Saudi Arabia is moving closer to changing the royal order that rules the country’s national song and green flag, which is imprinted with Islam’s profession of faith, establishing Saudi Arabia as the religion’s birthplace.
The kingdom’s unelected consultative Shura Council voted in favour of the measures late Monday, according to state-run media. It comes as Saudi Arabia’s young crown prince emphasises the country’s identity and pride.
While the council’s judgments have no effect on existing laws or structures, the vote is crucial since the council’s members are nominated by the king, and their decisions frequently follow the king’s lead.
According to other state-affiliated media, the reforms favour changing the system that governs the flag, slogan, and national anthem, but not its content.
The council has not provided any additional information.
The proposed reforms, according to local media reports, aim to more clearly identify the proper uses of the state insignia, promote awareness about the flag and anthem’s importance, and preserve the flag from infringement or neglect.
Last week, Saudi police arrested four Bangladeshi men for allegedly destroying the Saudi flag by throwing it in the trash.
Only a proposed revision to a nearly 50-year-old royal decree governing the flag was approved by the Shura Council, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
Saad al-Otaibi, a council member, presented the modification, which was considered by a subcommitte before being discussed by the full council.
The suggestion comes at a time when the once ultra-conservative country is undergoing fast transformations.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been working to reinvent Saudi identity, replacing pan-Islamism with a national-cultural identity that is not simply determined by religion, with the support of his octogenarian father, King Salman.
One such example is a royal proclamation declaring February 22nd as Saudi Arabia’s Founding Day.
The national holiday commemorates Imam Muhammad bin Saud’s attempt in the 18th century to build the first Saudi state before it was defeated by the Ottomans.
In another effort to boost awareness about a cultural feature that symbolises the Saudi identity and customs, the government ordered restaurants and coffee shops in Saudi Arabia to rebrand Arabic coffee as Saudi coffee this week, according to state media.
Since 1973, the green Saudi flag has carried a white Arabic calligraphy Islamic confession of faith that reads: “There is no deity but Allah; Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him) is Allah’s Messenger.”
A sword is hidden beneath those words. In Makkah, the birthplace of Islam, where the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was born and received the first precepts of the Holy Quran, the kingdom welcomes Muslim pilgrims from all over the world.
In the absence of a free press, state-controlled media outlets offered additional details on the Shura Council’s proposal for flag and anthem codes, which will be presented to King Salman for approval.
According to organisations such as Reporters Without Borders, there is no local independent media in Saudi Arabia, and repression has increased under the crown prince.
According to the daily Ashraq Al-Awsat and Sabq news sites, the concept arose as a result of the kingdom’s fast transformation in recent years.
Changes to existing legislation are being considered to support the goals and ambitions of Vision 2030, the crown prince’s ambitious national project to revamp Saudi Arabia’s economy and make it more resilient in the face of fluctuating oil prices and the use of sustainable energy.
