Ever set in its ways, the kingdom is approaching an economic, political and generational reckoning. From tribal Middle Ages to the modern day will have a price.
It seemed like a joke. But it was a standard work offer, published on 18 May 2015 in the main Saudi newspapers. It could also be viewed online, so it definitely wasn’t from the Middle Ages. “The Saudi government seeks eight executioners”. Their job description? “Implementing the verdicts pronounced in name of the sharia (Islamic law)”, such as capital punishment, amputations, all the way down to flogging. The only requirement: “good physical fitness”. What may seem like an exaggeration is nothing more than a detail in the daily life of a country that is on extremely good terms with the West. The situation does make headlines, for example in the documentary Saudi Arabia Uncovered, produced by Frontline (the investigative documentary series distributed by the American public TV network PBS), which detailed how human rights are trampled underfoot daily in Riyadh in the name of a very strict interpretation of Islam. Shot with hidden cameras and smartphones, the film shows nauseating scenes of beheadings in the public square, floggings of members of the opposition and operations by the religious police against women who are not sufficiently covered by their veils.
To many observers, this very inflexibility has enabled the Saud family to control the country from 1932 to the present day.
Thanks to its symbolic impact, Islam is the most effective tool by which one can legitimize power in a tribal society. And we must not forget that the Arabian Peninsula is the cradle of Islam. It is the location of the city of Mecca, the direction towards which all practising Muslims the world over turn five times a day during their prayers.
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Ever set in its ways, the kingdom is approaching an economic, political and generational reckoning. From tribal Middle Ages to the modern day will have a price.
