This week in The Economist there was an article that looked at the legal system and the proposed changes to the legal system in Saudi Arabia. The beginning of the article summarized the current way in which the Saudi government’s legal system works. It is, in simple terms, a system of un-codified rules and laws determined by the Wahabbi. These laws are derived from a group of religious text, the main one of course being the Qur’an. This article mainly discusses the unjust laws that are created from the point of view of the women of the country. 10% of the population of Saudi Arabia claim to dislike the current legal system, and while following the word of the Qur’an they still feel that modern legal interpretations are needed in their judicial system. The Saudi legal system is
“Run by a coterie of ultra-puritanical judges who believe their rulings, based on their own interpretation of religious texts, represent the will of God.”
This article comes back to one of the more fundamental struggles that Islam seems to have faced throughout its history. There was the argument in the Pre World War One era that the Middle Eastern states should try to adopt western ideas and become more “westernized,” as we know this did not work. The Middle East ended up taking a more fundamentalist view trying to look for answers in the Qur’an.
In the end the article says that it doubts that there will be much progress from these new laws that have been trying to work their way into the Saudi system. The article argues that stubborn judges and a legal system so set in its ways will have a hard time changing into a more modern and functional three tiered legal system.
In all, this article does a good job showing the contrast between the tradition and the desire to make modern and forward progress. It shows how hard it is to rebound from 200 years of a legal system that refused to accept outside influence. It will take a massive overhaul and a massive ideological change within Saudi Arabia to make a difference.
