Saudi Arabia has the notorious reputation of being one of the most conservative, religious countries in the world. However, that could all change with the Crown Prince, Mohammad bin Salman, or MBS.
There has been some decrease in the use of oil due to growing environmental awareness and the knowledge that it will one day run out. Due to this, stocks and investments in oil, specifically foreign oil, have dropped due to the dependencies it creates. This drop greatly affected Saudi Arabia and thus, MBS is attempting to create more industries on which Saudi Arabia’s economy can depend on. One of these is entertainment.
Last week, Saudi Arabia showed its first cinematic screening since the 80s, and there’s much, much more to come. With the rapid influx of western movies, shows, and music, the religious police will most certainly loose its fast grip on Saudi society. No doubt, some remnants will remain of its influence, but if this pace of westernization continues, they will become all but obsolete.
However, there is another stance one could take on this. Yes, Mohammad bin Salman appears to be more liberal and open minded than his predecessors; but, this does not mean he doesn’t still have ties to the same ideas as the rest of the House of Saud. It is possible that young MBS sees the need for some change in order to pacify the young population of Saudi Arabia. This allowance for western media may be his idea of compromising just enough to give the appearance of freedom.
Personally, I think that, with this encouragement of western media, it will be impossible to retain the same style of regime as in the past. Young people feel entitled, for better or for worse, for materials and for rights, and they will do what they must to get it. And, if they are constantly watching movies and hearing music in which aspects of freedom are discussed, they will feel the absence of it in their own lives like a gaping hole.