ABSTRACT
Most international lawyers aspire to a law of universal validity and enforceability; some feel this aim is close to realization. Saudi Arabia seems to be a favorite example, for non-Muslims at least, of the Islamic state where traditional values are profoundly entrenched in every phase of life, including public life. Proud of their Bedouin heritage of tribal solidarity, hospitality, independence, and personal and familial honor, Saudis are almost chauvinistic about their religious roots. A cultural mosaic emerges in which the values of progress, reason, social security, and public interest coexist with the more traditional values of Islamic solidarity, supremacy of the religious law, and esteem of the past. Al-Hamad argues that such a move would undermine the traditional culture, destabilize the political structure, and sow confusion among the people. Al-Yamani finds that the shari’a is capable of changing because of jurisprudents’ reliance on analogy, reason, and the concept of public interest.
