To the extent that any absolute monarchy can claim a right to rule, the Saudi monarchy bases its claim on religious credentials. That might not have been much of a problem when Ibn Saud established the kingdom in 1932, but it is now. The dominant local version of Islam – Wahhabism – is no basis for running a modern state.
The present ruler, King Abdullah, seems to recognise this – at least, up to a point. Though a devout Wahhabi himself, he's a little more in touch with reality than many of the religious scholars and since coming to the throne five years ago he has been trying to modernise here and there, but very cautiously.
Among other things, he has been pushing for a proper legal system – though even that is too much for the more reactionary scholars who regard "man-made" laws as an abomination. [Guardian Cif] Read more
