I feel like a Hummus plate : Barack Obama says Saudi Arabia needs to learn to share region with Iran - Times of India

Saudi Arabia isn't any better than Iran,

they're propping up a military dictator in Egypt (even though the last one wasn't any better), yl3bon b7sbt their Shia population in the eastern provinces, and their internal policies are a disaster. Death for apostasy, homosexuality, opposing the ruler, adultery, blasphemy; women get harassed by the religious police for so much as being in a public building that has men in it, or for wearing make up, or for showing their hair. People get harassed for playing music or an instrument. atheism is a crime that is equivalent to terrorism. And while they aren't supporting any militias in other countries they are exporting their Ideology to so many other muslim countries. The rise of Saudi Arabia in the 50s and the 60s with the increasing world influence they gained from oil, and their foreign policy during that era, is one of the main reasons that led to the death of secularism in the middle east (Yemen war of 1962 where Saudi Arabia killed the socialist revolution, and their anti secular policies against Egypt and Syria for example). Saudi Arabia exporting their Ideology to neighboring countries is why so many Arab countries today are backwards. So no, Saudi Arabia isn't any better than Iran. But the difference between Saudi Arabia and Iran is that Saudi Arabia is going backwards whereas Iran isn't.

Iran as of now is going through an election cycle. They have a new parliament and council of experts, and a huge portion of the new senators are now moderates, meaning the people who were in favor of 'intervening with Arabs business', and the same people who supported Iran's regressive internal policies (the same types of rules Saudi Arabia enforces) no longer have power. These same people are the ones who will pick Iran's Supreme leader once Ali croaks.

So yes, Saudi Arabia and Iran are - as of now - at the same level. But at least Iran is changing, whereas Saudi Arabia isn't.

/r/arabs Thread Parent Link - timesofindia.indiatimes.com