Saudi prince promises kingdom's return to 'moderate' Islam

MENA

Published: 2017-10-24 19:44

Last Updated: 2024-03-27 10:21


Medina. (Wikimedia Commons)
Medina. (Wikimedia Commons)

Saudi Arabia's crown prince, Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, has promised his kingdom will return to "what we were before - a country of moderate Islam that is open to all religions and to the world".

The prince made the announcement to tackle extremism at the beginning of the landmark Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh on Tuesday.

"We will not waste 30 years of our lives dealing with extremist ideas, we will destroy them today," he told an interviewer.

"It was not like this in the past... We will end extremism very soon", the prince added.

Prince bin Salman was appointed heir to the throne of Saudi Arabia by his father King Salman earlier this year.

Last month the ultra-conservative kingdom issued an order lifting the 60-year ban on women driving.

Saudi Arabia is known as one of the most socially conservative countries in the world, and enforces gender segregation in many public places.