This past Christmas in Riyadh was unrecognizable to anyone who knew the city five years ago. Hitherto, openly celebrating non-Muslim holidays had been regarded as blasphemy. Now the religious police, who had previously arrested shopkeepers for selling red roses on St. Valentine's Day, were nowhere to be seen. Instead, Christmas trees, lights, decorations, and Santa costumes were openly on sale for the first time. In a city where the Ministry of Health had regularly informed hospitals not to permit any Christmas displays, shops were arrayed with snowmen and reindeer while high-end cafes like Bateel sold dates in star-shaped boxes decorated...