If you grow up in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), you are assumed to be a “strict” Muslim. Some of the factors that have contributed to the development of this type of cultural identity are clan cultures and recent political upheaval in neighboring countries. This has produced a religious fervor that has shaped recent cultural change in Saudi society, creating a very strict interpretation of Islam. The belief among current leadership is that the progress of positive social change stopped with the rise of the religious ‘awakening’ movement in Saudi Arabia during the early 1980s. The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) has proposed a new set of cultural expectations, along with economic reforms, that the society is adopting under Vision 2030. In this article, I will discuss the implications of this process from a Saudi perspective.
The shape of this identity has been historically determined through media outlets and the educational process. This has resulted in the expected imposition of strict social norms. Therefore, in some cases, these social norms do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of all individuals. In this situation, the challenge the government is facing is the creation of a defined Saudi cultural identity without generating community-based resistance.
In a religious society, some of the reforms embodied in Vision 2030 can be considered “threats” and can generate debate based on ethnocentric values. At the local level, some associate the Vision with threats to their cultural and social identity, which might become a challenge to the transformational process. The high level of abstraction in the culture creates a unifying force of nationalism around people’s political and religious beliefs, which is what helps to define the identity of many KSA citizens.
At last year’s conference of the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal said that “social and cultural levels call for drastic remedial measures to cross over to the future”. That is why some consider Vision 2030 to be a movement or what he calls a ‘’confrontation with social reality.’’ This new approach by the administration seeks to implement strategic plans to meet future goals. A critical social analysis of how the society is reacting will prevent these plans from collapsing.
A fundamental issue facing the society is the gender-based contrast in social values. Last May an article by The Monitor‘s Editorial Board argued that Saudi Arabia is struggling to define its national identity. Their concern was that “The move reflects a wider struggle between the introduction of new values such as gender equality and the old authoritarianism, especially the strength of the conservative Muslim clergy.” They believe that the kingdom needs a more “attractive national identity” to attract foreign investment. Another challenge is what Saudi filmmaker Hamzah Jamjoom thinks is “ego” or what he calls a “fear of self-image,” in an interview with the director of the Washington Film Institute, John Hanshaw. In some of his films he raises the issue of learning about other cultures. All of this can generate social tension.
The constant and ongoing change in content and modes of communication is creating new subcultures, especially in social media. These subcultures can be observed in unrestricted online debates. They show that there are new thought processes that reach beyond strict interpretations of Islam and call for a newly defined civic identity. In fact, social media, where strict cultural rules do not have to apply, have provided new social space for individual identities to emerge and create cultural communities which reflect the underlying contract between social identity and self identity.
To promote the evolution of the national identity, a main focus of Vision 2030 is civic virtue in the context of Saudi culture. Under the National Transformation Program 2020, to advance the kingdom’s strategic objectives, the government has established the General Culture Authority (GCA). The goal is cultural development, which was summarized in their document in three main categories; “a. preserve the Saudi, Arab and Islamic cultural heritage and history, b. preserve the national identity, promote it and pass it to future generations, c. support and promote cultural activities.”
Economic stability is a significant motive for implementing many of these changes, including identity transformation processes. For example, to end the era of dependency on oil revenue, the kingdom has started to recruit foreign investors to help develop one of the Vision’s major projects: NEOM. Also, the newly developed General Entertainment Authority (GEA) has been effectively promoting all kinds of social events and festivals, and it has been meeting some of Vision 2030 goals to diversify sources of national income.
Music festivals have been a part of this movement, and they have created an ongoing controversy among the clergy and the general population. The question is whether or not these festivals are undermining the national Islamic identity. Lately, many Imams issued a “fatwa”, arguing that it is debatable whether music is “harram” (forbidden) or not. The majority of Imams think that it is harram, and that the blame for trying to change their Islamic identity falls on this Ministry.
The New York Times published an article a few months ago covering a fashion show in the capital of the KSA, Riyadh, as an example of this identity transformation project, which is leading to a new social reality. Hala al-Harithy, a fashion stylist, told the Times reporter at the event that “Our first fashion week might seem small to some, but it feels like a milestone to many.” In another article, and after visiting Riyadh, Tom Friedman, in his piece about Saudi Arabia’s Arab Spring and the reform process, stated that it feels like it is giving youth there “a new identity”.
Remarkable change has been taking place with regard to enforcement of religious traditions and advocacy for the empowerment of women. Gradually, the society is accepting new social behavior. What used to be ‘harram’ is now viewed as normal behavior. Women driving, liberalization of the dress code, the appointment of women to public office, the opening of cinemas, and the promotion of music festivals are a few examples of how things are changing rapidly for Saudi society.
To conclude, change of identity is not a clear or easy task, especially when Saudi culture can represent the Muslim identity for much of the Muslim world. “Saudis don’t want to lose their identity, but we want to be part of the global culture. We want to merge our culture with global identity,” MBS told The Atlantic.
Intercultural Communication 