Saudi Extremists Decry Even Small Reforms

(AP/FOX News) - The Saudi royal family faces four staggering problems: It must liberalize its ailing economy, which means more, not less, contact with the West. It must satisfy many Saudis' desire for greater freedom and more say in politics. And it must tame the radical religious elements so the royal family's role as guardian of Islam's holy places will not be challenged. Finally, it must battle violent extremists whom many people believe have been encouraged by the preachings of the religious establishment and its strict Wahhabi Muslim philosophy. "The state is in trouble now," said Abdulaziz al-Gasim, a reformist lawyer. "It was the one that created Wahhabism and Wahhabism is what's strangling it now."


2003-11-11 00:00:00

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