Contradictions
Prince Salman of Saudi Arabia is the de facto leader of his country.
His arrival on the international scene has been enthusiastically received in the West. Cynics claim that it’s all to do with the petro dollars of the Kingdom. Is he really modern and forward-looking?
He has allowed women to drive for the first time.
But he has imprisoned the women who long campaigned for this.
He claims to be open to new ideas, but it is rumoured that Esra al-Ghamgham, who has campaigned for Shia rights has been executed.
In a country which has no industrial base, importing everything from vegetables to military airplanes, they now have Sophia, the world’s most advanced robot. Salman has pushed his generosity to untold limits, by awarding Sophia Saudi Arab citizenship. The first robot to have any citizenship. It is not clear at the moment whether they will expect her to
wear a niqab.
