[GEO.TV] Saudi Arabia...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...
has appointed Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan bin Abdullah al-Fawzan as grand mufti, state media said.
Al-Fawzan was named the grand mufti of Saudi Arabia by royal decree, the official SPA news agency reported. The newly appointed grand mufti replaced Sheikh Abdulaziz al-Sheikh, who passed away on September 23.
Al-Fawzan has been a member of Ifta and the Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research since 1992, as well as the Council of Senior Scholars, the Saudi Gazette reported.
In addition, he was a member of the Supervisory Committee for Preachers during the Hajj, the Islamic Fiqh Council, and the Moslem World League.
Al-Fawzan was born in al-Qassim in 1935 and attended school in Buraidah. He graduated from the College of Shariah in Riyadh with a master's and a doctorate in fiqh. He later became the Higher Institute of Judiciary's director.
The newly appointed grand mufti is also a multi-book author and has conducted several radio shows, including the well-known Nur Ala al-Darb programme.
Al-Fawzan succeeds Abdulaziz al-Sheikh, who died in September after more than 20 years in the role.
He was appointed on the recommendation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
...Crown Prince and modernizer of Saudi Arabia as of 2016. The Turks hate him, so he must be all right, despite the occasional brutal murder of Qatar-owned journalists...
, the de facto Saudi ruler who has ushered in sweeping reforms in a bid to diversify the economy of the world's biggest oil exporter.