Moderate Muslim leader takes on the extremists The Saudi Prince who could save the world
IT was a power struggle described as Saudi Arabia’s Game of Thrones – and there is no doubt who won.
Mohammed bin Salman was named Crown Prince and heir to the throne in June this year, ousting his powerful cousin Mohammed bin Nayef, who is 27 years his senior. Now he has his eyes on a much bigger prize.
His father, King Salman, is 81 and is suffering with dementia.
Prince Mohammed is just 32, but he is already the power behind the throne. He is deputy prime minister and the world’s youngest defence minister. He also controls the nation’s oil reserves – the royal family’s biggest source of wealth – and has pledged this week to return Saudi Arabia to moderate Islam and “destroy extremism”.
It is a potential global gamechanger. After all, Osama Bin Laden and many of the 9/11 attackers came from Saudi Arabia, and the country has been accused of promoting Wahhabism, a puritanical branch of Islam said to have inspired the Manchester and London Bridge terrorist attacks.
So, to many, bin Salman is seen as a welcome breath of fresh air in a country where old men – both religious and royal – have ruled with rods of iron for decades.
Jane Kinninmont, an expert on Saudi Arabian affairs and deputy head of the Middle East Programme at policy institute Chatham House, said: “In the long term, Mohammed bin Salman can modernise Saudi Arabia and reduce religious extremism. That could definitely help to counter terrorism globally. That is the ideal scenario, but it is going to be a hard transition and, if anything, the risk of terrorism probably goes up in the short term, as ISIS and al-qaeda have managed to recruit and raise money in Saudi Arabia in the past, and they will be saying this new guy is just Westernising the country, to try to recruit.”
Prince Mohammed, or MBS as he is known, was the king’s seventh and youngest son, from his third wife. He began trading in shares and property while he was still in his early teens and was bailed out by his father when he ran into the odd scrape.
He did not smoke or drink and had no interest in partying.
He studied law at King Saud University, before marrying Princess Sarah bint Mashhoor bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, in 2008. They have three children together.
But the prince did not burst into the public spotlight until his father was crowned king two years ago.
As deputy crown prince, he made vital contacts, meeting with Russian President Putin and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
Since then, Prince Mohammed has launched the country’s Vision 2030 to modernise the economy and attract the foreign investment the country needs to ease its reliance on its dwindling oil reserves.
The most radical change so far is the way bin Salman has curbed the power of the hardline clerics and their feared religious police, removing their ability to arrest people on the spot for breaching the country’s strict moral code.
Jane said: “They might come and arrest you just for sitting outside a cafe with a member of the opposite sex. It is much easier for people to hang out with their friends in mixed groups now.”
Prince Mohammed also aims to end the ban on entertainment – including cinemas and pop concerts – and this comes after an announcement last month women will finally be allowed to drive.
All this is likely to prove popular in a country where 70% of its 31 million people are under the age of 30. But that does not mean all young people are united behind the Crown Prince’s plans.
And a more liberal approach to religion has not led to an increase in democracy. The number of death sentences has risen since he became Crown Prince and those who criticise his government are likely to be arrested and face cruel punishments.
Prince Mohammed’s confrontational approach to foreign policy has also increased tensions with enemy Iran and started a war with Yemen, where horrendous civilian casualties have faced international condemnation and prompted calls for the British government to stop selling arms to Saudi Arabia.
But bin Salman has time to play the long game. Experts believe he could reign as king of Saudi Arabia for 50 years and if he can realise his ambitious vision for his country, it could eventually make the world a safer place.
warren.manger@trinitymirror.com