Saudi Arabia's musical chairs

Saudi Arabia inched closer to modernity this weekend as King Abdullah showed the door to a pair of religious hard-liners and opened a deputy cabinet minister's seat to a woman. Saudi Arabia's Grand Ulema Commission is getting new representation by moderates. Sheik Ibrahim al-Ghaith, the chief of the religious police (who will probably not be attending this year's religious policeman's ball) has been sent packing along with Sheik Saleh al-Luhaidan who issued a fatwa allowing the killing of television executives who allow the broadcasting of immoral content (although THAT show would get great ratings). Norah al-Faiz would be the highest-ranking woman in the Saudi government. It remains to be seen if she'll be more than a token presence. The real question is whether this represents real reform in the Kingdom of Saud, or if it's just the momentary blowing of the desert sands.