We lost a good king. I personally witnessed his concern for: 1) Improving basic life for Saudis (my school is one example, travel scholarships for the average citizen is another) 2) The improvement of conditions for single women (the increasing number of jobs available for them - up from nearly zero- is irrefutable evidence plus laying the legal and theological groundwork for driving rights) 3) The struggle to improve Sunni-Shia relations despite the worst sectarian violence in centuries (See his person defense of Amhedinijad from rowdy sectarian protesters, his effect on the Bahraini police i.e. violence stopping overnight when he got involved, fair treatment for Shia at my own institution, swift reaction to the ISIS-linked murder of Shia last Ashura, restriction of anti-Shia speech, etc.) 4) Improving infrastructure across the Kingdom (see any number of massive projects in any Saudi city) 5) Moving Saudi toward a more central theological stance (see increasing respect for historical monuments, increased tolerance of Madhhabs and other Islamic ideas, new centrist Saudi publishing companies printing things like Ihya Ulm ud-Din, a small but flourishing liberal publishing/media/arts scene, recent conference on Abu Hanifa, etc.) 6) The reformation of the Haia (Over 5 years in Jeddah the Haia have been laid back and even helpful on one occasion, and they definitely dont bother about things they may have 15 years ago) 7) The improvement of safety for pilgrims (check a timeline of Hajj deaths before and after recent improvements) May Allah forgive his mistakes and reward him for his good deeds, and grant him a place in paradise.
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 12:14:27 +0000
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