Re: My questoin about Saudi Arabia
I sort of disagree. If the rules of the country are conservative, so are its people. For example, according to the Saudi law, it is okay to film (photo or video) in public. You can’t film government buildings or other people without their permission of course but other than that its okay to film in public. Yet, if the public catches you with filming equipment in a public area, you will most likely get into trouble. I’ve read this on many photographers’ blogs such as this one: Photography in Saudi Arabia | NidalM Photography So even though it is your right to film in public, the public chooses to ignore this law.
Another example would be the newly built graduate university KAUST which is exempt from the strict rules applied to the rest of Saudi Arabia. In KAUST, and I’m talking about a campus the scale of a small town, women are allowed to drive, they don’t have to wear abaya, male and female students are not segregated etc etc… apparently, a lot of groups in KSA have been opposing this initiative by the King. So it’s not just one person, it’s the society as a whole that likes its culture just as it is.