A most-modern ruler, MBS
Mohammad Bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia is usually given a good press in the western media, for no other reason than the petrol wealth of the country, which make it possible to create great trade opportunities for the west. The hopeful trade partners are willing to turn a blind eye to the crimes, rather than misdemeanours of the petrol-rich kingdom. Thus in spite of watertight and damning evidence of the prince’s direct involvement in the most disgusting murder of the last decade_ Mr Jamal Kashoggi’s_ MBS, as the turbulent prince likes to be called, is
received with pomp and veneration wherever he goes (Paris 2023), London (due in Nov. 24). It is the only country in the world which beheads criminals or the prince’s enemies_ the same thing. 170 such spectacles took place in 2023. Gays are legally criminals and susceptible to stoning.
However, British newspapers never miss an opportunity of reminding their readers that the prince is a torch-bearer for modernity and reform. He, it was, who single-handedly allowed women to drive, albeit after jailing the principal campaigner for her effort. He is so forward-looking that he has arranged for billions to be spent towards the development of the many sports for which his country is famous, and I do not mean camel-racing. For example, Saudi Arabia has bought Newcastle united football team, once a reputable North-East English institution, and Sheffield United. More recently, the
country has bought the sole rights to women’s tennis by signing a lucrative contract with the WTA. Whether LBGT participants come back unscathed after winning trophies is yet to be established.
Interestingly, after Princess Reema bin Bandar al Saoud, a cousin of the king-in-waiting, made an enthralling speech extolling the great leaps forward made my the women of her country, after the personal intervention of MBS, it has been revealed that Manahel al-Otaibi, a fitness instructor has been awarded an eleven-year jail sentence for inappropriate dressing, in her case, wearing dungarees.
In the last 10 years, Britain has sold £29 billion worth of arms to Saudi Arabia.
