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Sat 03 Mar 2009Kingdom on the brink of change
There are signs that Saudi Arabia, long bound by rigid social norms and an austere interpretation of Islam, has begun to take the first tentative steps towards real reform
IT WAS SOMETIME after midday prayers on February 14th. Along the pristine streets of Riyadh, the Saudi religious police known as muttawa were busy checking on florists and gift shops to make sure no one was selling red roses or anything else that could be construed as flouting the national ban on Valentine’s Day.
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