Inside Saudi Arabia

Hope spreads in the Middle East for more liberty In Saudi Arabia follow social reforms over a years time The country wants to open its borders to secular tourism In Jeddah many young people hope for change demanding greater equality between men and women but the conservative opposition is enormous One wrong word and anyone can be arrested How far will Saudis go in the fight for freedom

We encounter Saudi Arabian elites and it becomes clear that the brutal political slaying of Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi inside the London Saudi embassy in 2018 does not impact their loyalty toward the royal family We are invited to Diriyah where religion and the House of Saud coincide leading us to the mosque of Wahab founding home of Wahhabism known for its rigid interpretation of Islam

Saudi Arabias spiritual influence stems from its guardianship of Mecca and Medina Islams most sacred cities This status grants the kingdom unparalleled religious clout Pilgrims worldwide trace an ancient route from Jeddah to Meccas heart aiming to circle the Holy Kaaba in a defining spiritual journey Amid the deeprooted devotion there theres an emerging dialogue on modernizing Islam

After the murder of Jamal Khashoggi the question remains as to what will happen with social modernization reforms Could the support for Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman be crumbling We travel to the conservative South to provinces such as Asir Najran and Jizan on the border with Yemen where the populations deeprooted traditional social fabric presents the fiercest resistance to change