Word: fahd
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...eighth day, when pilgrims must spend the night camping on the desert plain of Mina outside Mecca. The incident is another in a series of embarrassments for a Saudi government that has increasingly staked its legitimacy on its role as the guardian of the Holy Places. "King Fahd now carries the title 'Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques,' an important element of legitimacy, given that the Saud family were basically conquerors of the tribes of the Arabian peninsula and have never permitted an election," notes TIME's Scott MacLeod. "King Fahd has spent billions on vast and opulent expansion projects...
...militant Muslim activists from throughout the Middle East, listening to them preach revolution against corrupt rulers who collaborated with the decadent and immoral West. After returning to the kingdom, Said followed the diatribes of Saudi exiles, including Osama bin Laden, a millionaire stripped of citizenship for denouncing King Fahd and demanding the expulsion of U.S. troops. Soon the thoughts of Said and his comrades turned to rebellion...
...additional problem for the monarchy is that it is in the midst of a prolonged and unsettling succession. King Fahd, 75, suffered a stroke last year just after the Riyadh bombing and has not fully recovered. His memory is impaired. Even so, he has reclaimed the powers he transferred temporarily to Crown Prince Abdullah, 73. Abdullah, Fahd's half brother, continues to manage things day to day, even though he does not have the kind of authority he needs to control an absolute monarchy. Bandar says of Fahd, "The night of the bombing, I was with him from...
Three times during the past month, Fahd's considerable entourage of doctors, nurses, advisers, relatives, friends and servants has been dispatched to the airport for an overseas flight, only to be told to return to the royal palace. The sudden changes in plan apparently result from the determination of Fahd's closest relatives to secure their positions in the new order before the King is sent away...
...During Fahd's 14-year reign, he and his full brothers, called the "Sudairi Seven" after their mother, acquired enormous power within the ruling family. Prince Sultan and Prince Naif, for example, head up the Ministries of Defense and Interior. Before they allow Fahd to pass from the scene, these men want their privileges assured. In particular, Sultan wants Abdullah to designate him the next heir apparent, his right by tradition. Says a source: "The Fahd faction is saying, 'O.K., he goes, but not until our positions are safe and secure.'" Thus Fahd's departure will be a sign that...