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Every Thursday morning Feisal conducts a majlis, an ancient ceremony common in the Arab world, at which any male subject—rich or poor, high or low—can present the King with a request; it is usually referred to a minister for action or denied on the spot. Feisal has also been known to stop his car on the street, and step out to receive petitions from women. At noon every day, government officials, repairmen and anyone else allowed within the gates of the King's villa can join him there at a long, 40-seat table for lunch (usually bland meats, puddings and fruits in deference to his ulcers). In the afternoon he generally holds an informal reception for about 100 tribal and business leaders. Visitors to his office are often puzzled to see what looks like three bottles of perfume behind the King's desk; they are actually filled with different grades of petroleum. Feisal speaks English, French and Turkish, but insists on Arabic for official dealings; when meeting with foreigners he uses an interpreter—and sometimes corrects him in midsentence. Friends describe him as a good listener and a man who believes in the ancient Arab proverb, "God gave man two ears and one tongue so that we listen twice as much as we talk."
Feisal rules his people like a tribal chief, relying for advice on a small circle of ministers and halfbrothers. There are no elections, no political parties and no legislature and no constitution besides the Koran. Religion permeates public life, and the only law of the land is the law of Islam. The Mutawa, or religious police, patrol the streets to make sure that Saudis observe their prayer times and close their shops when they do so. Harsh penalties for crime remain on the books—stoning to death for adultery, beheading for murder, cutting off a hand for thievery—though they are far less frequently applied than they were years ago. As in many other Arab countries, drinking and smoking are nominally forbidden, but police today arrest only the public drinkers. Many resident foreigners and some Saudis concoct their own bathtub liquor.
Slowly and cautiously, Feisal has been nudging Saudi Arabia into the 20th century. He abolished slavery early in his reign. He introduced television over the protests of religious leaders, who called TV"the work of the devil." Saudi Arabia now has eight stations and about 300,000 sets. Government censors scissor out any scenes of drinking, smoking or passionate kissing. Saudi viewers have a particular fondness for American programs like I Love Lucy and Bonanza.
Under Feisal, Saudi Arabia has spent billions of riyals (about four to the dollar) on roads, public health and education, including the first schools for girls. Today more than 100,000 girls are in school, yet women remain last-class citizens in Saudi Arabia. They must wear veils in public, cannot drive cars or hold jobs that bring them into contact with men. Saudi Arabian Airlines has to recruit Lebanese and other foreign women as stewardesses.