Saudi Arabia, 20 years after 9/11: ‘A country in the making’

By AYA BATRAWY
Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — All but four of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 were Saudi citizens and the Saudi kingdom was the birthplace of Osama bin Laden, the head of al-Qaida and mastermind of the attack. But that was 20 years ago. While still politically repressive, Saudi Arabia is lurching away from the ultraconservative religious ideology that helped spawn generations of mujahideen. The cloud of social restrictions that loomed over generations of Saudis is quickly dissipating and the country is undergoing visible change. Still, for countless numbers of people in the United States and beyond, Saudi Arabia will forever be associated with 9/11.