Saudi King Shakes Up Government To Get More Religious Moderates

Today's New York Times and CNN-IBN report that Saudi Arabia's Kiing Abdullah yesterday removed two officials in an effort to reduce the political power of hard-line Muslim clerics. Sheikh Ibrahim al-Ghaith, head of the Muttawah (religious police), has been replaced by Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Humain. Also Sheik Saleh al-Luhaidan, head of the Supreme Judiciary Court, has been replaced by Saleh bin Humaid. al-Ludhaidan had gained notoriety by issuing a fatwa urging the killing of satellite television executives ecause of the immoral soap operas run by their stations. In two additional moderating steps, King Abdullah for the first time appointed a woman to serve as a deputy cabinet minister. Norah Al-Fayez was appointed deputy education minister for female education . Finally Abdullah expanded the Grand Ulema Commission to include scholars from all branches of Sunni Islam, rather than just Hanbalis who have dominated the Commission in the past.