Was Abd Aziz al Saud a dictator like Mustafa Kemal?

Answer 1

It depends how the question is intended.

If the question merely seeks to ask whether King Abdulaziz as-Saud and President Mustafa Kemal Ataturk are both dictators, then the simple answer is: "Yes, they were both dictators."

However, if the question is asking whether or not their styles of dictatorial rule were similar, the clear answer is: "No." King Abdulaziz created an absolute monarchy and aligned himself closely with Wahhabist Clerics, creating an indirect theocracy. Abdulaziz tried to maintain the cultural conservatism of Nejd and Hejaz and only allowed Westerners in to the country to the extent that they could contribute to petroleum extraction and refinement and minimal tourism. Conversely, President Ataturk was bent on a nationalist irreligious agenda. Ataturk eliminated the Caliphate and proclaimed Turkey a state without religion (much like how the US is a state without religion). He improved literacy by reforming the alphabet and worked closely with Westerners to modernize Turkey in everything from technology, to dress, to legal codes.