Fahd ibn Abdul Aziz 2005 Deaths

Fahd ibn Abdul Aziz

pro-Western king of Saudi Arabia whose reign was marked by the modernization of the staunchly conservative Islamic country. He courted the U.S., broadened women's rights, and expanded the economy. These acts, however, were accompanied by his support for Wahhabism, the country's influential religious establishment that has supported anti-Americanism and Islamic militancy. After a series of strokes in 1995, King Fahd passed authority to Crown Prince Abdullah, who assumed the throne upon Fahd's death.