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Major reshuffle in Saudi Arabia | Major reshuffle in Saudi Arabia |
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King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has sacked two powerful religious officials in a wide ranging shake-up of the cabinet and other government posts. | King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has sacked two powerful religious officials in a wide ranging shake-up of the cabinet and other government posts. |
One of the dismissed men was the head of the controversial religious police force. The other was the country's most senior judge. | One of the dismissed men was the head of the controversial religious police force. The other was the country's most senior judge. |
The king also appointed the country's first-ever female minister and replaced the head of the central bank. | |
Correspondents say such government reshuffles are rare in Saudi Arabia. | Correspondents say such government reshuffles are rare in Saudi Arabia. |
King Abdullah, who came to power in 2005, has for a long time had the reputation of a reformer - and the latest appointments have the makings of one of the biggest shake-ups in Saudi public life for many years. | |
The BBC's Arab affairs analyst Bob Trevelyan says the pace of change has been slow in the four years of the king's reign. | |
Despite the shake-up, our correspondent says the kingdom remains an absolute monarchy and real political change is not on the agenda. | |
Feared organisation | Feared organisation |
The sacked head judge, Sheikh Salih Ibn al-Luhaydan, caused controversy last September when he said it was permissible to kill the owners of satellite TV channels which broadcast immoral programmes. | The sacked head judge, Sheikh Salih Ibn al-Luhaydan, caused controversy last September when he said it was permissible to kill the owners of satellite TV channels which broadcast immoral programmes. |
Sheikh Salih Ibn al-Luhaydan said some "evil" entertainment programmes aired by the channels promoted debauchery. | Sheikh Salih Ibn al-Luhaydan said some "evil" entertainment programmes aired by the channels promoted debauchery. |
Our correspondent says the sheikh may well be paying the price for airing his opinions. | |
The shake-up also affected the feared religious police organisation, known as the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. | |
Sheikh Ibrahim al-Ghaith has lost his job as head of the commssion, which enforces Saudi Arabia's conservative brand of Islam, Wahhabism. | |
The commission has wide powers to search for alcohol and drugs, to crack down on prostitution and ensure shops are closed during prayer times. | |
But our correspondent says the religious police have been widely criticised recently over allegations of brutality - the kind of comments that could never have been made publicly a few years ago. | |
Meanwhile, Norah al-Faiz now holds the most senior official position a woman has held in Saudi Arabia. She has been appointed to the newly-created post of deputy education minister for women's affairs. |
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