Forgotten World (240): Saudi Arabia
While revolutionary fervour sweeps the Arab world, one country so far hardly affected – except for its intervention to support the ruler of Bahrain – is Saudi Arabia. It sits on more than 25% of the world’s known oil reserves and it is capable of producing more than 10 million barrels per day and rising which gives it enormous geo-political importance.
Named after the ruling Al Saud family, which came to power in the 18th century, the country of 26 million includes the Hijaz region – the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad and the cradle of Islam. This fact, combined with the Al Sauds’ espousal of a strict interpretation of Sunni Islam known as Wahhabism, has led it to develop a strongly religious self-identity.
Municipal elections in 2005 were a first, limited exercise in democracy. But political parties are banned – the opposition is organised from outside the country – and activists who publicly broach the subject of reform risk being jailed.