Like it or not, Saudi Arabia takes the crown as the most changed country in the Middle East. The pace with which social reforms have taken centre stage in the Gulf state that enjoyed notoriety for its radical interpretation of Islamic law. The lifting of the longstanding driving ban on female drivers had resuscitated hopes for a change in the tide. With every new cinema opening doors and every diva glitzing in fashion shows, new doors were opened to let in a little more freedom, a little more parity with the rest of the world. However, those still refusing to register the new ways must have been jolted out of their seats when viral footages of Bollywood superstar Salman Khan made rounds on social media. Seeing the smashing back-to-back successes of Da-Bangg performer and Canadian Justin Bieber burn up the dance floor in the once-conservative lanes would not be that easy to stomach for the many. To twist the dagger further in, Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman’s bromance with France’s Macron hits the harsh notes here, there, and everywhere. Not many could have hazarded a guess as to what has been lately transpiring in the holy desert. While nothing is being wholly dismantled, but everything is still being changed. It must have been the unprecedented calibration of the social compass that went behind the viral picture of a Saudi woman hugging a giant portrait of the MBS. And why wouldn’t she? If the wheels are set in motion to abolish the high-powered guardianship renegade, Saudi Arabia might finally embrace its women as truly equal partners, not chattel that needs an emir’s protection all the time. A phenomenal beginning, indeed. That Riyadh is finally delivering on its oft-repeated public commitments to herald a socially liberal, religiously tolerant era should be a goal all Muslim countries should look forward to. In the past, we have had the Dubai model opening its windows to let investments from all nooks of the globe pour in. But these low-hanging fruits can only be enjoyed if the right message is sent across. Tolerance is the only mantra that works. Saudi kings might have won their difficult battle to enforce a predictable code and unlock the avenues to better lives, but many others are still languishing on the way. They can help solve the predicament by drawing a clear line between westernisation and modernisation. Not everything from across the seas is worth taking as an example. Undoubtedly, the rest of the Muslim world is up for some tough decisions. Whether to continue paying them respect as Holy Guardians (and in turn, follow in their modern footsteps) or wave the red flag against their code? Seemingly, not all wish to burn the French embassy down. *