My boss was a very simple, plain, kind, humble middle-aged man who didn't know how to read or write. Since he didn't he had honed his memorization abilities to the max.
He wasn't unusual. We lived there FIVE years and I worked with 30 Saudi men. We ate in the restaurants, shopped in the dusty little sort-of-towns and met MOSTLY decent folks...just like ANYWHERE else on the planet.
We DID get over to Manama, Bahrain, and saw TONY BENNETT. He sang his song for us: I Left My Heart in San Francisco (my home). I duly snerfed and brought out the hanky!
True story:
One day (in Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia) I came from a Women's Group meeting and we were all given a little toy, just a silly table gift. So, the next morning I gave it to Ali (one of the workers in our Recreation Department) to give to his kids.
WELL! Two days later he came to me in despair. He said that my gift to him had started a war in his home. BOTH of his little daughters wanted the toy! They WOULDN'T share. He tried giving it to his son...but his son didn't want it. He asked me for help.
I went to the other gals in our Women's Group and asked for another of the gift. Whew. I got another one and gave it to Ali. He was MOST grateful--war over.
If you did not ask them about theological things, you could not have known.
An illiterate executive sounds, well, weird to me. But not being able to study the Koran might have advantages.