Nathan French in The Conversation: ‘Saudi reforms are softening Islam’s role’
The crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, is bringing a new vision of a “moderate, balanced” Saudi Islam by minimizing the role of Saudi religious institutions once seen as critical to the monarchy, French says
Under the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, or “MBS,” women have been allowed to drive; co-educational classrooms, movie theaters, and all-night concerts in the desert – in which men and women dance together – are a new normal, says Nathan French, associate professor of Comparative Religion.
“MBS acknowledges that these reforms risk infuriating certain constituents or could even provoke retaliation,” French says. As a scholar who studies interpretations of Islamic law to justify or contest militancy, he follows these reforms closely.
Read his article “Saudi reforms are softening Islam’s role, but critics warn the kingdom will still take a hard line against dissent” in The Conversation (Sept. 5).
