To begin with, members of the small but steadily growing Saudi middle class have increasingly expressed their discontent publicly. Despite legal prohibition, Saudi women have defiantly driven their cars in the streets of Riyadh, while prominent intellectuals have published open letters to King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah demanding social and political reform.
首先，少数的沙特中产阶级开始公开表示他们的不满，而且这一人数正在不断增长。尽管法律上明文禁止，沙特的妇女已经敢于冒天下之大不韪在首都利雅得的街道上开起了车。同时，一些有名的有识之士在向法德国王和沙特王储阿卜杜拉的公开信中要求进行社会和政治改革。