Word: fahd
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Eager to show Washington that he is willing to embrace at least some democratic principles, Fahd announced plans in April to appoint a Consultative Council to advise the policymaking Council of Ministers. By Western democratic standards, the proposal is modest. But in the autocratic gulf region, any step to broaden participation in government is radical. Fahd first proposed a Consultative Council more than a decade ago, but shelved the initiative when the Iranian revolution aroused fears of regional instability...
...characteristically subdued Saudi style, the debate prompted by Fahd's proposed reforms is neither conducted in public meetings nor reported in the country's media. The government bans public gatherings of three or more people, and press censorship precludes coverage of internal disputes. Instead, petitions and pamphlets, widely disseminated by photocopiers and fax machines, inform the public of conservative and liberal views. Both minorities seek to influence Saudi Arabia's silent majority, but the literature of the well- organized ultraconservatives is more plentiful and vituperative. Religious extremists have even advocated the execution of so-called secularists -- men without beards...
Alarmed by the aggressiveness of the religious extremists, 43 moderate businessmen and intellectuals petitioned Fahd to fulfill his pledge to make the government more democratic. "A Consultative Council is a symbol of participation that will help educate the public," says Abdul Muhsin al-Akkas, an executive of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry. "We are not yet ready for free elections, but it is a step forward." In response, the religious conservatives marshaled support in the mosques for the implementation of Shari'a. Last month religious leaders in the conservative stronghold of Buraida spread rumors that a popular sheik...
...moderates were encouraged when Fahd met in April with four of the 47 women who drove their automobiles last November in defiance of tradition. The women, many of them teachers (one of the few professions open to females), were suspended from their jobs, plagued by anonymous phone calls, threatened with beheading by rabid Muslim preachers and denied permission to leave the - country. Like a stern but forgiving father, Fahd told the women he had to discipline them as he would his own daughters, but hinted that their punishment would soon end. Nonetheless, the issue of women's rights is likely...
...educated middle-class Saudis, who chafe at religious persecution and political disenfranchisement, Fahd's promises have raised hopes of progressive if gradual change. "By next fall," predicts an aide to a senior prince, "there will be a Consultative Council and a major Cabinet reshuffle." The council, consisting of 80 to 100 appointive members, will have limited powers that will not impinge on the absolute authority of the monarch. According to the Saudi adviser, the Cabinet changes will not involve defense and internal security. Fahd's half brother, Crown Prince Abdullah, commands the National Guard, and his full brothers, Prince Sultan...