Inside Saudi Arabia | Complete Series | ENDEVR Documentary

[Music] we see Saudi Arabia as the country of oil and strict Islam where women wear wheels and kisses are edited out from films but suddenly there was a new Crown Prince he says he wants to reform the country women get more rights and tourists will soon be welcome the country has become less dependent on oil at the same time the people are ruled with an iron fist one wrong word can have serious consequences in this year of changes I travel around the country and follow the developments on the inside Through The Eyes of the citizens are they just empty promises or is Saudi Arabia really able to change [Music] foreign foreign [Music] for years Saudi Arabia kept her Treasures hidden but with oil revenues decreasing Crown Prince bin Salman is looking for new sources of income who wants to open the country up to tourism I'm taking a sneak preview s of Islam um [Applause] Island foreign this place is cursed according to tradition Allah wanted to punish the tamudi the original inhabitants for their barbaric ways as they had killed a camel mother the area was ravaged by earthquakes and lightning Strokes Muslims aren't allowed to visit this place according to the Hadith and in the statlet again that is [Music] foreign foreign the Saudi government wants people to forget the curse and visit the site the green light will need to be given by Crown Prince bin Salman luxury stance have already been set up and I am the only guest sleeping here okay McLaughlin [Music] these changes are driven by the country's young people seventy percent of the population is less than 30 years old this demographic group increasingly doesn't want to be told what to do [Music] please writers group my fish smell kepolis my fish burger no no it's harder tomorrow menu floors yes these guys are taking a big risk talking about this out on the streets we are accompanied by a man from the ministry of media takes pictures for his report the government keeps a check on everything foreign the guys disappear in traffic again they remain anonymous they didn't give their names Saudi Arabia's new strong man Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman says he feels connected to young people MBS as he's called says he wants to embark on a new course the feared religious police that checks whether Islamic laws are respected is restrained and women get more rights [Music] in Jeddah the gateway to Saudi Arabia the fight for reforms has been fought for years below the surface is one of its fiercest Warriors she wants to receive official permission for guiding visitors so this is a characteristics in all the historical cities okay let's go from here if your guest is not interested you stop you move to the next movement my father was at the Sheikh cultural so we had to move with him since the age of nine years old so I love traveling I love tourism and this is what made me start as a tour guide now I have been working seven years in a new job I was at that time a lot of women tourists guys uh well I was the only one wow the only one yes you started yes as a female did you get any negative reactions the only negative reaction that I had was from The Men tour guide they didn't like this company these men they will go and try to complain because I was not certified the certificate is only for men as a woman you can't get a certificate of a tour guide some of them went to the police station and what happened with the complaints when they saw my case they were laughing there is no killing there is a no injuries what is this so I explained they said just continue but try to bring a permission from a higher rank and this is what happened hopefully in a few months I'm going to get my license official after eight years officially what characterized the city of Jeddah look up Roshan yes what is the Roshan Russia it's a Persian word means like window well a beer awaits official permission she tries to train the Next Generation young guides who received permission from the parents to guide foreigners you will take we'll take we can notice here few things the first thing is that the houses are so close to each other and they also used to name them as houses they don't say a building or research and what makes the house unique is also their doors or their Gates see every single door of every single house is unique and you cannot find two identical doors okay this is my girl oh and you see the ventilation that is failure thousands appear in it and it made us the uncertain Street Fighter sign you look at their face and if they are forming is [Music] what do you study I study English and translation I can imagine it's not easy for a girl to be a yes tourist guide maybe for some families well yes it's because there are a lot of men around us and that's kind of creeps them out a bit is it the man who gives negative reactions well yes sometimes it's men other times it's women but mostly men when they see you doing a good thing better than them they'll be like why would you do that why is she better than us so I uh we faced many issues because we're women here working when the women start driving there'll be a lot of problems from well problems you know um men might be aggressive sometimes if you ever notice on Twitter some people talk that they will burn the cars of women that they will hit the woman that they will harass her and stuff really yes they do that a lot but what is their problem it's kind of hard to to get the picture of us a woman working and and there are a lot of guys listening to us it's very brave uh I love it so yeah the new freedoms for women have been dictated by the Crown Prince women who profit from it like pharah and Abeer feel strengthened by it but Amir is it not better that change comes from the button than from above and put its own people do I have to wait centuries to have the right to drive do we have to wait centuries to have the right not to have a guardian so as long as we have these small groups who are disturbing our development no it must come from up this is the only way to let everybody accept their uh changes a lot of resistance needs to be overcome from clergyman to government the conservative part of the population steps are being made but if you want to survive it's crucial that you know how far you can go Malik Niger teaches me how to recognize these limits he provokes the authorities every day and has become hugely popular we made a show named masamir it's distributed online we've surpassed 750 million views 750 million Millions views wow in the Old Middle East yeah how is that possible such a big success is basically we go to places where other people don't dare to go there is a sense novelty when you see some characters that represents your society and I think this is definitely this is what people see in our creations so the cartoons are from the real life of Saudi Arabia from real people also inspired by real people you know we talk a lot of taboos in our society animation allows you to go further than what you would usually do you get more tolerated exactly it's like a Joker dancing around the king and making jokes you know and the King will just tolerate this Joker because after all he's not a serious figure what's your favorite character I'd say Dr Adrian this is Dr Adam yeah this is Dr Adam he's feeding his pet frog and you know the pet frog doesn't really like him very much for the Saudis this is a new type of social commentary the show exposes all kinds of problems in society most of all Malik lets his animated figures ridicule the government yeah I'm gonna do Dr Adel Dr he would go something like this um it is only when people are horrified that means okay you're breaking new grounds now that is a thin line right because you want to create this conflict but you don't want to overdo it but isn't it difficult to break down taboos it is but every time we create something we tend to gauge what's going on and so I've created something about women rights issues right I've created something that is marking this ridiculous idea of women are not allowed to drive and so what we do is basically we just you know start piece by piece first time we just show a woman that drives BMW says [Music] so the second time she turns him into a car you know she's driving him right okay this is driving on his back and I remember when you put that we got a lot of negative feedback is that a red line it used to be it used to be I mean I was there right five years ago it was a red line yeah you know you know people will get furious about that [Music] pharah ignores all the comments she gets when she's not wearing any cup or goes out without a guardian she is willing to give me a peek into her life we meet somewhere so that I can give her her first driving lessons it's easy [Applause] [Music] should I press this button yeah buddy press that press it yes you don't want to put your seatbelt yeah I will yeah I'm very comfortable your mirror you have acceleration and you have the break take it very slow from the break now oh that's good yes like this very good [Music] just be careful break break break slowly break yes very good okay how does it feel driving feels good yeah it feels good is it special for you I think it is yes first time driving nobody says no out of ten how good am I you are fantastic thank you did your mom ever drive no she never did because I actually she's not a supportive of driving no she's not no my dad is but she's not and why your mother doesn't want to yeah okay so the whole idea it's like I said not part of the cup or anything so they're moving uh slowly step by step it's like in our religion it's not wrong to drive it's not wrong to open our faces you never had any cup no never so it's kind of personal see nowadays people a woman can open their hairs they can open their faces we have this thing it's called the Leia they were very active like we were walking in a mall I remember that I was once walking in a mall and my abide was opened down so the guy came and he yelled at me he's like close your habaya where are they now they're gone now so what would happen if we were talking like this three years ago here on this Cornish oh that would be super wrong like uh you and I would be freaked out like don't talk to me pretend you're doing something there just don't talk to me directly it would be so weird to do that the higher the feared religious police may have been disbanded but this doesn't mean that pharah and I aren't being watched we managed to brush the attention off for a while I am afraid she won't dare to continue but she won't let the man intimidate her men here some of them have control over women like she's mine Noah no one gets to look at her she doesn't do anything behind my back my word that goes right and everything but there are others that knows we're actual human we have rights and we have uh life we really need a life like I can't walk behind a mine my whole life foreign [Music] would think that more women would take the freedom of dropping the wheel now that the higher is powerless but the ancient Islamic regulations are still being respected now there is a how to shopping malls in Saudi Arabia that's an earth the Saudis have a health health is foreign [Music] here [Music] foreign [Music] a shopping mall is slowly emptying out these men are also going to pray they still support the work of the higher one of them is willing to talk but we can't speak freely in the shopping mall we are being watched too closely for that he would rather receive me on his own territory I am invited to visit him outside of the city oh well oh oh wait wait honey I need uh [Music] foreign oh hello good oh milk oh very good good fresh fresh [Laughter] outside of the Cities conservatism still rules Supreme many supporters of alhaya can be found here for Walid the organization is also of the highest importance foreign will it fanatically clings to the demands alhaya puts on women such as the mandatory wearing of the Abaya is foreign foreign foreign foreign [Music] are almost impenetrable conservatism on one side more freedoms on the other cafes and restaurants have separate rooms for men and women there are exceptions and I meet pharah in one of them he finds it difficult to escape from these Traditions she's open about that and I was asked how's Ash well I got engaged but it was arranged arranged marriage by my parents how did it start the guy who got uh proposed for me was from our family I kind of had this hard pressure on me to say yes say yes and I said I said yes I did uh we got engaged for uh three to four months and then uh things turned out to be very uh like how can I say the first he didn't want me to work as a tour guide and he preferred me working in a female area only um I didn't agree to that so he didn't want you to work as a tour guide yeah and that's your dream yeah you just told me just leave it in your mind that I don't want you to do that so he didn't just say no and refused to the first place but you never know she managed to get out of the arranged marriage the first to show tourists around the only question is how she will now meet her future partner how do girls and boys meet each other so work um relatives you know or a friend not spontaneously just in a cafe like this well if it happens spontaneously like you mean I would get up and say or that guy would get up and come sit with me yeah or just that you have a date here uh that's pretty odd I don't know never happened to me so I don't know it would be weird if a guy came and said can I grab a cup of coffee with you it'll be weird to know what you want stay away from me in the west there is a lot of places where you can meet someone well there are like mixed parties that were not a lot to do but it happens anyway I get invitations to this party but come on you don't go I don't like it please come to gym sell us with the black van first they'll take all the whole girls and guys call their parents and then send them home young Saudis have their own rituals with which they provoke the police they look for ways to get into touch with each other foreign [Music] [Music] sure [Music] why the guys were running police but why they are running for police did he talk to a girl what did he do we were just walking yeah and they catch it but what happens when the police catches you you go to the bus and then they get you to a small prison three hours [Applause] you also chasing girls oh yes yes without the police yes [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Allah [Applause] [Music] foreign foreign [Music] bikini bikini Haram as foreign he feels the duty to compel young people to live according to Sharia law come up with a special plan to spread the Islamic faith do you have it is [Music] sure this is [Music] foreign tell us about it yes hi there um foreign [Music] foreign foreign wants the entire world to become Muslim right after I have left Walid puts comments on our meeting online I see that he has over 1 million followers [Applause] foreign this is the conservatism that is blocking new freedoms anybody who opposes it will be resisted which thing was where you get most negative reactions about yeah there was an episode that we created these guys who basically these three guys who decided to be you know we have the Haya here in Saudi Arabia which is the uh religious police religious police and pretty recently they started losing their grip on society right we created this episode where these three people who do the same thing but in a reverse way they go out find people who are not happy who are not enjoying life and making sure they enjoy so you can see this guy he's obviously a religious figure and then there's this guy on the other side here he's liberal he calls the police and he tells them I see a guy who doesn't look happy you guys need to come over here and sort it out immediately you know this is how they always come yeah and there's a logo why aren't you smiling and this guy has a good reason not to smile because he had a bad date and then they just said okay guys they came in there's a reverse of what happened yeah exactly this is a reversal of what happens with his animations Malik helped erode the authority of the religious police but where is the limit to survive in this country it is crucial that you know how far you can go you're walking in a Minefield right and and so that's how it is this is how the game is played it's religion a red line um it depends on what is it yeah but can you make fun of the Royal Family you can't you can't make funny things about the Royal house so that's a red line that is a red line yeah this might put us into trouble so I'm also walking in a Minefield as a journalist well you are but by the time this will be published you'll be be somewhere safe Malik's fair is Justified later there is an example of why pushing the limits is dangerous just before the prohibition on women driving is canceled a couple of activists who fought for that are arrested they are accused of Espionage and treason it causes a lot of confusion what is the direction of the reforms thank you and there is about from the national men's electricity is foreign thank you it is under these circumstances that I meet pharah again I am tense I am curious how she holds out the mood in the country has changed so much that it isn't clear how far we can go during our conversation have a seat this is a very exciting place here it's really nice atmosphere here I don't see the separation between men and female here so that's another advantage of the place I think you know is this the new Saudi Arabia fire or is it just a free place oh god well let's just call it a free place we don't know how Saudi Arabia is gonna be signals without hijab do you also come without hijab to this gift oh no no no no no not in general no not yet no no that's what I was brought up so so you're not going to take it off no also not in the future well you don't know people change beliefs change with time so you never know Farah hopes that the carried through have the same opportunities as the man around her do you have your license no not yet it's too expensive boy why it's expensive well comparing it to guys license it's about 2 000 to 3 000 for us females and for guys it's 400 reals so women pay more than men it's really unfair but I think they want to you know like good drivers go out to the world not not just anyone so the thing is that you know what's going on in Saudi Arabia something criminal you know if you if you said something that against the the will of the country you'll get you get problems yes you get a lot of problems quotes between tradition and modernization Farah tries to find her way she has tasted freedom for a short while until the royal family intervened it's clear that openness in Saudi Arabia has its limits [Music] the pride of Saudi Arabia is the Arabian horse fast Nimble and it has a lot of stamina Saudis admire this animal to no end here is a part benefit s from Saudi Arabia foreign rums [Laughter] and his son me I'm here very very nice so um foreign Jamal but foreign [Music] has always been linked to the country's rich and Powerful many of them have their own Thoroughbred Arabian horse every year they gather at the largest horse festival in eastern Saudi Arabia this is a party for the elite here [Music] that is [Music] [Music] [Applause] foreign [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] the arrival of Prince bin naive he was once regarded as the Crown Prince he wants to win and if he doesn't he will simply buy the horse that won ladies and gentlemen we are going to announce [Music] a very very exciting and interesting competition they were all about the 90 point mark foreign no one knows how many princes there are exactly it is estimated that there are several thousands [Music] the house of Saud Reigns Supreme many of the most important jobs are assigned to family members naive is governor of the Eastern province safety is the steepest house questions are not allowed the Royal Family's work is law in this country they have a firm grip on the most important source of income oil [Music] gigantic amount of it had been found by Western geologists under the Arabian peninsulas desert Plains that it is so can we go closer of course please uh this is the first oil well in the Kingdom Saudi Arabia the first place where they found oil correct this is the really first place yes correct yeah they actually started by drawing 10 Wells at that time 1933. so they told world number one number two three for number one they find just gas and some water and number two no oil they were totally disappointed unlike their neighboring countries the disappointed Saudis didn't find any oil but a stubborn American geologist called Mark steineke kept searching his idea was to drill deeper so max he decided just randomly to come back to roll number seven and then he drove deeper up to like 1441 meters then the oil started to struck so the history could be different for us if we were the one who found the oil but it was the Americans it was the Americans and that's where we had the Constitutional agreement with the American geologists and that's where they named the aramco company aramco which came from Arabian American Oil Company since they are the one who discovered the oil so it was like 50 investment and now no now it's been uh Saudi totally Saudi totally Saudi and where does the revenue of aramco go it's government on Country company also to the Royal House yes of course because it's government aren't correct I see that Alina is taking aback she just admitted that a lot of the oil revenues flow to the Royal Family how much is a secret aramco is the most profitable company in the world it is worth almost two trillion dollars the oil Discovery also meant that more westerners entered the country they took up residence behind the closed doors of aramco together with Saudi employees how long do you work for aramco for aramco now 20 years on the compound I used to but I moved out I used to I like it there because it's more convenient for me I have my car I'm driving moving around so that was a good thing so you're driving a car on the compound oh yes yes and outside the compound no so the life inside the compound is different as outside the compounds absolutely we call it the Little America because we have all the facilities even the greens the plants the gardens the houses are built like in American style so women can drive so it's absolutely Little America but to be honest I traveled in Saudi Arabia now for weeks you are the first one first female that tells me that she's working for 20 years because it was an Arabian American Oil Company and at that time we hired so many Americans a large number of Americans females and males of course so and that is the big influence had a role in the emancipation of Saudi woman yes yes yes of course and we're proud of that Alina is quite Frank and so she's no longer allowed to guide us for years a wheel of secrecy has hung over the compound many Saudis considered this place to be depraved men and women mingled freely here the strictly Islamic Society took offense at this we have to hide our camera [Music] here is from 1933 onwards the Americans were involved with the oil extraction this enabled the countries to strike a wonderful deal when they needed each other most a Bitter Lake Worth the Americans President Roosevelt and the Saudis accounting abdulaziz foreign after 1945 America needed lots of oil Saudi Arabia was able to deliver it and the country's founder King abdulaziz saw it as an opportunity to spread his fate the Saudis agreed to exchange oil for money but they would decide how it was spent foreign [Music] it's the annual classic car show we do every year it's a gathering for people to enjoy the car to enjoy the beautiful designs of the 50s and 40s classicals and the Saudis like cars yeah they love cars we used to buy pickups so we can carry stuff ships camels and people in the pickup because you didn't find oil yet then yeah no the oil was found in Saudi Arabia from the 30s but it was not as much as today so thanks God for all what we have alhamdulillah the discovery of oil led to an abundant supply of money and most of it ended up here indria a town near Riyadh ever since the founding of Saudi Arabia this is where power and Faith convert I heard that also some cars are from the royal family yeah that's true yes uh King Salman to support the youth and the show he accept to present four of his personal car that he used to drive in the 70s is it possible to buy a car from a royal family it's possible but it's rare so it's expensive so this is for the rich saudiers depends how do you find Rich maybe you say if you have one million you are rich but for me maybe a hundred million dollar is a rich guy [Music] yeah [Music] we are lucky the organizer of the auto show sees one of the truly wealthy walk by Prince South bin turkey alsawood you're from the royal family yeah so are you gonna buy a car at the auction maybe maybe which one the red one the red one yeah yeah he likes the red one he's Rich how many princess there are in Saudi Arabia maybe four or three five thousand four or three five thousand wow that's a that's a lot of friends isn't it yeah you know them all also yes I know everybody not uh in particular but I know them home can I ask you another question yeah in the family uh you are also speaking about the changes how how is that in the inside the family uh everybody's happy about it yeah yeah everybody supports also we support 200 everything you can excuse me because your son is oh sorry I'm sorry sorry the prince is extremely friendly but as soon as we talk about the reforms he has to go and he doesn't want to talk to me later on either I feel that we need to be careful King Salman's car hasn't been sold his Palace is nearby fortunately satam allows me to get in he's willing to bring me closer he knows the town inside out so we are royal now with the red carpet we are famous I'm from today my grandfather is from Drea and also I'm with the prince of Drea as a close friend we see King Salman's Country House rise up in the distance one of the locals I met at the auto show is willing to bring me closer to the Palace only later do I find out how powerful Mansura is there now King Salman yeah according for Saudi Arabia is huge big Kabir hey no no no um it collides from the hour Corning from the ears to Corning salute and on the side from the start this is so this is the most important city in Saudi Arabia then uh foreign not only is this small City the birthplace of the House of Saud but it is also here that in the 18th century the alliance was forged between Muhammad even Saud and religious leader Sheikh Abdul al-wahab this Alliance found massive support and led to the Saudi Arabia of today the Royal House of Saud Rose to power thanks to wahhabism Ultra Orthodox Islamic Doctrine as state religion so that was the Palace of King Saud but what about al-wahab a city hello foreign to my surprise we are right next to the mosque Mansoor is the head of an important family in the Riya without asking permission he takes me to the mosque of Abdul al-wahab the religious reformer who introduced wahhabism three centuries ago he said that those who didn't follow the true Faith could even be fought with violence foreign these ideas inspired groups like Al-Qaeda and Isis to spread death and destruction so there are some groups who are using his ideology to to use violence they call him an extremist what do you think about that uh um my visit to the mosque reveals a sore spot the ideology that has been exported using oil money leading to violence in other places has its Origins here Mansoor wants to rectify this image foreign foreign the proving fundamentalism that was embraced by many Saudis first damaged the house of Saud itself as a protest against foreign influences and women's rights such as aramco's Little America the unfathomable happens Mecca the Saudi holy place is attacked by a handful of extremists in 1979 oh a traveled to Jeddah to talk to an editor-in-chief who saw it happen up close and isn't afraid to talk about it [Music] it was a game changer there was a creeping tide of extremism had come but how did it change because how was it before and how was it after we were normal people and I saw all the James Bond movies in Saudi Arabia injured with my mother in the 70s and early 80s it was totally different before the Sahara came The Awakening came [Applause] foreign foreign his power rested on the alliance with religious leaders but resistance had grown the attackers were executed and he had a solution to prevent further uprisings wabism needed to be followed more strictly this was called The Awakening so this Sahar The Awakening that came in 30 years was really disastrous for there and then the attack came and then everything changed yes and what was the first thing but changed I mean the relegation of women in the background the mosques used to come and say things around things that were totally alien I mean things that didn't even concern us covering the faces held fire Brimstone Born Again Muslims the bad thing on that attack is that the aggressor won he wanted something that the country gets more conservative and he succeeded in that so he lost the battle but when the war it brought in dark clouds I think it was hijacked by preachers from then on religious conservatism had an even tighter grip on Saudi Arabia women were forced to cover their faces Cinemas were closed while the doors opened for extremism we have supported many organizations here and there there of course there are issues the issue of extremism the attack on the Harem the the rising tide of intolerance yes we admit we made a mistake and then even the Crown Prince said that we made a mistake and that caused all these problems the extremism reached its apogee during the September 11 attacks not far from the editor-in-chief's office is the birthplace of the man who changed the world [Music] [Applause] [Music] route [Music] foreign Bin Laden's father made his money constructing roads he was closely tied to the Saudi royal family after oil was discovered he was assigned large construction projects we aren't allowed to film here either days [Music] thank you this is let me walk here walk walk stop here yeah this mosque contributed to his radicalization and is closed now but the effect of the sermons here has changed the way the World Views Saudi Arabia forever now that the country appears to be opening up I am invited by Mansour and his son Salah to visit their home they want to distance themselves from the extremism of course we had all the attacks and all the all the world they don't know of course they will link the terrorism with us which is wrong but there is a strict form of the Islam in Saudi Arabia you agree on that we had some conservative periods but that doesn't mean that we accept the terrorism or the jihadis or any any part of those uh of that ideology but 911 it made a very bad image of Saudi Arabia of course that affect us and the first people who got hurt are us and that the attacks of them in Saudi Arabia and we left it and we were scared out of it and we hated it was in Saudi Arabia more than 60 or 70 attack is Saudi Arabia and it was Bloody ugly thing that no human can accept ever Muhammad bin Salman slams The Door in the face of extremism he says he wants to return to moderate Islam of before 1979. this makes him popular among young people that is the good thing about his Royal Highness his um he's we studied at the same school by the way yeah do you know him also yes personal When We Were Young we lived a normal life that the the young population lived and he heard their needs and he was one of them now as a leader he he's taking us to to to what is what is called uh future it is Friday Elite of Saudi Arabia Gathers I am asked to stay and eat with them the guests are surprised to see me [Music] who are these people is it all family no no not all of them are family we have like Architects Engineers generals how important is this for the Saudi people you find it in all the families it's very important if anyone needs anything from the other so they can help each other this is my grandfather now he was one with the King that King of the lazarese his name so the family has a very close tie they've shared the the kanteed for a long long time so then I understand the Loyalty of you and the people to the kingdom you know that our parents our grandparents they are passing this loyalty to us and and we're going to carry on to my son and so forth this is the protective ring around the Royal Family they are most loyal the question is whether it is possible to criticize the royal family like Critics on the royal families that well is that possible yeah hopefully openly without getting any penalty no no I'm a Critic I mean if a Critic is within the boundaries of respect fine but you don't go and start shouting and bluffing or saying lies and they will let you go and if you do if you do that if you do that you get penalties I mean they should be finalized I mean if somebody was not respecting the king or the the laws and everything he should not be respected there is clearly a fear to say something wrong even among the elite Salah takes me to the place where there are women he'd rather show me the image of the new Saudi Arabia all of this is okayed by the government we have the entertainment Authority it's a new Authority uh started because the entertainment Authority yes wow yeah and they are planning to make 5500 events like this it's very crowdy here yeah it's very crowdy and you see all the kind of the community the old and the young girls ladies and uh but a lot of girls yeah they're happy to be here and to have this opportunity with them what happens with Saudi Arabia well we have the great Crown Prince and he's doing a very great job supporting the young population so people are ready for change yeah they are happy and he's uh an idol and does the Krampus also work on better human rights for Saudi Arabia yes he's promised with a good uh better and and he's doing very well what he did in two years it it take another country's 100 years to change it this fast for Salah the Crown Prince is a synonym for change the government supports young people financially to start small companies this only increases the faith and reforms is this the new energy in Saudi Arabia yes yeah yes because you know 70 percent of Saudi population they are under 30 years old very young population very young that they are all have this energy to work and they have energy to to produce things so nobody can stop the changes you will make it to go further I'm sure this is my country I can't leave it I have to fight for it young people are fighting for their reforms but this is made much harder due to events surrounding the Crown Prince on the 2nd of October 2018 journalist Jamal khashoggi is murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is suspected of giving the order but the royal family denies it as the news is reported I try to go public opinion in Saudi Arabia itself [Music] [Music] foreign foreign [Laughter] [Music] [Music] in Atlanta foreign it is not easy to survive for journalists in this country often it is simply safest to remain silent Elite almaina kasogi's editor-in-chief for 12 years is willing to take the risk and talks I was looking to Saudi newspapers it was all the same headlines with the same picture see every newspaper depends on its own editors there are those who want to and there are those today in the Arab News first of all Abbas about a beautiful article saying that um after this sad incident things have to change so I think it's important to have real genres people who care more for society because generalism is not an easy thing it is a very dangerous job also what happened is also acknowledgment about that there is no press Freedom what happened with this journalist no no it was uh I I'll be the first to tell you that it was a total not error it was a calmly it was a crime and all and the government has accepted the fact I mean a lot of these things happen nobody is condoning I'm the last person because it could have been anyone but these things should never happen again this has happened unfortunately yeah but this journalist couldn't work in Saudi Arabia and flew abroad because he he said I couldn't work here I was you know his house for 12 years he had several issues I applaud him for this but then he did went and only said that he could not for fear of being taken aside but you agree with me that things happenings like this it doesn't make uh Saudi Arabia's um image in the west not very good it doesn't make the image look good here yeah you you think that the people had approved of this believe me I am sure that the people who did this and I pray to God that the people who did this will be taken to task it will be made public and there should be no stone unturned to find out the motives of the killers and who were the killers the editor-in-chief carefully weighs his words he knows about the accusations against Muhammad bin Salman is it possible to criticize MBS or his policy there's a way to do it you know there's a way to do it I mean I have even been writing about the sponsorship system which I think it was and I wrote it in slavery in Mecca newspaper I wrote In The Gazette and all nothing happened to me today if there are elections he would win hands down believe me I would vote for him not for somebody else we don't want somebody who's archaic person we don't want somebody who take us backwards former editor-in-chief draws a line at the Royal Family criticism is fine as long as it isn't directed towards Muhammad bin Salman not just out of fear of retaliation but also the fear of returning to the old Saudi Arabia the only thing left to do is to attend this first mixed screening with Saleh he tries to be proud of what has been achieved so far but he knows his beloved Crown Prince has shown the world another side of him foreign from the earliest beginnings of Islam Muslims have come to Saudi Arabia one of the rules of Islam is to go to the holy city of Mecca pilgrims Mort and Jeddah Harbor the holy cities such as Mecca and Medina give Saudi Arabia power in the Islamic world is sport Muslims are North Africa they had them to transport Netherlands India and it was just a plaque where all the pelhams states foreign Mecca I want to find out what they do with it Samir is an official of Jeddah he guards the city center and knows every alley and every inhabitants [Music] he is the head of an important family the king trusts them to guide the pilgrims and in 1937 King Abdel Aziz built this it used to be just a a sand and we will cross the Sand this is the the steel oh yeah as a ship and that's the level but in the past this was a big business and uh 90 of the pilgrims outside Arabia they come from this point how many people were coming in that time in the early time maybe 50 000 a hundred thousand and and later on but I think oh now is hundreds of thousands and they come to 2 million people they they come to to Pilgrim [Music] so this was the route of the pilgrims yes we walk this way and then we enter this gate the gate to Jeddah to the market and to the city this gate we call it alforda gate al-fuda gate yes and then this is the last 200 years old Corridor so thousands of people were walking yes maybe every day yes this is the first street they saw how many kilometers is it from here 70 kilos and by camel Caravan it takes today two days from two days to yes now an hour and a half by car but it gives also a huge responsibility when millions of pilgrims come to this country a future is humidity yes and it's not very easy and Saudi Arabia is gaining very good experience but Saudi Arabia also can decide which way it goes with religion okay but please don't ask me about politics okay at all yes okay Samir breaks off the discussion on religion and power he is afraid to say something that might damage his Affairs Islam is the world's fastest growing religion the number of pilgrims increases all the time Saudi Arabia does its best to manage the visiting crowds um pilgrims pour into Mecca every year landing at the special airport during the Hajj the great animal pilgrimage is full to the brim es land the rest of the year too for the umrah the smaller pilgrimage that can be done any time of year most pilgrims save up for decades to come here High Point in their lives [Music] how important is the umra for you very important this is an integral part of our religion of our faith is a religious dude yeah it's one of the Five Pillars if you can afford yeah then you must go for hug once in a life so God has given the power to Saudi Arabia because that's not the power but I think it is a gift from God it's a gift from God but it brings also a lot of money is a gift of God yeah yeah it's a gift here and how will you travel now from here to Makkah by car you're not going with the bus pilgrims are welcomed with a free copy of the Quran and guide it towards the buses in a practiced manner these Pakistani pilgrims can afford a rental car to go to Mecca but rentals can't come to the airport what's the problem our car is waiting outside outside he's not allowed to enter this car in this premises okay so the bus owner will not charge us if we give number of that car okay now there's no problem okay they wait for someone to bring them outside they are stuck at the airport for now [Music] and Samir takes me to what he calls the most beautiful spot in town so a horse or a mule or a camel can go up it is the old city Palace where abdulaziz used to have a study the founder of modern day Saudi Arabia he had himself crowned King while holding the Quran thus linking religion and politics foreign yes [Music] that way this way which way that's it you see look yeah yeah oh like this yes from there all the way there the cameras come to the house where the pilgrims stayed and then they go to the gate of Makkah which is in Jeddah and then they registered the rock hard and they give him permit and then they go towards Makkah so you're from Jeddah all your life you saw pilgrims in Jeddah yes yes and you and your father and your grandfather and yes when I was young I did sell water to pilgrims next to the Old Airport oh [Music] [Music] [Applause] hookah foreign [Applause] [Music] all right and and we burn the coffee light it's a difficult time now in the world for Muslims I will be the future for Muslims it is difficult for the whole world it's not only Muslims that's yeah that's true but we have we had a lot of troubles because of what happened in 9 11 but also Dash yeah they are not Muslims they are criminals they pretend to be Muslim in the Islamic religion if you kill one person like you kill the whole world Samir rejects the crimes committed in the name of Islam he rejects all negative images created around his faith follow the route he showed me this is also a personal Journey for me with my background Mecca played a role in my life too [Music] foreign one of the habits during a pilgrimage is to wear traditional clothes and Iram consists of just two pieces of fabric held together with a belt symbol of Simplicity the idea is that all pilgrims are equal whether you are a cleaner or a bank director foreign [Music] s are allowed on the bus they are glad to get away from the airport at last today I witness what it does to these people a mix of tension about the journey and satisfaction that Mecca is getting closer is it a special location is it for someone who is ill or you want to pray for someone or is it just everything everything the safety of your life a safety of religions the safety of your future the safety of your evil life then we will go back then we will be a refined person well hope you will be a fine person yes but you were not a fine person no no we are but it will be it's more refined you can say as I told you earlier that it is just a renewal of commitment a man with God going to Mecca is a sacrifice for some pilgrims greater than for others these men arranged a luxury car for their Journey the question is will it ever get here have a good trip now this is many pilgrims go to Medina first it is the second holy city in Islam I want to do that too and get permission from the authorities we are even allowed to film on strict conditions [Music] fine says Haram area meaning non-muslims are not allowed here in Atlanta and [Music] hope numbers were recommend for any photos I managed to do a Daily Tech evening sadly in order to film in Medina I have to go without one of the crew now for Muslims it's understood Medina yes and um this is my first time in a strictly Muslim area Medina is where the Prophet Muhammad lived and was buried this Friday is foreign the remainders of the famous hijaz Railway line are here [Music] the rent from Turkey to Medina but is now closed hundreds of thousands of pilgrims came from the north by train hello how are you I'm fine you go to Istanbul can I come with you you're on travel or umra or yeah judging by his Entourage this is a dignitary on a day trip turns out to be the minister of Muslim affairs from Singapore I come here to meet my counterpart from the Kingdom of Saudi to negotiate our annual hachikota and all the arrangements for the heart the number of programs in Singapore is quite small actually based on the quota we used to have only 680. lastly alhamdulillah with our negotiation up to 800. so there is a quota for every country yes wow yeah so we have to work within that quota but my problem now is that a lot more singaporeans people will be programming more affluent one to come to Hajj so if you register now the waiting time is 34 years 34 years yes wow literally so it also can make people sad who are waiting for a very long time exactly so we always have a situation where we have someone who has never been there he's an elderly he wants to go but you need someone to look after him so he brings his son the son goes to the look of after the fall then the son gets married he wants to go with his wife but he's considered a second timer where the wife is the first time so all these complications you know because we give priority to first timer and people who wants to fulfill it because you know it's the fifth pillar of Islam touch is a rare opportunity it is best to be on good terms with Saudi Arabia because they decide how many pilgrims they will admit is foreign I am allowed to join the call for prayer a side door takes me into the oldest mosque in the world of electorate office is foreign [Music] thank you come on come on [Music] and um [Music] [Music] Mecca almost further into the mosque I'm surprised to find a wedding ceremony the union is made between the groom and the Father of the Bride this is a marriage inside the mosque it's what you say it's a contract you know we can make it anywhere but we prefer to make it in Moscow so this is official yes yeah how many ways you can have in Saudi Arabia no in Islam in the end you are allowed to four yeah but mostly very important I've worked and uh this country is the Cradle of Islam it gives Saudi Arabia a crucial position in religious reform but the ultra-orthodox ideas are often expressed openly is foreign I get permission to visit an important advocate of moderate Islam Adil al-kalbani the former Imam of the great mosque Mecca he is highly regarded by the faithful and a known supporter of reform [Music] foreign do you like music [Music] how do very Orthodox people react on you is [Music] but is this the time for change sir no yeah I don't know is a spiritual leader who admits that salafism the Orthodox School of Islam is a source for the ideologies of groups like Isis and Al-Qaeda he would like an open debate to combat extremism is a group like daesh is that salafi um but salafi is like to live in in the time of the Prophet so it's also looking back to the glory time of the day Islam so what can change no no no homo now tries to hold on to salafism while seeking to join the Modern Age this causes constant friction I am getting close to Mecca when I come across an unexpected scene foreign foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign foreign in checkpoints and and that is um Islam Mecca is close to non-muslims this is strictly supervised agrees that this must not be meddled with he even takes it a step further there is no room for two religions on the Arabian peninsula foreign foreign this attitude was the reason that during a tour of Western European cities in 2015 he was denied access and called a hate preacher ous foreign Linda um foreign s since that speech in 2015. what's more does not reject violence if Islam is Disturbed uh foreign [Music] these people are supposed to boost religious reforms the Imam with the reputation of a reformer proclaims views that don't sit well with the West I leave these ideas behind and go find the origins of Islam alongside dozens of foreign pilgrims I climb Mount Noor in Mecca [Music] is in a cave on top of this mountain the prophet Muhammad had his first revelation in the year 610 the angel Gabriel came to him and designated him as Allah's prophet [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] foreign stayed on this rock for almost two years overlooking the Kaaba pilgrims won't be deterred they want to be in the same room as him I'll demon cities [Music] um foreign [Music] Phil neubau type in a Subway Pizza Hut yeah and notice Taco Bell here for us that's your advances after a long journey from the Red Sea Coast and through Medina we are here at last Mecca in my childhood it took on mythical proportions finally I get to see it for myself [Music] foreign [Music] our papers are checked constantly in the end we get permission to film for 50 minutes in this Square [Music] is the millions of pilgrims flocking to the great mosque every year are accommodated in the hotels around the square there are more to come new hotels shoot up everywhere um foreign in my hotel room I prepare for the umrah smaller pilgrimage I will walk around the Kaaba seven times I have a Sufi background one of the many Islamic branches [Music] me one point intensives [Music] um [Applause] [Music] I am taking up by the flow of people moving to the Kaaba that velvet clutch shrine the devotion of these pilgrims is overvalued they want to absorb every second they turn a blind eye to filming on a mobile phone foreign [Music] all right [Music] it was right I've died from the prophet Adam to sustain athletes you have to mentioned the devotee fundamentally um [Music] [Music] my journey is done I saw the Kaaba pictured on my grandfather's Rock from up close I saw the Rapture of the pilgrims who reached Mecca at long last traction of the holy cities give Saudi Arabia religious powers it is a mainly conservative country while there could be a driving force behind reforms there is a long way to go before this country becomes a beacon of religious tolerance [Music] [Music] Paradise Oak mechanic this is the untouched Saudi Arabia over 200 islands in the Red Sea formed the Pharisee Islands they are secluded hardly accessible for Saudis foreign through this country not noticing the Raging war in the neighboring country Yemen as is often the case Saudi Arabia is trying to mask reality the unspoiled fathers and islands are the pride of the country only few Saudis have been there but 1200 kilometers away at the Annual Festival in Riyadh visitors Google at Islands recreated Beauty here the polished version of the country is on display attracts many Rich families with mates a lot of people from Philippines here yeah you're working also for her yeah you ask her what makes her proud about Saudi Arabia yeah [Music] okay thank you bye-bye the old Saudi Arabia brought together in one area everyone passes through here [Music] even the religious police is present they try to call visitors to prayer but not everyone supports that [Music] episode the main event can be found further on the newly acquired American weapons so what type of helicopter is this this is an ah-64 echo so this is a new weapon new weapon and the new version so what's the name of it that's the missile we called it Hellfire Hellfire yes Hellfire and it's the new design which is Romeo Hellfire doesn't sound very good I agree you're trained for this yes is this a helicopter where Saudi Arabia was proud of because they are showing this to the people yes we are really proud our Creed is to defend our country Saudi Arabia buys a lot of weapons there we know that because we have a new deal with America and as you said so to defend the country we need a lot of weapons yes did you also fight in Yemen No No not not you didn't I just finished my oh you did just finish but are you gonna are you gonna go I'm not sure you're not sure besides buying new weapons Saudi Arabia wants to connect with the West in other areas too the Royal House says that they want reform chin is how far they will go will civilians get voting rights what about women's influence on the policy [Music] chura resides in the city they are the countries consultative Council it is comprised of representatives from all regions the king himself appoints them the shura has a pioneering role in the reforms after months of negotiation I may now take a look this is the main hall yeah this is the main hall and this for royal family and the Ministers of uh for the government and the high religious people this in the first section under this section actually in the middle yes just for the shora members it's 150 actually and where does the Crown Prince sit he's sitting with the gun Mufti there and what is the role of the grand Mufti government should ask him because if to go to the Islamic rules principles or not if not they will listen to him actually for that it's a man so he has a great influence then on political issues also absolutely he has a great influence and political issues and this is because Saudi Arabia is Islamic country will it be possible to choose shura members you know you you shouldn't deal with us here like we in Europe we need time to develop the way of thinking then you we can talk about election right now in my in my belief but let me say they could be elected what type of people will be Insurance it will be a tribal people tribal people because we a tribal tradition here is very strong in Saudi Arabia very conservative people also conservative people I mean the extremistry extremely sorry extremistry and their ideas those kind of people would dominate I believe the the council if they elected so you're afraid of it that that type of people we are afraid about developing our country we want to be a modern country and modernity would come with good ideas not with the traditional ideas that bring you know sectarianism and violence in the society he believes free elections aren't possible yet it would bring extremism to the shura the doors of the daily conference room are opened for us the 30 women that have been allowed in for a few years sit here sure is the highest consultative Council to the king and it works as a Saudi version of a parliament and we're chosen by the king at this point you're sitting in Jetta at your home and then you get a call do you go to the kingdom yes you have to swear an oath you have to swear an oath that you will be serving basically our religion our country and our King does the king follow every advice you you give as shura everything is viewed upon by the king and obviously it's up to him to decide what works best for this certain situation I'm trying to understand it is called a parliament a Ashura isn't elected King Salman himself decides whether or not to take the advice Lena 2 questions the value of free elections would be your next step to be chosen by the people possibly right now I don't think we're ready but maybe later on uh part of it would be by elections that we say that there was a possibility to to be chosen that would it then be able to have 30 women in the in the shooter if you would Maybe not maybe if it was by voting we wouldn't get a chance to represent basically 20 for sure so this is the minimum it is definitely not possible for us to go below 20 so there are benefits from nominations Lena is dependent on the appointment of the king mainly regions far from Riyadh want to stick to tradition travel to this area which is difficult to enter so this is thank you this part of the country is linked with the terrorism of 9 11. hijackers that attacked the Twin Towers and Pentagon are rooted here 15 of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia a funny fact in campus grammar nature a detail a dorpius and days of Allah in all the doors the foreign foreign [Music] [Music] The Villages are spread out over the valleys on Tuesday Morning many villagers come together at the market in the province Capital Abba Farmers head over from the countryside to sell their products um every time in prayers this other one is here is it change this Market yes the same yeah 100 or more than that are the people in about changed like before like before still very religious yeah conservative just totally before no money no Patrol in your Saudi Arabia now is good than before because the people get money he make big houses before the house is this small cabin is so if the king's chain wants to change something foreign [Music] various tribes lay down the law it is difficult for the Saudi government to get the villagers to join the reforms what happens if you touch the government why is it dangerous hello this is just woman this is is it allowed to walk with the daggers is it allowed to walk with the gun yes yes have one yeah further on South I drive over the country's highest mountain ridges houses are skillfully built against the slopes there is a narrow road connecting The Villages the area is divided among local tribes they mostly keep quiet I try to contact a local farmer to learn more about these traditions [Music] oh my God um foreign foreign [Music] a few miles away I seek out the highest point in the area okay foreign foreign a few dozen miles away a horrible Civil War has been raging for over three years much to the despair of civilians who tried to survive Saudi Arabia lives and foreign has turned into a war between an International Coalition on the direction of Saudi Arabia and the rebels who are supported by Arch Enemy Iran despite peace negotiations the war threatens Millions with famine is [Music] war is far away from Riyadh it is a different world not a word is sad about Yemen during the presentation of vision 2030 Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman's ambitious plan plan announces the economic social and civil reforms [Music] it all sounds great but once I return from the unruly South I want to know if these plans are realistic and how far they go first I visit Lena at the sports grounds she set up herself she's willing to discuss the future of the country how long does this exist open games for girls basketball since 2003 it's been running of course we've expanded a lot since then Saudi Vision 2030 clearly states that it is the objective to increase you know participants in sports from 13 to 40 percent then you talk about islamically like sports and Islam it's huge look at the second pillar of Islam which is Salah yeah [Music] they sit there I think it's a little bit quieter okay that you're standing you're sitting you're kneeling you're constantly moving and then also like go off like hedge these reforms are they real or is it window dressing I'm a big supporter of the you know social reforms of division 2030 a lot of the economic reforms would you support reforms on human rights well we have a human rights committee in the sugar Council that you can talk to and they deal with the human rights related issues that's not my committee but they're active our view about Saudi Arabia is what's in the news and Saudi Arabia is mostly in the news with negative things as we know now with what happened with the journalists um whose fault is that they're not serious yeah I mean I'm not honestly this whole thing about my part was not about answering anything related to this because at this point it's something that we're still waiting for it to unfold do you know what I mean so I don't want to um okay something very sensitive and we're okay okay Lena we just leave that this is the tension among the Saudi population even shura members Lena doesn't want to jeopardize her position sticks to the Royal houses official story do you think that that penalty needs also a reform we do not question God sent laws so when you talk about the capital punishment capital punishment is the capital punishment you know there will not change that's not that will never change because this is um a country that's Constitution is the the Holy Quran and the prophet saying so obviously there are things that are godsend that we cannot change [Music] okay [Applause] I head to the museum for a specific reason not to see even more portraits of the Kings there's no Hank owning my I hunted all conference I had there to get closer to the square in front of the Museum without suspicion it was the location for the most heinous scenes locally it is known by the irreverent name Chop Chop Square on this the placard was a the dog stuff out foreign major city has a square like this Nationwide there are dozens of executions each year in very few cases the executions aren't carried out after the order is revoked like in this case it is where the Alex mens it's an appalling practice which I found incomprehensible one of the most important lawyers in the Middle East wants to clarify the death penalty for me first he wants to show me the city in his Rolls Royce but why don't you have a driver no no but I know anybody drives my car you know I did but they drive by car okay I have a driver for myself dream to go to school but my car is exactly this car no nobody can drive me that's me yeah difficult to work as a lawyer in Saudi Arabia not too much you know everything about the Sharia law also um you know our law our studying in Saudi Arabia it's also from Sharia two back different between Lo and Sharia not too big different thank you [Music] oh it goes in yeah because it's expensive sometimes somebody take it put that in your clothes it's go inside what a car okay please so this is your office yeah okay yeah this is all prizes you want yeah this is all my history on which occasion you can get the death penalty in Saudi Arabia sorry that's law who's almost 14 centuries old is it not outdated foreign foreign the one who resides the death penalty can he ask for execution behind walls or is it always a public execution [Music] the death penalty especially the public executions meet resistance in the West according to the lawyer despite the reforms this will remain untouched when it's a public execution they see it as cruel in Europe they see it as a act against human rights what what is your opinion on that is okay but we we don't give bloggers in Europe 15-year sentence and also we don't give that penalty to a woman rights activists foreign [Music] distorted in favor of Saudi Arabia according to the lawyer bloggers are put in jail for being spies another reality Saudi Arabia doesn't acknowledge his poverty which affects many citizens and immigrants I notice it in various districts in the country we can only sneakily film it [Music] okay [Music] this is acting ghetto foreign workers situation in particular is suppressed further by the reforms 10 million out of the 20 million Saudis are foreign workers do you speak English yes where are you from um are you a good Saudi Arabian life's Goods no good working hard yes yes yes yes several of these men must leave the country soon the Royal house has decided their jobs should be fulfilled by Saudis the Chamber of Commerce is trying to Aid that course I can work in the marketing department I can do editing and to be fair made like life is not like finding a job making a life in Saudi is not that hard the unemployed mohanet studied Marketing in England he has returned to find a well-paying job the government wants to put him to work but if you don't have a job here does the state give you money if you're not working just in my case they give you like about 20 2500. that's mean 2 500 Riyal a month a month which is like dude I smoke yeah okay I own a Jeep so is the youth a little bit spoiled here yeah I would say yes obviously not everyone have the same circumstances I'm surrounded with you know just everybody is Rich not everybody is Rich everybody is having a good day okay he is one of the 1.3 million beneficiaries the state wants to put to work tries to get himself a good offer chances are he will still have to accept a job he doesn't want we are working on on the mindset of of ours as the parents and the brothers it's okay this is this is lower level lower level jobs like sales and and so we are changing mindset it changed actually with the entry of females is changing the head of recruiting is open about their policies start to realize what the reforms will mean for foreign workers if the plans move forward this City will look different okay what's the impact on foreign workers who have to leave this country the impact is is positive one of the major impacts the money would be spent here because we are hiring local now if you if you just go to the statistics we are second country where money goes outside but it's also a little bit harsh to send them away it is it is as I said it's not it's nothing easy to to leave them go it's not we are happy that they're leaving but sometimes we have to take it the hard way there is no emotion at the end it's an economy and the people who don't want to leave but have to leave how's that going believe me the people who's been here for more than 25 years yeah they're having higher standard living than here the maids example I see it real example Indonesia mate after 25 years you will go there she's having a bitter house than the house that you're working here after dozens of years working Saudi Arabia is trying to send the workers back they didn't have many rights but now even their right to stay is taken away but is it possible that I will see a Saudi who's cleaning in this country there is there is there is wow okay if you go to if you go to wedding hall at night okay the Saudis are serving okay especially the female there is I'm saying it's not it's not we are not shy of way of cleaning we are cleaning our houses we are taking care of our plants but in terms of public cleaning yeah we are we're big we still need it but why do we see it as modern slavery this is your point of view as a European and American it's it's not for here for us in this region it's normal it's it's a it's a relation of employee and employer relation I'm just brought here to to work at home she's having her right but at the same thing she's not the homeowner but that's not the same rights as a Saudi has saw this doesn't work as a homemade many things remain the same but the effects of the reforms remain uncertain to many I unexpectedly get a message from the lawyer he wants to invite me to dinner at his house before I leave Saudi Arabia we are joined by one of his colleagues this is traditional yeah what's the name of this food it has a special name she she take four hours but the fire and you close it and after four hours you open it and then this wow it's ready yeah I had a lot of interviews and now it's more difficult and I think it has to do with the story of the journalists maybe after the dinner we can talk everything before that we can talk I am taken to a side room the call for an international investigation into the death of kasoji still exists I tried to bring it up okay can we talk yeah or if I eat up if I eat this I die I swear to you so Mr Khalid the case of the journalist khashoggi were almost the whole world is talking about it foreign but why not an independent inquiry with Vietnamese foreign that's the end of the discussion for them they'd rather discuss the future new projects that have been announced by the kingdom like the megalomaniacal Naomi is new neom is a new project that it's on the Red Sea and very strategic place with the best weather in the Arabian Peninsula open areas free zones open the trade for all the uh the Middle East also for tourism yeah yes the name is that the most important project for the coming years for Saudi Arabia yeah we are talking about 500 billion dollars in that project the reforms will not turn back uh I don't think so because it's not a reform actually This Is Us exactly This Is Us they sent me North to the plains on which neon will be built a big plan to make a state filled with entertainment and free play Crown Prince tries to keep his power despite kasoji's murder all hope is set on this project it will be my last trip through Saudi Arabia I will take what I have seen while traveling here with me the hope the wealth the Despair and the poverty Saudi Arabia sketches a future which they hope the West will believe foreign [Music] for now all I see is Desert [Music] now here upstairs full from entertainment and at this Saudi Arabia in Detroit liberal that is as long as Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy supported by spiritual leaders and as long as the Sharia governs the divide with the West will remain the reforms hardly help that but I realize that in a country where women and activists are oppressed every step towards freedom is welcome [Music]

Channel: ENDEVR

Views: 598,983

Keywords: Free documentary, documentaries, full documentary, hd documentary, documentary - topic, documentary (tv genre), Business Documentary, saudi arabia, inside saudi arabia, documentary about saudi arabia, saudi arabia documentary, saudi documentary, saudi royal family, mohammed bin salman, whats it like to live in saudi arabia, unknown arabia

Id: 2gmpqstL7VQ

Length: 168min 49sec (10129 seconds)

Published: Wed Jul 26 2023