Politics
Saudis Cling to Tradition
The grand plan to transform the kingdom is meeting resistance in a place that’s only known ultra-conservative Islam.
“Vision 2030” also called for a “vibrant society” with more female workers, sports clubs, and entertainment.
Photographer: Fayez Nureldine/AFP via Getty Images
At food trucks off a busy highway in Riyadh, young Saudis kicked off the weekend with burgers and ice cream, the men served by women covered top to toe in black as music muffled the din of generators.
The relaxed atmosphere on a Thursday evening in the run-up to U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit in May marked the start of the weekend, but it’s an image that stirs uneasiness in the birthplace of Islam. Until a year ago, it would have violated bans to music and sexes mixing in public.