MENA, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's rulers vowed Monday not to deviate "an inch" from Islamic sharia law, in an apparent effort to placate critics of the conservative kingdom's cautious reforms.

Facing a wave of militant violence and growing economic challenges, Saudi Arabia has begun some tentative reforms, including changes to its Islam-based school curricula.

The moves have stirred opposition among some religious figures, whose concerns include the future of sharia law in the birthplace of Islam.

"We in the kingdom are committed to Islamic law in our relations, commitments and decisions... This is our only faith which we would never substitute or deviate from, not even an inch," King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah said in a joint message to pilgrims performing the annual haj.

"(Islam) rules our domestic and foreign policy and our private and public dealings," they said.

Saudi Arabia, the world largest oil exporter, is ruled by an alliance between the House of Saud and the deeply conservative Wahhabi school of Islam and implements a strict version of Islamic law.

The battle for influence between reformers and conservatives has touched on issues ranging from women's rights to Saudi Arabia's bid to join the World Trade Organization.

Western pressure for reform has been growing since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, carried out by mostly Saudi suicide hijackers. The kingdom's schools and mosques are under fire in the West for promoting militancy.

Bowing to internal and Western demands for more freedom, Riyadh said municipal elections would be held in 2004.

But Saudi Arabia's highest religious authority, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al-Sheikh, ruled this month that Islam forbade men and women to mix in public, sparking a debate on whether Riyadh was capable of seeing the reforms through.

02/02/04 13:44 ET