Table of Contents
What are major religious beliefs in Saudi Arabia?
According to official statistics 90\% of Saudi Arabian citizens are Sunni Muslims, 10\% are Shia. (More than 30\% of the population is made up of foreign workers who are predominantly but not entirely Muslim.)
How does the Saudi Arabian government work?
The politics of Saudi Arabia takes place in the context of a totalitarian absolute monarchy with Islamist lines, where the King is both the head of state and government. Decisions are, to a large extent, made on the basis of consultation among the senior princes of the royal family and the religious establishment.
What are the two main ethnic compositions found in Saudi Arabia?
As mentioned, Arabs and Afro-Arabs are the majority of citizens. This is because there is a massive population of non-citizen residents in Saudi Arabia.
Is pork banned in Saudi?
Imports of pork or pork products are not allowed by Saudi Arabia. Imports of poultry or poultry products are not allowed by Saudi Arabia. However, poultry or poultry products may be allowed for entry for U.S. diplomatic or military use.
How powerful is Saudi Arabia’s religious establishment?
BURAIDA, Saudi Arabia — For decades, Saudi Arabia’s religious establishment wielded tremendous power, with bearded enforcers policing public behavior, prominent sheikhs defining right and wrong, and religious associations using the kingdom’s oil wealth to promote their intolerant interpretation of Islam around the world.
What does the Saudi purge of hard-line clerics mean for policymaking?
Dozens of hard-line clerics have been detained, while others were designated to speak publicly about respect for other religions, a topic once anathema to the kingdom’s religious apparatus. If the changes take hold, they could mean a historic reordering of the Saudi state by diminishing the role of hard-line clerics in shaping policy.
Why did Saudi Arabia’s Council of senior scholars endorse the arrests?
As evidence of that, the kingdom’s chief religious body, the Council of Senior Scholars, endorsed the arrests over the weekend, saying that Islamic law “instructs us to fight corruption and our national interest requires it.”
How did Saudi Arabia’s royal family gain power?
Since then, the royal family governed with guidance from the clerics, who legitimized their rule. The alliance persisted through the foundation of the modern Saudi state by the crown prince’s grandfather in 1932, giving the kingdom its strict Islamic character.