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Saudi King Shakes Up Government To Get More Religious Moderates

By Howard M. Friedman

Today's New York Times and CNN-IBN report that Saudi Arabia's Kiing Abdullah yesterday removed two officials in an effort to reduce the political power of hard-line Muslim clerics. Sheikh Ibrahim al-Ghaith, head of the Muttawah (religious police), has been replaced by Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Humain. Also Sheik Saleh al-Luhaidan, head of the Supreme Judiciary Court, has been replaced by Saleh bin Humaid. al-Ludhaidan had gained notoriety by issuing a fatwa urging the killing of satellite television executives ecause of the immoral soap operas run by their stations. In two additional moderating steps, King Abdullah for the first time appointed a woman to serve as a deputy cabinet minister. Norah Al-Fayez was appointed deputy education minister for female education . Finally Abdullah expanded the Grand Ulema Commission to include scholars from all branches of Sunni Islam, rather than just Hanbalis who have dominated the Commission in the past.

Full post as published by Religion Clause on February 15, 2009 (boomark / email).