Saudi intellectuals ask monarch for reforms to maintain the kingdom’s national unity

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Influential intellectuals have asked Saudi Arabia’s monarch to adopt far-reaching political and social reforms. They said in a statement Thursday that Arab rulers should derive a lesson from the uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya and listen to the voice of disenchanted young people. The group includes renowned Islamic scholars, a female academic, a poet and a former diplomat. The call for change came after Saudi Arabia’s 86-year-old ruler announced an unprecedented economic aid package, including interest-free home loans. The package, estimated at 135 billion Saudi riyals ($36 billion), was seen as an attempt to get ahead of potential unrest. A wave of unrest has…

Originally posted here:

Saudi intellectuals ask monarch for reforms to maintain the kingdom’s national unity

Posted by on February 24, 2011. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry