Saudi Arabia allows people to buy alcohol in Public
2 min read
Saudi Arabia is going to let people buy alcohol in public for the first time in decades. They will do this by opening a store in Riyadh, the capital city, that is only for non-Muslim officials. The goal of this suggested change is to loosen the strict rules that control the sale of alcoholic drinks in the holy land of Muslims, which is where Islam began. According to one source, the proposed policy change will allow non-Muslim ambassadors to buy alcohol directly. Previously, they could only bring alcohol into the country in diplomatic pouches or sealed official packages.
Many rumours have been going around for years about the possibility of alcohol being sold in the Gulf country. This theory fit with a set of changes that were put in place as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 reform plan. Some of these changes that stand out are the opening of movie theatres and the planning of music events for people of all genders.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Saudi government said that steps would be taken to allow alcohol. This is a big step forward in the country’s ongoing efforts to change things for the better. The statement called for “a new regulatory framework…to counter the illicit trade of alcohol goods and products received by diplomatic missions.” The statement also said, “The new process will focus on allocating specific amounts of alcohol goods when entering the Kingdom to stop the previous unregulated process that led to an uncontrolled exchange of such goods in the Kingdom.”
It’s interesting to note that non-Muslims have been able to drink booze in hotels and licenced restaurants for years in other Gulf states, like the United Arab Emirates.
The “store guidelines” say that only registered diplomats can go into the alcohol store in Riyadh’s diplomatic area. Diplomats must use a special app to prove who they are in order to get in and make purchases. Non-Muslims are the only ones who are allowed in, and there are strict rules in place, like not taking pictures and putting cell phones in special bags while inside the store. The rules also set up a points system to control how much booze registered people can buy each month, letting them buy up to 40 litres of spirits, 80 litres of wine, or 240 litres of beer.
One western envoy said, “It looks like the place has a lot of supplies.”
As Riyadh works to build tourist sites along the Red Sea, rumours start to spread that non-Muslim customers might be able to buy alcohol in certain areas. More and more people are wondering if Prince Mohammed would extend this permission, especially since the tourism industry is growing and there are talks about whether Riyadh Air, the kingdom’s newest plane, could serve alcoholic drinks. A few times, executives have avoided answering this question.
Tourism is a key part of the crown prince’s plan to diversify the country’s economy and bring in non-oil businesses in the world’s biggest oil exporter.
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