THE SAUDI OFFENSIVE – AT 12:18 P.M. ET:  I must tell you that I've seen nothing like this from the Arab world.  Saudi Arabia, the radical Muslim nation from which most of the 9-11 hijackers came, is on a major reform offensive, and its seems to be serious.

As we've said before, we must reserve a little room for skepticism.  Nations, especially the old Soviet Union, have often used "charm offensives" to better their position, only to revert to their old selves in time.  And the man leading the Saudi campaign, the new crown prince, can suddenly not be there.

But we can hope that this time we'll see real progress.  From Reuters: 

Saudi Arabia is revamping its education curriculum to eradicate any trace of Muslim Brotherhood influence and will dismiss anyone working in the sector who sympathizes with the banned group, the education minister said.

Promoting a more moderate form of Islam is one of the promises made by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman under plans to modernize the deeply conservative Muslim kingdom.

The Education Ministry is working to “combat extremist ideologies by reviewing school curricula and books to ensure they do not reflect the banned Muslim Brotherhood’s agenda,” Ahmed bin Mohammed al-Isa said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

It would “ban such books from schools and universities and remove those who sympathize with the group or its ideology from their posts,” he added.

In September, a large Saudi public university announced it would dismiss employees suspected of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, adding to concerns that the government is clamping down on its critics in academia and beyond.

Earlier this month, Crown Prince Mohammed told CBS in an interview that Saudi schools have been “invaded” by elements of the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been designated by Saudi Arabia as a terrorist organization along with other militant groups such as al Qaeda and Islamic State.

COMMENT:  This is all good.  It is also good that Saudi Arabia is a bulwark against Iran in the Mideast.  And there are reports which we've noted here, that the Saudis are carrying on a below-the-surface relationship with Israel.

We wait for the next act of reform.

March 21, 2018