We Want to Go Back to Moderate Islam: Saudi Prince

Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud seen here in 2016 during the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, China. Photo: President of Russia
Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud seen here in 2016 during the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, China. Photo: President of Russia

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has defended his bold reform plans, including the kingdom’s decision to lift the ban on women driving, saying that “we were not like this in the past.”

The prince says that “we want to go back to what we were: moderate Islam,” speaking during a rare public appearance at a major investment conference in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

The heir to the throne says the kingdom will work to defeat extremist ideas and ensure that young Saudis live in harmony with the rest of the world.

Advertisement

He says: “We will eradicate the remnants of extremism very soon… We represent the moderate teachings and principles of Islam.”

Advertisement

He addressed a panel that included business titans Stephen Schwarzman of U.S. private equity firm Blackstone and Masayoshi Son of Japan’s technology conglomerate SoftBank.

The panelists later lavished praise on the 32-year-old prince for his “passion”, “vision” and “enthusiasm” but he interjected, saying he is only “one of 20 million people. I am nothing without them.”