Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s push to secularize Saudi Arabia through a blend of economic reforms, social changes, and geopolitical realignments has led to certain significant unintended consequences. His focus on worldly gains, through normalization with Israel, secularization, and economic diversification, has in fact backfired, causing a great deal of turmoil within the kingdom. Rather than ushering in stability and prosperity, Bin Salman’s policies have weakened Saudi Arabia’s religious and political foundations, threatening both its present and its future.

Normalization with Israel: Diplomatic Disasters

Bin Salman’s pursuit of normalization with Israel was intended with the goal of securing U.S. support for Saudi security against Iran’s proxies and to form a regional defense network. This included granting Israeli flights clearance over Saudi airspace, hosting Israeli athletes, and even removing from the school curriculum Qur’anic ayat (verses) and ahadith (prophetic narrations) that are against Banu Isra’il. However, the promised security benefits from Israel have not materialized, and the U.S. has shown little to no interest in directly intervening in Saudi Arabia’s regional struggles. Whether it was the Democrat Obama or the Republican Trump, Israel was unable to pull the U.S. into providing the NATO style security which Bin Salman so badly covets.

Internally, within the actual kingdom itself, these moves have provoked widespread anger. Many Saudis see Bin Salman’s actions as a stark betrayal of the Palestinian cause, as well as of Saudi Arabia’s longstanding position on Israel. In an attempt to quell opposition, Bin Salman has garnered support from groups like the infamous Madkhali movement, which has employed religious rhetoric to try and justify his actions, labeling critics as “Khawarij,” and dismissing calls for boycotts against Israel as “haram” (unlawful). This religious faction’s backing has only further deepened divisions within the Islamic community, as they align with Bin Salman’s secularization agenda and thus contribute to the erosion of Saudi Arabia’s Islamic identity.

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Saudization: Economic Struggles and Unfulfilled Promises

One of the cornerstones of Bin Salman’s Vision 2030 is the racist Saudization, which aims to replace foreign workers, such as Egyptians, Pakistanis, and Bangladeshis, with Saudi nationals. However, this initiative has faltered drastically due to a lack of interest from Saudis in low-wage, labor-intensive jobs that foreign workers are willing to perform. The promised economic transformation has not materialized, leaving unemployment rates high and the kingdom’s reliance on foreign labor unchanged. Despite the title of the Saudi monarch being the “Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques” (Khadim al-Haramayn al-Sharifayn), it’s quite ironic that countless talented religious Muslims from around the globe would more than love to settle in Saudi and help it become a global superpower. One of the reasons countries like the U.S. are so far ahead is because they have managed to attract the brightest talents from around the globe with the prospect of wealth and prosperity. Saudi Arabia could have easily attracted the brightest Muslim minds from around the globe simply by better promoting Islam in the region. Instead, the myopic tribalistic tendencies of the current Saudi regime are turning them very quickly into a third world country.

While Bin Salman’s ambitious mega-projects like NEOM continue to receive attention, they have yet to deliver when it comes to the anticipated economic benefits. The kingdom’s need for taking out huge loans from international banks is growing, and foreign investment remains tentative. Many companies are hesitant to invest in Saudi. They prefer the stability offered by the UAE, where the legal environment is more predictable and business-friendly. Companies believe that Saudis might just wake up one day and issue some sort of order against them, whereas the UAE has some free zones with legal stability. Furthermore, the missiles fired by the Houthis and Iran’s other proxies have made companies feel even less secure about investing in the region. Saudi Arabia’s economic future remains largely uncertain, with Bin Salman’s reforms failing to address the core issues of unemployment and foreign dependency.

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Secularization and the Erosion of Islamic Identity

Bin Salman’s secularizing reforms have included easing restrictions on haram entertainment, promoting immoral free-mixing, and granting greater freedoms to foreign businesses. He has attempted to curb the influence of the religious establishment, while removing specific content from school curricula that could be seen as being critical of the West or other non-Muslim entities. This also includes promoting perennialism by way of the Abrahamic Accords and allowing outright paganism. While these changes are celebrated by the Satanic minority that desperately seeks to modernize Saudi Arabia, they are a clear departure from the kingdom’s Islamic foundations. In the most recent debacle, semi-naked dancers were singing and dancing on stage in front of a disgraceful replica of the Ka’bah, bringing up memories of pre-Islamic paganism and ignorant practices like performing tawaf (circumambulation) naked. Additionally, open blasphemy and glorifying pre-Islamic roots is a classic way for colonizers to emotionally detach the local populace from their Islamic roots, while replacing it with their own kufr ideologies (e.g., liberalism and secularism).

Many in Saudi Arabia, especially those with an Islamic stance that values traditional principles, see these moves as a direct attack against the nation’s Islamic identity. The normalization of events like raunchy concerts, uncivilized mixed-gender gatherings, and the celebration of pagan holidays like Halloween—actions that are clearly evil and immoral—have led many to believe that Bin Salman’s policies are driving Saudi Arabia away from its Islamic roots. The political and social pressure to accept these secular changes has made it very clear that Saudi Arabia’s religious values are under serious threat, as Bin Salman continues to push a secular, modernist agenda. Such actions are unacceptable, especially when they are carried out by those calling themselves the “Custodians of the Two Holy Mosques.”

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Losing Both the Dunya and the Akhirah

Bin Salman’s focus on worldly success—seeking economic gain, security through alliances, and social modernization—has ultimately placed Saudi Arabia in a precarious position. His normalization with Israel, failed economic reforms, and secularizing agenda have caused discontent, eroded the kingdom’s Islamic foundation, and created a divide within its society. In pursuing the dunya (worldly possessions/this temporal life) while sidelining the akhirah (the hereafter), Bin Salman has set the kingdom on a path of instability, losing both worldly stability and spiritual integrity.

The true path for Saudi Arabia to regain balance is a return to the guidance of Allah, prioritizing the hereafter over the fleeting benefits of this transient world. As Allah says in the Qur’an:

Whoever desires this [life of] haste [over the everlasting Hereafter], We shall hasten for him therein whatever [of the world] We so will, for whomever We intend. Then We shall appoint for him Hell. He shall enter it condemned, [forever] banished. But whoever desires [the reward of] the Hereafter — and [duly] strives for it with the striving [rightfully] due for it, while being a believer — then such as these shall [find] their striving forever thanked [by their Lord]. (Qur’an, 17:18–19)

By following Allah’s guidance and upholding our Islamic principles, Saudi Arabia can find both worldly success and eternal reward in the life hereafter, ensuring stability and righteousness for future generations.

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