festival, she promoted her Rose Ribbon Bakery, one of few women-owned businesses in Qassim.

"Without my parents, I wouldn't have been able to do any of this," she said, serving customers slices of date cake.

"Most fathers here would still not be okay with their daughters working all day alongside men; even if they're the boss, even if they're wearing the niqab."

Salman, like most women in public spaces in Unaizah, wears a full-face covering and long black abaya. But she still faces admonishment from older conservatives.

Happily eating one of her cupcakes, a man in his 60s complained about the fast pace of social change.

"(The government) is telling us women must work – but that goes against our traditions. In Islam, men take care of women," he said, requesting anonymity.

For others, the changes are overdue. Rana Alturki, 45, who joined her father's oil and gas firm in 2000 as one of its first female hires, worked for years in a gender-segregated office.

"Back then, the men were not even polite: no one would say good morning or get in the elevator with me, they wouldn't even stand in the same room as me," said Alturki, now an owner and manager at Rawabi Holding Co.

"Thankfully, things have changed," said Alturki. "In my day, we were too scared to even ask for a salary. But girls these days – they come in and negotiate hard. They know their worth."

Despite this, the gender pay gap in Saudi Arabia stands at 49%, according to research by NGO Al Nahda.

"Social attitudes still govern women's access to the labour market," said Hala al-Dosari, a U.S.-based Saudi women's rights expert, who notes the bulk of new jobs for women are low-paying.

Although laws were introduced against harassment and discrimination, they are not systematic and women are still being harassed and denied their rights, Dosari said.

Some employers still ask women for their male guardian's approval during hiring, the economist Peck said, despite recent reforms giving women greater control over their lives.

One employer at a large company told Reuters he prefers to hire women because "they work twice as hard, for half the pay". Nearly all 400 firms interviewed by Peck's research group said Saudi women's wages were lower, while a third said women were more productive.

But for many Saudi women, these are just growing pains.

"Young women ask me all the time how they can do what I do," said bakery owner Salman. "I tell them: 10 years ago, it would have been impossible. But now, the future is yours."
Click to expand...
 
Riyadh (AFP) – From greeting foreign leaders to heading regional summits, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is taking over the reins from his elderly father and becoming Saudi Arabia's uncrowned king.

With increased concerns over the nearly 86-year-old King Salman's health, Prince Mohammed, 36, is taking charge of presidential meetings and reception of dignitaries, with the king rarely making public appearances.

While Prince Mohammed has been considered the de facto leader since his appointment as heir to the throne in June 2017, his growing prominence has never been more apparent than when he met with French President Emmanuel Macron in early December, and led the Gulf Cooperation Council summit on Tuesday.

King Salman, who usually heads the annual meeting after warm embraces and friendly handshakes, was a no-show.

"The idea that a crown prince is the de facto ruler of the country, meeting with foreign presidents and presiding over summits, only happened before when Saudi kings were not in good health," Yasmine Farouk, of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told AFP.

"What's new is that there is now national and media acceptance of a parallel, even more important, role for the crown prince even when King Salman fulfils all his duties."

Since the outbreak of Covid-19, King Salman has been residing in Neom, a futuristic development on the Red Sea.

His last meeting with a foreign official in Riyadh was in March 2020, when he sat down with then-UK foreign minister Dominic Raab, and his last trip abroad was to Oman to offer his condolences over the death of Sultan Qaboos in January 2020.

Royal cover

Prince Mohammed has sought to position himself as a champion of moderate Islam, even as his international reputation took a hit from the 2018 murder and dismemberment of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom's Istanbul consulate.

The crown prince, also known as MBS, has opened Saudi Arabia to tourists and foreign investments in an effort to diversify the economy of the world's largest oil exporter economy away from crude.

He has overseen sweeping social changes, including allowing women to drive and work in the public sector, enabling citizens to enjoy the additional income and recreational outlets that opened up across the country.

These changes have come alongside a crackdown on dissent and free speech.

He even seemed more open than his father towards Israel, allowing its commercial aircraft to pass through Saudi air space.

According to Kristin Diwan, of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, Prince Mohammed has benefitted from the king's longevity.

"His ongoing presence conveys traditional authority to cover MBS's youth and unconventional actions while rarely impeding them," she told AFP.

The Saudi authorities did not say why King Salman was not present at Tuesday's summit, especially since he delivered a televised address on the country's budget earlier in the week.

However, Saudi government adviser Ali Shihabi said the king is well and just being careful.

"Reliable sources confirm that the King is in excellent health, exercising every day etc but is 86 years old and is uncomfortable wearing a mask and has a tendency to want to shake hands and warmly greet people so extra caution is taken to keep him safe and away from public mtgs," Shihabi tweeted on Wednesday.

Rivals driven out

Prince Mohammed embarked on a Gulf tour ahead of the summit, meeting with heads of Gulf Cooperation Council member states.

"Any current arrangement with the royal court happens only through the crown prince's office," a western diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

"The king is no longer in the picture... (Prince Mohammed) is no longer a king in the making, he is a king in the palace."

His path to the throne is clear and has been for some time, with no foreseeable obstacles after he drove out one rival after another.

"There is no identifiable source of effective opposition inside or outside the royal family," said Hussein Ibish, a Washington-based Middle East expert.

He added that "MBS is indeed becoming more prominent and powerful".

Despite some concern that the international community would not want to deal with Prince Mohammed, especially after the Khashoggi murder, a Riyadh-based diplomat said that such fears "dissipated after Macron's visit to Saudi Arabia".

While US President Joe Biden vowed a tougher approach than his predecessor Donald Trump, and has yet to directly communicate with Prince Mohammed, the administration has made it clear that it is inevitable.

"It's only a matter of time," said the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

https://www.france24.com/en/live-ne...-king-saudi-s-prince-mohammed-takes-the-reins
 
Record crowds of over 700,000 revellers flocked to Saudi Arabia's MDLBeast Soundstorm music festival, authorities said on Monday, at the end of the four-day event in the oil-rich desert kingdom.

The electronic music festival comes as Saudi's leaders are pushing efforts to change its conservative image and diversify its economy, only a few years after the country lifted a ban on music and dancing.

International entertainers and musicians — including superstar French DJ David Guetta — performed at the event.

The festival, which ended on a Sunday, comes as Saudi Arabia sees a spike in coronavirus cases amid increased fears over the spread of the new Omicron variant.

Saudi Arabia has recorded the highest number of Covid-related deaths among Arab Gulf countries, with more than 8,860 fatalities.

Over the four days, 732,000 people flocked to the event, "one of the largest music festivals in the world," said Turki al-Sheikh, head of Saudi's General Entertainment Authority.

The festival has since its launch in 2019 witnessed large crowds, most of them young men and women, who can freely dance to western music.

"We've never seen anything like this in Riyadh before — crowds, music, VIP rooms, unconventional clothing for the kingdom," one Saudi woman, who attended the festival, told AFP.

'Thirsty for music'

The rise of Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in 2017 has ushered in a number of reforms.

A social shift in the conservative Gulf state has included the lifting of a ban on women driving and allowing mixed-gender concerts and other events.

For the young Saudi woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, such events have nonetheless been beneficial in offering younger generations an outlet.

"We are thirsty for music, entertainment, movies, laughter and outings. It's like we're rediscovering our country and that makes us very happy," she said.

Saudi Arabia is seeking to diversify its economy away from oil, investing heavily in recent years in the tourism, entertainment and sports sectors.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2334815/over-700000-flock-to-saudi-arabias-top-music-festival
 
MenInG said:
Record crowds of over 700,000 revellers flocked to Saudi Arabia's MDLBeast Soundstorm music festival, authorities said on Monday, at the end of the four-day event in the oil-rich desert kingdom.

The electronic music festival comes as Saudi's leaders are pushing efforts to change its conservative image and diversify its economy, only a few years after the country lifted a ban on music and dancing.

International entertainers and musicians — including superstar French DJ David Guetta — performed at the event.

The festival, which ended on a Sunday, comes as Saudi Arabia sees a spike in coronavirus cases amid increased fears over the spread of the new Omicron variant.

Saudi Arabia has recorded the highest number of Covid-related deaths among Arab Gulf countries, with more than 8,860 fatalities.

Over the four days, 732,000 people flocked to the event, "one of the largest music festivals in the world," said Turki al-Sheikh, head of Saudi's General Entertainment Authority.

The festival has since its launch in 2019 witnessed large crowds, most of them young men and women, who can freely dance to western music.

"We've never seen anything like this in Riyadh before — crowds, music, VIP rooms, unconventional clothing for the kingdom," one Saudi woman, who attended the festival, told AFP.

'Thirsty for music'

The rise of Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in 2017 has ushered in a number of reforms.

A social shift in the conservative Gulf state has included the lifting of a ban on women driving and allowing mixed-gender concerts and other events.

For the young Saudi woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, such events have nonetheless been beneficial in offering younger generations an outlet.

"We are thirsty for music, entertainment, movies, laughter and outings. It's like we're rediscovering our country and that makes us very happy," she said.

Saudi Arabia is seeking to diversify its economy away from oil, investing heavily in recent years in the tourism, entertainment and sports sectors.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2334815/over-700000-flock-to-saudi-arabias-top-music-festival
Click to expand...

Wow !! This is unthinkable.It really pushes the kingdom's changing boundaries.
 
There was a time when Muawiyah made his son Yazeed king by force, he changed Islamic Khilafat into a hereditary system, which has continued till date and the system which Muawiyah made is even alive and thriving today.
 
Christmas Tiptoes Into Saudi Arabia With Trees and Mariah Carey

There’s a little more festive cheer in Riyadh nowadays, but you still have to know where to look.

It’s that time of year again, and hearing the perennial “All I Want for Christmas Is You” in stores and restaurants will hardly make anyone stop in their tracks. Except, that is, if you’re in Saudi Arabia.

The kingdom prohibits the public practice of any religion other than Islam and allows no churches or places of worship except for mosques. Previously, Christmas trees ordered from abroad were seized by customs, as were other religious accoutrement such as Buddha statues. But this year, there’s a little more festive cheer in a society whose leadership now allows music, gender mixing and considers fun as a nascent industry.

On the streets of Riyadh, there is nothing that explicitly screams Christmas, unlike in Dubai. Yet, there’s a sense that Santa is following St. Valentine in tiptoeing his way into a city that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wants to turn into a place that can rival its Emirati neighbor as a magnet for expats and a regional headquarters for global companies. Opening up the conservative kingdom is key to attracting those foreigners.

At a popular restaurant in the center of the Saudi capital, Mariah Carey’s hit played to diners. Determined shoppers can find trees on permanent open display and not hidden in a back room anymore, along with reindeer headbands, Santa hats and baubles.

More patisseries are offering yule log-shaped cakes. A furniture store had a prominent display of wreaths and red candles. Some hotels have subtle decorations in the lobby. One had snowflakes hanging over glass shelves filled with panettone, bottles of fizzy non-alcoholic wine and poinsettias. Another had gifts boxes rising from the floor in the shape of a tree.

The reactions of Saudis have been mixed, reflecting the divisions over the social changes in the birthplace of Islam. Nora, a Saudi woman walking past a Christmas tree in a store window, said she didn’t mind seeing a symbol of a Christian celebration in Riyadh. “They respect us. We respect them. It’s their faith,” she said.

Others have not been so welcoming. While some Saudis have been buying Christmas trees, others have been walking in to complain about the merchandise, saying it was forbidden under Islam to stock such items, according to store managers. When asked whether her shop carried Christmas decorations, a Saudi saleswoman said: “Thank God, we don’t.”

But that has not affected sales at the few, mainly toy stores in Riyadh that sell Christmas decorations. Sales are better than in previous years and owners and managers feel less nervous about displaying the items publicly. Still, the owners and managers declined to be identified for fear of retribution in a country that’s been cracking down on any hint of dissent in recent years.

One manager said he’s displaying Christmas trees openly for the first time. He used to keep them in a separate room in previous years. In the shop next door, a salesman said he’s put the trees in the back of the store, without unfolding the branches so as not to attract too much attention. A few meters away, another manager said he wasn’t too worried. His shop glittered with ornaments, streamers, stars and party hats. The Saudis who are unhappy with such a sight should be excused, he said. They need time to get used to it.

Yet as Christmas comes quietly for those who want it, alcohol remains banned despite rumors that it will one day become legal in some parts of the country. It’s only available on the black market at exorbitant prices. But this year there's plenty of one drink on store shelves that used to be tough to find around the holidays: tonic water. (Gin not included.)

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...-comes-to-saudi-arabia-with-trees-decorations
 
A U.S. judge ordered Air Canada and Lufthansa to preserve travel records for use as evidence by a former high-level Saudi official who claims Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is trying to have him killed.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly in Washington ruled the files must be available for use by the former official, Saad Aljabri, in the event that his lawsuit against the crown prince survives a pending motion to toss it out.

"The records facing potential destruction are important enough to this case such that their loss would cause irreparable harm to plaintiff," Kelly said in the decision Thursday.

Aljabri's suit, filed in August 2020, accuses Prince Mohammed of deploying operatives in the U.S. to track him down and then dispatching a team to murder him, weeks after the assassination of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, allegedly on the orders of the Saudi royal.

Aljabri argues the airline records will show the movement of his would-be killers, making them crucial to case. He had asked for permission to subpoena the airlines to get immediate access to the data, but Kelly said it was too early for that because he hasn't yet ruled on a request to dismiss the suit.

Aljabri is suing Prince Mohammed -- the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, who is often referred to as MBS -- under the Torture Victim Protection Act and the Alien Tort Statute, which give the U.S. court system jurisdiction over lawsuits alleging certain types of offenses in other countries. He alleges MBS has had two of his children kidnapped in Saudi Arabia and that the prince has threatened others to draw him out of hiding.

Over decades of service in the Saudi government, Aljabri said in the suit, he became privy to sensitive information about Prince Mohammed's "covert political scheming within the Royal Court" as well as his business dealings and his role in creating a team of operatives to kill Khashoggi.

The case is Aljabri v. Mohammed bin Salman, 1:20-cv-02146, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (Washington).

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/sau...legal-step-2669011#pfrom=home-ndtv_topstories
 
Saudi Arabia's crown prince says he simply doesn't care whether Joe Biden misunderstands him.

The prince is instead looking to his oil power to deliver his goals, according to sources familiar with Riyadh's thinking: recognition from the American president that he's the real ruler of the kingdom and a stronger hand in the costly Yemen war.

That's one reason why Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is resisting US pressure to pump more crude to lower the price of oil that has surged since Russia attacked Ukraine, besides keeping Riyadh's oil pact with Moscow alive, the sources said.

"The Saudis have demands too, before they meet any of the US requests. The Yemen file and the recognition of the crown prince as the de facto ruler are on top of these," one of the sources familiar with Saudi government thinking told Reuters.

Traditionally strong ties between Riyadh and Washington were shaken when Biden released a US intelligence report implicating Prince Mohammed in the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and ended US support for offensive operations in Riyadh's costly war against Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen.

So far, Biden has refused to speak to Prince Mohammed directly, saying 86-year-old King Salman is his counterpart - even though the young prince effectively runs the kingdom and had a close relationship with Biden's predecessor Donald Trump.

In an interview with The Atlantic published on Thursday, Prince Mohammed said his aim was to strengthen Riyadh's long, historical relationship with Washington, but he was not concerned about whether Biden misunderstood him.

"Simply, I do not care," the crown prince was quoted as saying. "It's up to him to think about the interests of America."

The Saudi authorities did not respond to Reuters requests for comment. Prince Mohammed, who is known as MbS, denies any involvement in Khashoggi's death.

Riyadh has repeatedly stressed the strength of its strategic partnership with the United States and that its oil policy is based on a commitment to market stability and supply security driven by market fundamentals.

Only card to play

The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies led by Russia have been unwinding historic output cuts they instated in 2020 to boost prices after the coronavirus pandemic caused an unprecedented fall in global demand.

But since Russian troops moved into Ukraine last week and the West hit Moscow with stringent sanctions, oil prices have surged to the highest since 2012 on concerns about disruptions to supply, with little global spare capacity to pump more crude.

Washington would like the producer alliance, known as OPEC+, to increase output faster than it has been doing since August but only a few countries have spare capacity, including de facto OPEC leader Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US State Department's special envoy for energy affairs, Amos Hochstein, flew to Riyadh last month for talks about managing the potential impact on oil markets if Russia were to invade Ukraine - which it did a week later.

"MbS's only card is oil policy to press the Americans to give him what he wants, which is recognition and weapons for Yemen," said a second source familiar with Saudi thinking.

On Wednesday, the OPEC+ alliance stuck to its long-standing plans for gradual increases in output of 400,000 barrels per day each month, rather than boosting supply faster.

"Saudi Arabia ... has sought not to be seen acting against Russian interests. In doing so, the kingdom could kill two birds with one stone: keep the door open to Moscow and give President Joe Biden some payback for his refusal to engage with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman," wrote James Dorsey, a senior fellow at National University of Singapore's Middle East Institute.

In a sign of his eagerness to be part of the conversation with Washington, Prince Mohammed cancelled a trip to China for the Winter Olympics to ensure he was at his father's side when Biden called King Salman bin Abdulaziz on Feb. 9, three sources told Reuters.

In the call, which covered energy, Iran and Yemen, the king spoke about maintaining market stability and emphasised the need to maintain the OPEC+ pact, state media said.

"The situation is still as is - counterpart to counterpart - but given how the US is in a difficult situation now, they might compromise," said one Riyadh-based diplomat, adding that Prince Mohammed wanted official US recognition and Washington's support in Riyadh's seven-year Yemen campaign.

Asked for comment, a US State Department spokesperson said: "While energy and security issues are important policy considerations for both countries, we will not discuss the details of our private diplomatic engagements."

"As we have noted publicly, we have held discussions with Saudi Arabia on a collaborative approach to managing potential market pressures stemming from Russia's invasion of Ukraine."

Trying to stay neutral

The sources and analysts said Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states could not afford to remain neutral between their Western allies and Russia for long, and would ultimately choose the region's security guarantor America - especially given the risk of secondary sanctions over Ukraine.

But for now, Riyadh and other Gulf oil producers may get away with a neutral stance that allows OPEC+ to continue to function, a senior oil industry source said.

The last time the producers pact unravelled, Riyadh and Moscow became embroiled in a price war and all-out battle for market share that caused oil prices to plummet, ultimately hurting OPEC and US oil producers alike.

Other OPEC producers also say the surge in prices is being driven by geopolitical tension, rather than market fundamentals, and the potential return of Iran to the market if a deal is reached to revive its nuclear agreement needs to be taken into account when determining oil output levels.

"The feedback that we got from the Saudis is that they see the OPEC+ agreement with Russia as a long-term commitment and they are not ready yet to endanger that cooperation ... while making it clear that they stand with the West when it comes to security cooperation," said a Western diplomat in Riyadh.

"They are trying to stay neutral as far as possible, but now that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has gone for a full invasion, they may no longer have that luxury."

With us or against us

Gulf states also have business and geopolitical interests with Russia, whose president stood by the crown prince when Western leaders shunned him in the uproar over Khashoggi's killing at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul.

But it was the West that sent troops to liberate Kuwait in the 1990-1991 Gulf War and defended Riyadh when late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait.

And Riyadh and other Gulf states still rely on the American security umbrella even as they move to diversify defence partners due to a perception that US commitment is waning.

"The United States is committed to advancing Saudi defenses," the US State Department spokesperson said. "We also have a robust dialogue on helping Saudi Arabia improve its ability to defend its territory against security threats from Yemen and elsewhere in the region."

Dorsey said the problem for Gulf leaders was that Ukraine could potentially open a Pandora's Box in which major powers either side of the divide invoke former US President George W. Bush's post 9/11 maxim: "You're either with us or against us."

In The Atlantic article, the crown prince hinted that if relations were to sour with Washington, others countries such as China would be more than ready to step in.

"Where is the potential in the world today?" he said. "It's in Saudi Arabia. And if you want to miss it, I believe other people in the East are going to be super happy."

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2346239/saudi-crown-prince-plays-oil-card-in-quest-for-us-recognition
 
Abaya not necessary; Saudi Prince hailed as champion of women's rights


"The laws are very clear and stipulated in the law of sharia (Islamic law) that women wear decent, respectful clothing like men," said the Saudi Crown Prince in an interview with CBS television network, aired late Sunday. "This, however, does not particularly specify a black abaya or a black head cover. The decision is entirely left for women to decide what type of decent and respectful attire she chooses to wear," he added in the interview being hailed by the women's rights activists.


https://www.ibtimes.co.in/abaya-not...-hailed-champion-womens-rights-details-845887
 
Romali_rotti said:
Abaya not necessary; Saudi Prince hailed as champion of women's rights


"The laws are very clear and stipulated in the law of sharia (Islamic law) that women wear decent, respectful clothing like men," said the Saudi Crown Prince in an interview with CBS television network, aired late Sunday. "This, however, does not particularly specify a black abaya or a black head cover. The decision is entirely left for women to decide what type of decent and respectful attire she chooses to wear," he added in the interview being hailed by the women's rights activists.


https://www.ibtimes.co.in/abaya-not...-hailed-champion-womens-rights-details-845887
Click to expand...

So black head cover is not specified in Koran?
 
cricketjoshila said:
So black head cover is not specified in Koran?
Click to expand...

I don't think it ever was. From what I remember when reading up about it, the Quran mentions women covering up but isn't that specific about what gets covered, it's more of a general guide to dress modestly. Down the years some scholars have probably taken it to the literal sense in cover everything just in case that's what the Quranic verse meant.
 
Indians : We don't ever tolerate foreign interference in internal matters

Also Indians : Posts links to Saudi news and links it to internal issues.
 
<b>Saudi Arabia executes 81 men in one day</b>

Saudi Arabia says it executed 81 men on Saturday - more than during the whole of last year.

The group - including seven Yemenis and one Syrian national - were convicted of "multiple heinous crimes", including terrorism, state news agency SPA said.

Some were charged with belonging to the Islamic State group (IS), al-Qaeda or the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Rights organisations say many do not receive fair trials in Saudi Arabia, an allegation the government rejects.

According to SPA, the latest group had been tried by 13 judges and gone through a three-stage judicial process.

They were accused of plotting attacks on vital economic targets, killing or targeting members of the security forces, kidnapping, torture, rape and smuggling weapons into the country.

Saudi Arabia has one of the highest execution rates in the world - fifth in a list compiled by Amnesty International, the other four being China, Iran, Egypt and Iraq.

It executed 69 people last year.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-60722057
 
May 8 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz was admitted to hospital on Saturday in the Red Sea city of Jeddah to undergo medical tests, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday, citing a statement from the royal court.

He is undergoing the tests in the King Faisal Specialist Hospital, the statement said, giving no other details.

King Salman, the custodian of Islam's holiest sites, became ruler of the world's top oil exporter in 2015 after spending more than 2-1/2 years as the crown prince and deputy premier.
 
MenInG said:
May 8 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz was admitted to hospital on Saturday in the Red Sea city of Jeddah to undergo medical tests, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday, citing a statement from the royal court.

He is undergoing the tests in the King Faisal Specialist Hospital, the statement said, giving no other details.

King Salman, the custodian of Islam's holiest sites, became ruler of the world's top oil exporter in 2015 after spending more than 2-1/2 years as the crown prince and deputy premier.
Click to expand...


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The entire Pakistani nation joins me in praying for the early recovery and complete health of His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Custodian of Two Holy Mosques. &#55356;&#56821;&#55356;&#56816; &#55356;&#56824;&#55356;&#56806;</p>— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) <a href="https://twitter.com/CMShehbaz/status/1523263668967911425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 8, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
It really is pretty embarrassing to witness successive Pakistani governments prostrate themselves before the Saudi regime - created, propped up and armed by the British/US in order to divide Muslims and provide justification, rationalization for the militarization of the ME and endless wars in the region.

Not even the barbaric slaughter of 400,000 impoverished Yemenis and ongoing inhumane siege, bombardment and attacks upon Yemen have made Pakistani leaders cease their public support for Saudi bin Satan or continued desperate need for approval from him.

The Holy Cities of Allah SwT - Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem - are occupied by His enemies and only He can liberate them.
 
Jadz said:
It really is pretty embarrassing to witness successive Pakistani governments prostrate themselves before the Saudi regime - created, propped up and armed by the British/US in order to divide Muslims and provide justification, rationalization for the militarization of the ME and endless wars in the region.

Not even the barbaric slaughter of 400,000 impoverished Yemenis and ongoing inhumane siege, bombardment and attacks upon Yemen have made Pakistani leaders cease their public support for Saudi bin Satan or continued desperate need for approval from him.

The Holy Cities of Allah SwT - Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem - are occupied by His enemies and only He can liberate them.
Click to expand...

There are over 1 million unskilled Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia that probably support around 10 million (conservative estimate) people in Pakistan through remittances and aid. Without a hint of exaggeration these people would be in dire poverty and perhaps starving without the Saudi workers.

Saudi Arabia has threatened to expel them a few times as a threat.

What would you suggest Pakistan does? If massaging their egos a bit brings in billions of dollars to a starving country then so be it.

When push came to shove Pakistan rightly sat the Yemen war out, but completely cutting out the Saudis is not an option.
 
DeadlyVenom said:
There are over 1 million unskilled Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia that probably support around 10 million (conservative estimate) people in Pakistan through remittances and aid. Without a hint of exaggeration these people would be in dire poverty and perhaps starving without the Saudi workers.

Saudi Arabia has threatened to expel them a few times as a threat.

What would you suggest Pakistan does? If massaging their egos a bit brings in billions of dollars to a starving country then so be it.

When push came to shove Pakistan rightly sat the Yemen war out, but completely cutting out the Saudis is not an option.
Click to expand...



Thank you for your thoughtful reply, Brother - and I do appreciate what you are saying.

However, and with all due respect, Pakistan is being starved by British-installed/US-supported ruling classes in military, political, Intel and business. They could not care less about impoverished Pakistanis and are probably delighted that millions have to migrate to other countries in order to subsist and survive.

Regarding the actual workers themselves, whilst I have every sympathy for their condition and that of their families, the truth is the monies they send back to Pakistan is for the purposes of supporting relatives, buying land and building mansions. They do not send remittances back to build schools, colleges, hospitals, universities in their desperately poor villages, nor do they even particularly focus upon the importance of education for their own offspring. This is what I have witnessed living in Britain all my life, and when they pass away their bodies are transported back to their homelands to be buried alongside their deceased relatives. My Father said Pakistan had been transformed into Qabaristan - Graveyard.

The reason India is in the ascendancy and Pakistan is not could be explained in one word: Education. Lack of education in Pakistan renders millions dependant upon foreign aid or relatives moving abroad as economic migrants.

As for Saudi Arabia and Pakistan's relations with it, I completely agree with you about the latter's decision to refrain from participating in the slaughter of impoverished Yemenis - but do not endorse continuing normal ties with a regime that is clearly perpetrating war crimes, crimes against Allah SwT, Islam and the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The answer to poverty in Pakistan is not to export it but to deal with its root causes - we cannot sell our Souls to Satan and then claim we had to because we were starving. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his family, Companions, Muslim Community were under siege, they were sanctioned, starved, killed - but they did not retreat nor submit to the forces of al-Jahiliyaah. And I am very sorry to have to say this, but the Saudi regime and oil-rich Gulf allies are the forces of al-Jahiliyaah - their persecution, oppression and killing of Muslims (anyone who opposes or challenges them like Jamal Khashoggi) and alliances with anti-Islam forces in the West makes them the inheritors and successors of al-Quraysh. The Days of Ignorance returned many centuries ago but became apparent with the balkanization of the so-called 'Middle East' in the 20th Century during British/French colonial rule (it's not East if one is in China!)

In any case, I understand the emotional connection to Arabia on account of Mecca, Medina and the love we all have for the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) - but the Saudi regime is just a proxy for the West, this should be obvious in the way it always aligns itself with US interests and agendas.
 
RIYADH: An unlikely royal joined a Saudi delegation to the UAE this week, and readers of the kingdom’s political landscape are viewing the move as a message of family unity from its de facto ruler after fractious years spent building his power base.

Prince Abdulaziz bin Ahmed is the eldest son of Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, the detained brother of the Saudi monarch, and has no official post. Yet his name topped the Saudi state media’s list of delegates accompanying Crown Prince and heir apparent Mohammed bin Salman to pay respects to the new United Arab Emirates ruler.

Known as MbS, Prince Mohammed had held off heading to the UAE until his father King Salman, 86, left hospital after a week-long stay that refocused Saudi watchers’ and analysts’ attention on issues of succession.

“Having the son of Prince Ahmed sitting next to him in Abu Dhabi is a strong message to local and international public opinions, especially with the succession looming,” said one Saudi source familiar with the royal family’s workings, declining to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.

More broadly, the delegation represented a careful balancing by MbS of figures from different branches of the family, said Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, a political scientist at Rice University’s Baker Institute in the United States.

“(This) perhaps was designed to demonstrate a show of unity within the Al Saud family that has been under strain from issues such as the detention of Prince Ahmed and Mohammed bin Nayef,” he said.

The Saudi government did not respond to a request for comment on the delegation or signals its composition might have sent.

In a rapid ascent to power, Prince Mohammed has cracked down on perceived rivals and critics since replacing Mohammed bin Nayef (MbN), the king’s nephew, as crown prince in a palace coup in 2017.

DAWN
 
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