Diplomats had begun calling it the "Riyadh Spring," so remarkable was the recent willingness of Saudi Arabia's press to challenge the kingdom's powerful religious establishment. Unfortunately, it didn't last. Jamal Khashoggi, the loudest of the critics, was removed last week as editor of the leading Arabic daily Al Watan after he angered conservative Islamic leaders.
Khashoggi, 45, began kicking up controversy in March when Al Watan accused the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice of abusing its powers. Its bearded, zealous cops spend much of their time patrolling streets and shopping malls to make sure that women...
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