Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman offered a strong defence of his economic and social reforms in the Kingdom in his first interview with an American television broadcaster, vowing to continue a transformative agenda that “only death†can barricade.
In a wide - ranging interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes aired on Sunday night, Prince Mohammed, 32, offered a new vision for Saudi Arabia that turns the page on the harsh interpretation of Islam practice in the Kingdom since 1979. He called citizens of his generation “victims†that “suffered from this a great dealâ€.
The Saudi Crown Prince was particularly critical of the Muslim Brotherhood ideology, of extremism and the schism with the West created by Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden through the orchestration of the 9/11 terror attacks.
Asked by journalist Norah O’Donnell about education reforms in the country toward espousing a more moderate form and curriculum about Islam, the Saudi Crown prince said: “Saudi schools have been invaded by many elements from the Muslim Brotherhood organisation, surely to a great extent. â€
“Even now, there are some elements left. It will be a short while until they are all eradicated completely. â€
He added that “no country in the world would accept that its educational system be invaded by any radical groupâ€.