User:Tarafa15/MBS Intro

Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (محمد بن سلمان بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود Muhammad bin Salmān bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Sa‘ūd; born 31 August 1985  ), known colloquially as MbS, is the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, also serving as Deputy Prime Minister, President of the Council for Economic and Development Affairs and Minister of Defense – the world's youngest at the time of his appointment. He has been described as the power behind the throne of his father, King Salman. He was appointed Crown Prince in June 2017 following King Salman’s decision to remove Muhammad bin Nayef from all positions, making Mohammad bin Salman heir apparent to the throne.

He has led several successful reforms, which include regulations restricting the powers of the religious police, and the removal of the ban on female drivers. Further cultural developments under his reign include the first Saudi public concerts by a female singer, the first Saudi sports stadium to admit women, and an increased presence of women in the workforce. His Vision 2030 program aims to diversify the Saudi economy through investment in non-oil sectors including technology and tourism. In 2016 he announced plans to list the shares of the state oil company Saudi Aramco.

Despite international praise for his strides towards the social and economic liberalisation of Saudi Arabia, commentators and human rights groups have been vocally critical of Mohammad bin Salman's leadership and the shortfalls of his reform program, citing a rising number of detentions of human rights activists, his intervention in Yemen, the escalation of the Qatar diplomatic crisis, the start of the Lebanon–Saudi Arabia dispute, and the arrest of members of the Saudi royal family in November 2017. NGOs including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch continue to criticize the Saudi government for its violations of human rights.