Technology as a symbol of modernity in Saudi Arabia

BBC runs an interesting piece on the social transformations happening in Saudi Arabia, and it appears that technology – the Internet and mobile phones especially – is emerging as a key symbol in this fight between modernists and convservativess (even though the use of such label is probably tentative, as you’ll discover on reading the ...

BBC runs an interesting piece on the social transformations happening in Saudi Arabia, and it appears that technology - the Internet and mobile phones especially - is emerging as a key symbol in this fight between modernists and convservativess (even though the use of such label is probably tentative, as you'll discover on reading the BBC piece):

BBC runs an interesting piece on the social transformations happening in Saudi Arabia, and it appears that technology – the Internet and mobile phones especially – is emerging as a key symbol in this fight between modernists and convservativess (even though the use of such label is probably tentative, as you’ll discover on reading the BBC piece):

King Abdullah presents himself as a sponsor of reformed Islam, while his brother, the Interior Minister, reaches out to traditional scholars, judges and the religious police.

Saudi media reflect these tensions.

In one week in April, a Saudi-owned entertainment channel filmed a report about the merits of marriage arranged on the internet, while another Saudi channel screened a tragic TV drama.

It told the story of two sisters who are kidnapped by men they meet on the internet, beaten and violently raped.

The rapists threaten to circulate video clips of the rapes, filmed on their mobile phones, if the sisters dare to go to the police.

 

Evgeny Morozov is a fellow at the Open Society Institute and sits on the board of OSI's Information Program. He writes the Net Effect blog on ForeignPolicy.com

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