The good news from Saudi Arabia

As most Power Line readers know, Stephen Schwartz, Executive Director of the Center for Islamic Pluralism, is our go-to guy on the vital and related subjects of Wahhabi Islam and Saudi Arabian complicity in terorrism. We were happy to learn that one of Stephen’s predictions/hopes for 2007 is that Saudi King Abdullah “will rapidly and decisively prevail over the backward elements of the royal family” and “break the monopoly of Wahhabi Islam over religious life in the kingdom.” “These are not utopian hopes,” Stephen wrote, because “Saudi Arabia today has a growing middle class pressing against the old regime, and demanding to live in a normal society.”
Tonight, Stephen sounded even more optimistic. He noted that the Saudis have lifted their policy of censorship to the point that someone has published a book in praise of the Jewish contribution to civilization. Based on this and other evidence, Stephen thinks that King Abdullah is in fact prevailing in his struggle against the backward elements in his family.
We’ll be following this under-reported story closely.
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