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Secret Kingdom - Inside Saudi Arabia
By Adrian Addison and Michael Williams |
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Our foreign correspondent Michael Williams and producer Adrian Addison gained rare access to the 'secret kingdom' of Saudi Arabia. In a series of reports they explore the political and social situation in the country.
Listen (right) to Mike Williams' interview with a leading member of the royal family, Prince Talal bin Abdul Aziz, brother of King Fahd and President of The Arab Gulf Programme for United Nations Development Organisation (AGFUND). He began by asking the prince about the economic and social problems facing the Kingdom.
Background to the Secret Kingdom
Although parts of the capital look like an American shopping mall, and other areas resemble Knightsbridge, in many ways, Riyadh is living in the 15th century. The Islamic new year turned over last week to 1423.
Tensions Between Attitudes
The Kingdom is balanced, unsteadily, between ancient and modern. While Crown Prince Abdallah ibn Abdel Aziz, who has day-to-day running of the country, might want to bring in small, liberal changes, he is limited by the powerful conservative Islamists.
Islamic Activists in Saudi Arabia
"We want the American government to change their policy on Palestine and we want to cut their strategic relationship with the Saudi government. They should get out of the Middle East and stop propping up these dictatorial regimes."
The Saudi Perspective on American Support for Israel
Every Saudi we spoke to - from royalty to the unemployed - is dismayed by the US support for Israel. They see it as the root of all America's problems with Islamic extremists, and the recruitment sergeant for militant groups such as al-Qaeda.
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In Saudi Arabia the ultra-modern and the medieval coexist |
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Saudis are overwhelmingly dismayed by America's support for Israel. |
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