Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 Campaign: Lifting Bans and Transforming Saudi Arabia’s Laws
By: Wesam Shahed
On April 25, 2016, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS or Crown Prince) announced a plan to reduce Saudi Arabia's dependence on oil through the diversification of its economy and the improvement of the public service sectors, such as health, education, infrastructure, recreation, and tourism.[1] In order to achieve this ambitious goal, MBS has reconstructed portions of the Saudi Arabian government.[2] The Crown Prince has focused on three pillars that have been the foundation of his “Vision 2030 Campaign,” which include maintaining the “status as the heart of the Arab and Islamic worlds,” becoming “a global investment powerhouse,” and becoming a global hub that connects “three continents, Asia, Europe, and Africa.”[3] Overall, the Crown Prince’s goal is to return Saudi Arabia to a “moderate” Islamic country.[4]
Regarding the first pillar of Vision 2030, the Crown Prince has made many movements towards gender equality in Saudi Arabia. MBS has begun to lift bans that prohibited women from participating in certain activities such as driving and attending soccer games.[5] Women will now also be able to attend other sporting stadiums and events besides soccer. [6] Furthermore, Saudi Arabia’s government loosened traveling restrictions on women as women were once not allowed to travel without a male’s consent.[7] Other changes in the country’s laws include women allowing to register a marriage, divorce, or a child’s birth without a male’s consent.[8] Moreover, women can now be the sole legal guardian.[9] Women now can also open their own business without a male’s consent. [10] Due to some reforms, the Crown Prince has implemented, female presence in the Saudi Arabian workforce has also increased substantially.[11] Finally, Saudi Arabia’s government has placed new police regulations in response to police tactics that have been historically discriminatory towards women.[12]
Concerning other modes of entertainment, MBS has recently lifted the ban against public cinemas, which has been prohibited since the 1980s.[13] Saudi Arabia has now hosted musicians such as American rapper Nelly and Greek pianist Yanni.[14] Besides music, arts, and movies, Saudi Arabia has now hosted a variety of different types of entertainment events, such as Comic-Con events, food trucks, and monster truck rallies.[15] While these changes in Saudi Arabia’s laws have had positive social impacts on its populace, economic growth will likely occur as well.
Regarding the second pillar of Vision 2030, the Saudi Arabian government predicts that twenty-four billion dollars will be added to its economy and thirty thousand new jobs will be created by 2030.[16] In 2018, the Crown Prince also advocated and invested 6.7 billion dollars into creating a high-speed line connecting Mecca and Medina, which are among the holiest cities in Islam. [17] Finally, MBS has recently announced the futuristic mega-city called “Neom,” which the Saudi Arabian government will have estimated to invest 500 billion dollars and is thirty-three times larger than New York City.[18] Upon its completion, Neom is supposed to have flying cars, teachers addressing their students via holograms, artificial rain in the desert, an artificial moon that envelops the city, glow in the dark sand, and a theme park of robotic dinosaurs. [19] The creation of Neom will likely change not only Saudi Arabia’s laws, but many countries across the world as each country deals with these improvements in technology.
Regarding the third pillar of Vision 2030, the Crown Prince is also attempting to bring in tourists from across the world through changing Saudi Arabia’s laws surrounding visas.[20] For example, the Saudi Arabian government has recently implemented a visa system where a visitor can stay in Saudi Arabia for ninety days for the cost of eighty dollars.[21] Moreover, the Saudi Arabian government has now allowed a brand new residency scheme for foreigners, where expatriates can now own property and invest in the country.[22] Overall, the Crown Prince is changing Saudi Arabia’s laws and government structure to revolutionize his country.
However, there are critics of the Crown Prince’s actions across numerous fronts. For example, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al Sheikh, who is the most senior and influential Islamic legal authority in Saudi Arabia, declared that the opening of cinemas and concerts were “immoral.”[23] Additionally, the lifting of the cinema ban is not without any regulations. For example, the Saudi Arabian government will still censor parts of films that may show nudity or use profanity that contradicts Islamic laws and the country’s moral values.[24] In regards to women now being able to drive and attending sporting stadiums, some Saudi Arabian citizens are against these changing laws and have addressed their concerns via social media.[25]
In conclusion, it seems as though Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s Vision 2030 campaign has been making positive impacts in his country. The changes in Saudi Arabian laws have been “widely celebrated” by its citizens across social media.[26] Specially, MBS Vision 2030 plan seems to be aimed towards the younger generation. As the majority of Saudi Arabia’s population includes thirty-two million people under the age of 30,[27] King Salman hopes to intertwine this majority younger generation to the country’s government.[28] Prince Mohammad bin Salman, being in his mid-thirties, would be a strong choice to be the bridge between the younger and older generation.[29] World investors seem to have taken a liking to this tactic because international investments have been increasing since Vision 2030’s announcement as investments rose by 110 percent within two years.[30] If Vision 2030’s campaign does proceed accordingly to plan, not only will Saudi Arabia’s laws be changed forever, but other countries that will interact with the country or attempt to mimic its changes. If this blog post has interested you and you would like to stay updated on the progress of Vision 2030, visit the campaign’s website where there is an online tracker of the campaign’s newest initiatives.[31]
[1] See Marwa Rashad, Saudis await prince's vision of future with hope and concern, Reuters (Oct. 5, 2019),
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-plan-idUSKCN0XL0B2
[2] Vision 2030, Governance Model for Achieving Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, https://vision2030.gov.sa/en/governance
[3] Vision 2030, Message From HRH Prince Mmohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz al-saud https://vision2030.gov.sa/en/vision/crown-message
[4] Martin Chulov, I will return Saudi Arabia to moderate Islam, says crown prince, The Guardian (Oct. 5, 2019),
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/24/i-will-return-saudi-arabia-moderate-islam-crown-prince
[5] Alan Cowell, Saudi Arabia to Allow Movie Theaters After 35-Year Ban, The N.Y. Times (Oct. 5, 2019),
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/11/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-movie-theaters.html. (
[6] Agence France-Presse, Saudi Arabia to allow women into sports stadiums as reform push intensifies, The Guardian (Oct. 5, 2019), https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/30/saudi-arabia-to-allow-women-into-sports-stadiums-as-reform-push-intensifies
[7] Agence France-Presse, Saudi Arabia law change allows women to travel without male consent, NBC News (Oct. 5, 2019), https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/saudi-arabia-law-change-allows-women-travel-without-male-consent-n1038541
[8] Id.
[9] Id.
[10] Ridyah AFP, Saudi women to start own business without male permission, Al Arabiya (Oct. 5, 2019), https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2018/02/18/Saudi-women-to-start-own-business-without-male-permission.html
[11] Iain Millership, We should welcome Mohammed bin Salman to the UK - his reforms in Saudi Arabia could benefit us all, The Independent (Oct. 5, 2019), https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/mohammed-bin-salman-saudi-arabia-domestic-reforms-benefit-wider-world-radical-a8237261.html
[12] Human Rights Watch, Saudi Arabia: A Move to Curb Religious Police Abuses, (Oct. 5, 2019), https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/04/18/saudi-arabia-move-curb-religious-police-abuses-0
[13] Ahmed Al Omran, Saudi Arabia approves licensing regulations for cinemas, Financial Times (Oct. 5, 2019), https://www.ft.com/content/bd75582e-1d53-11e8-956a-43db76e69936
[14] Alexandra Zavis, Saudi Arabia’s first new cinema in decades holds its grand opening with a screening of ‘Black Panther’, Los Angeles Times (Oct. 5, 2019), https://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-saudi-arabia-cinema-opening-20180419-story.html
[15] Id.
[16] Bryan Lynn, Saudi Arabia to Permit Movie Theaters After 35-Year Ban, VOA News (Oct. 5, 2019), https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/saudi-arabia-to-allow-movie-theaters-after-35-years/4159192.html
[17] Saudi Arabia opens high-speed railway linking holy cities, BBC News (Oct. 5, 2019), https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-45639285
[18] Leanna Garfield, Saudi Arabia is building a $500 billion mega-city that's 33 times the size of New York City, Business Insider (Oct. 5, 2019), https://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-mega-city-jordan-egypt-oil-2017-10
[19] Bill Bostock, Everything we know about Neom, a 'mega-city' project in Saudi Arabia with plans for flying cars and robot dinosaurs, Business Insider (Oct. 5, 2019), https://www.businessinsider.com/neom-what-we-know-saudi-arabia-500bn-mega-city-2019-9#neom-will-also-have-the-leading-education-system-on-the-planet-with-classes-taught-by-holographic-teachers-officials-say-7
[20] Saudi, About the Tourism Visa, (Oct. 5, 2019), https://www.visitsaudi.com/en/about-evisa.html
[21] Chris Pleasance, Saudi Arabia will offer tourist visas for the first time, opening up the kingdom to holidaymakers in preparation for a post-oil era, Daily Mail (Oct. 5, 2019), https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7511061/Saudi-Arabia-offer-tourist-visas-time.html
[22] Rawan Radwan, Rights and benefits of the Saudi ‘Green Card’, Arab News (Oct. 5, 2019), https://www.arabnews.com/node/1499406/saudi-arabia
[23] Haifaa Al Mansour, In the age of YouTube, what's the point in Saudi Arabia's cinema ban?, CNN World (Oct. 5, 2019), https://www.cnn.com/2017/01/24/middleeast/saudi-cinema-haifaa-al-mansour/index.html
[24] Abduallah Al-Shihri, Saudi Arabia to allow movie theaters after decades of ban, AP News (Oct. 5, 2019), https://apnews.com/0b717b6da1174642b3320e4d1f76a2de
[25] Agence France-Presse, Saudi Arabia law change allows women to travel without male consent, The Guardian (Oct. 5, 2019), https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/30/saudi-arabia-to-allow-women-into-sports-stadiums-as-reform-push-intensifies. (“’First women driving, now stadiums. What’s next? Night clubs?’ said one Saudi Twitter user, echoing a deluge of social media comments expressing surprise over the accelerating pace of reforms.”).
[26] Associated Press, Saudi Arabia law change allows women to travel without male consent, NBC News (Oct. 5, 2019), https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/saudi-arabia-law-change-allows-women-travel-without-male-consent-n1038541
[27] Lianna Brinded, The real reason Saudi Arabia is lifting its cinema ban, Quartz (Oct. 5, 2019), https://qz.com/1254369/the-real-reason-saudi-arabia-is-lifting-its-cinema-ban/
[28] Jane Kinninmont, Saudi Arabia: Why is going to the cinema suddenly OK?, BBC News (Oct. 5, 2019), https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43738718
[29] Alan Cowell, Saudi Arabia to Allow Movie Theaters After 35-Year Ban, The N.Y. Times (Oct. 5, 2019), https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/11/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-movie-theaters.html
[30] Marwa Rashad, Foreign investment in Saudi Arabia more than doubled in 2018: minister, Reuters (Oct. 5, 2019), https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-budget-energy-industry-idUKKBN1OI0QU
[31] Vision 2030, Vision Progress, (Oct. 5, 2019), https://vision2030.gov.sa/en/vision-progress
#Blogpost #Vision2030 #Cinemaban #SaudiArabia #MohammedBinSalman #MBS #Neom #WesamShahed