Don't Pay Me Lip-service, Saudi King Tells Subjects

Saudi Arabia's newly enthroned King Abdullah has told his citizens they should no longer kiss their monarch's hand because it is degrading and un-Islamic.
Saudi Arabia's newly enthroned King Abdullah has told his citizens they should no longer kiss their monarch's hand because it is degrading and un-Islamic.

"Kissing hands is alien to our values and morals and is not accepted by free and noble souls," he reportedly told the most recent of the thousands of Saudis who have come to his palace offering their loyalty.

The small break with tradition is the first hint of change in this conservative and pious society, where the new king is regarded as a reformer from a royal family better known for its opulence and power.


© Guardian News & Media 2008
Published: 9/12/2005
 
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