Cinemas will open to the public in ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia in 2018, the kingdom’s culture ministry has announced. The lifting of the ban follows several other steps by the Saudi Crown Prince touted as liberalization of the country.
This is good news, at least on the surface, as fun in Islam is generally regarded as haram. Already, powerful religious officials are, as might have been expected, decrying the move and warning that “films can be ‘immoral, atheistic or rotten” and have the potential ‘to open doors to evil.'” Women were also recently allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia, so clearly changes are being implemented, but whether Saudi Arabia’s attempts to modernize can be taken at face value is another story, given the history of the country and some strange missives by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
It is no coincidence that “the social transformation” happening in Saudi Arabia “chimes with” the Crown Prince’s recent vow to “return” the country to moderate Islam. He asked for global support to transform the hardline kingdom into an “open society,” but what did he mean by “return”? That is a mystery, as Saudi Arabia was built on Wahhabism, and has been the primary force in spreading the Wahhabi ideology globally through its petrodollar funding. This has included the funding of radical mosques. The Crown Prince has also claimed that the kingdom had been “’not normal’ for the past 30 years… blaming rigid doctrines that have governed society in a reaction to the Iranian revolution, which successive leaders ‘didn’t know how to deal with.'”
The reality facing Saudi Arabia now is quite grim, and may be the impetus behind Mohammed bin Salman’s announcement to the world that Saudi Arabia is moving in a whole new direction. The kingdom has struggled financially due to the fall of oil prices — although it has struggled to maintain an appearances of wealth — and massive resources have gone to fund its war in Yemen. In fact, the country was forced to slash state spending and then borrow tens of billions from abroad, and it is now is depending on foreign investment.
Adding to the near-crisis in the Saudi economy, the kingdom is facing mounting criticism for alleged war crimes in Yemen; its archenemy Iran has jumped on that bandwagon, and in addition, has accused the Saudis of meddling in Lebanon’s business. Yet Iranian President Rouhani has also weighed in, stating to S.A.
You are making mistake if you think Iran is not your friend and the U.S. and Israel are your friends.
As Iran and Saudi Arabia battle it out for regional hegemony, it is expedient for Saudi Arabia to shore up foreign support. Donald Trump also pledged to support the kingdom’s efforts to modernize its country and fight terrorism during a meeting in early November.
While Saudi citizens can look forward to their first cinemas, Mohammad bin Salman is also enjoying his Time magazine’s readers’ Person of the Year designation, showing that he has been quite effective in the positive image department “on behalf of his country despite the continued bombardment of Yemen and deteriorating relations between Riyadh and Tehran.”
“Saudi Arabia to finally open first cinemas in early 2018,” RT News, December 11, 2017:
Cinemas will open to the public in ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia in 2018, the kingdom’s culture ministry has announced. The lifting of the ban follows several other steps by the Saudi Crown Prince touted as liberalization of the country.
“As the industry regulator, the General Commission for Audiovisual Media has started the process for licensing cinemas in the Kingdom,” Minister of Culture and Information, Awwad bin Saleh Alawwad, said in a statement on Monday.
“We expect the first cinemas to open in March 2018,” he added as cited by Reuters.
Saudi Arabia has strict religious rules, which govern citizens’ public life…..
Despite almost all Saudis having TV sets, public demonstrations of cinema were banned in the 1980s, being regarded by hardliners as vulgar and sinful. IMAX is believed to be the only operating movie theatre in the kingdom, featuring only educational films. Earlier, the proposal to lift the ban was condemned by powerful religious officials, who say that films can be “immoral, atheistic or rotten” and have the potential “to open doors to evil.”
Last week, Mohammad bin Salman won Time magazine’s readers’ Person of the Year, despite the continued bombardment of Yemen and deteriorating relations between Riyadh and Tehran. Domestically, he has initiated several more changes which the Western media see as breakthroughs, including allowing women to drive and attend sports events at stadiums from 2018. Salman has even vowed to return to moderate Islam. However, Saudi Arabia still has a strict adherence to ultra-conservative Islam and some of the most severe punishments, including the death penalty, for breaking both religious and secular laws.
Charles says
Rouhani?
Even his name evokes images of a rag-headed youth, on his knees, molesting the neighbors Camel!
Why would the Saudies ever listen to “him”?
But, it’s all moot!
GOD, yes the “real one”, not the fake, will soon destroy all evil on Earth!
And the vile, spritual MAGGOT that is izlam, will be only a forgotten memory!
YA HOO!
Savvy Kafir says
I wouldn’t count on it, Chuck. If any evil is gonna be destroyed, we’ll have to handle it ourselves.
I don’t believe it’s possible to “destroy all evil on Earth”. I’ll settle for kicking Islam in the nuts.
gravenimage says
Islam has been around for 1400 years now. I don’t think I’d count on its disappearing in the next few years.
ChristianBosnia says
Wake me up when they allow the construction of churches and synagogues
LeftisruiningCanada says
True.
“Next year in Mecca.”
Mark Spahn (West Seneca, NY) says
The linked-to article, at https://www.rt.com/news/412695-saudi-arabia-allows-cinemas/ , says, “Last week, Mohammad bin Salman won Time magazine’s readers’ Person of the Year”.
But https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Person_of_the_Year says something different: The Silence Breakers (women opposing sexual abuse), with runners-up being six personages in the news, none of them Mohammad bin Salman. Why the discrepancy? What does “readers'” mean in this context?
Sarah says
God I used to love Time magazine. Had the subscription (and paid a small fortune for it, given I’m Australian). I don’t have it anymore. Its become a left-wing rag just like The Atlantic.
Now I’m paying through the skin of my teeth for the UK version (and the Australian version) of The Spectator instead. Both are staunchly conservative – and frankly, I wish I could just get objective reporting without political bias full stop, but if I’m going to take political bias, I have more faith in the conservative tranches of the MSM these days, than I do in the liberal tranches.
Time lost the plot a long time ago, but they really jumped the shark after gushing over Merkel and her madness with destroying the EU and half of Europe.
LeftisruiningCanada says
Have you heard of Quadrant magazine? It’s Oz based. What do you think?
http://quadrant.org.au/
Halal Bacon says
Open a Synagogue and a Church then I might believe you…
RichardL says
I think the “return” is merely a rhetorical device to steal the oxygen from the hardliners. I am still optimistic about this.
underbed cat says
It is very curious what is occurring in S.A,.when the new upstart prince who may be the new King is interested in reform. When our leader goes to Saudi Arabia and says to them something about drive out the terrorist in your country as if they were infected from an outside source. I think this is a ruse. It would of course mean don’t follow the Quran…if I am not mistaken,, which is the drive to bring Islam to the world by jihad. If the prince is trying to change the atmosphere …it is curious. It is curious about the month long visitors of SA airforce to Vegas in August and the theory of an helicopter being part of the shooting, unseen and not heard. So these conspiracy situations linger. if not one word of the book can be changed…and many stick to that is it possible to moderate…or is it for show for now, that war is deceit.
Ciudadano says
Saudis are very worried about their deteriorated reputation and islam’s reputation. They know that ISIS has given a very bad reputation to Islam among muslims. They know muslims are disappointed with Saudis conspicuos lack of solidarity with their fellow muslims refugees, intolerance, backwardness of Saudi society. They are worried because as a result muslims are converting to christianity by millions. They know the house of cards is about to fall.
Dan says
Blankety blank your “Opening movie theaters” to show you’re reforming.
That would be like Hitler saying Nazis can watch non German films.
Big stinking whup.
You want to convince me you’re reforming.
Acknowledge Israel’s right to exist, and excoriate any and all you currently consider martyrs.
Until, your actions aren’t even enough to serve as window dressings
Z says
I’ll believe it when I see it
Ibrahim itace muhammed says
Christine Williams, so you are happy that evil Saudi Royal family are opening Saudi society to lewdness and pornography to be reduced to beasts like filthy christian society who serve the Satan (Holy Spirit) the mentor of immorality and nakedness imitating your forefathers during stone age where they walked naked with their women like group of monkeys?the evil Saudi Royal family will soon be sacked before they cause more harm to Islam.
LeftisruiningCanada says
Sure, because islam leads everyone into becoming shining example of purity…….
Everyone knows how hypocritical you lot are, making a show of piety on the outside, while you do all your drinking, partying and porno-watching in secret…..or just across the border, depending on where you happen to live.
And thanks for making it clear that you side with the factions threatening to violently take over muslim nations, simply because they aren’t islamic enough for your own personal brand of koran based, mohammad emulating, insanity.
If it’s wahabi islam that is great evil, and you don’t like SA because they are too lax, what exactly do you believe is a proper way to behave like mohammad?
I’m really not sure how much worse it could be.
gravenimage says
Ibrahim itace muhammed wrote:
Christine Williams, so you are happy that evil Saudi Royal family are opening Saudi society to lewdness and pornography to be reduced to beasts like filthy christian society who serve the Satan (Holy Spirit) the mentor of immorality and nakedness imitating your forefathers during stone age where they walked naked with their women like group of monkeys?the evil Saudi Royal family will soon be sacked before they cause more harm to Islam.
…………………………….
I see that Ibrahim itace muhammed believes that watching the latest superhero Thor movie or a film about Dickens’ writing “A Christmas Carol” is deeply immoral (never mind that only a Mohammedan could believe that the Victorians walked around naked)–but he considers it entirely admirable to “marry” children, rape Infidel women and keep them as sex slaves, and commit genocide against the Jews.
*This* is Muslim “morality”. *Ugh*.
Chand says
But don’t Muslims also believe in Adam and Eve, the first humans, who ran around naked in Eden until blah, blah……………serpent, apple, shame, demotion to Earth, etc?
Isn’t the ‘stone age’ a scientific concept? Yes, we did descend from monkey-like ancestors. Not monkeys. We are not monkeys but humans. Monkeys do run around naked. Our ancestors used to but cultures evolved and only primitive tribes do now. Nothing to do with a snake and and an apple though. Just changing fashions. Also all our ancestors evolved in Africa and didn’t need clothes to keep warm, which they did as they spread around the world, to colder climes Most wear clothes now.
Many of the answers to questions of morality, etc. can be found in the study of Darwinian evolution. Everything has been naturally selected as they provided an advantage.
LeftisruiningCanada says
“But don’t Muslims also believe in Adam and Eve, the first humans, who ran around naked in Eden until blah, blah……………serpent, apple, shame, demotion to Earth, etc?”
It’s nothing like the Biblical understanding of that. In islam there is no conception of Mankind having fallen into a sinful condition.
“Demotion to Earth”? Eden was on earth.
CRUSADER says
The more open the more chance of ideas being allowed to breathe freely, and may that be the case with Iran as well…. There are many youths growing up now, who will want changes to occur, and it is more likely to benefit a future if those changes are liberally minded while retaining conservative approaches as used to be the case in the USA, whereby growth of economy, technology and science can be freeing us for more innovation. Praise and blessing be on our reasoning abilities. The Greeks and Romans knew.
Perhaps people will just realize that it is sufficient to have a faith of peace and trust so will take up Christianity, without any need for jihad of the sword or tongue or pen. Just chill and live in the life of the Lord, Christ.
Sarah says
Sorry but I don’t call allowing women to drive, a move towards modernization when they still require permission and approval from a male owner and master, to go out and drive anyway.
Just like I don’t call being allowed to enter a stadium or go see a movie legally, as signs of modernization.
True signs of modernization in that cesspit of a ‘kingdom’ means eradicating the male guardianship rules. And setting up a firing squad for every single Cleric and the so-called religious Police.
gravenimage says
We’ll see…
Chand says
“Cinemas will open to the public in ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia in 2018, the kingdom’s culture ministry has announced. The lifting of the ban follows several other steps by the Saudi Crown Prince touted as liberalization of the country.”
How sweet! Different seating sections for men and women though, right?
LeftisruiningCanada says
good point!
Probably will be chaperoned by stick wielding religious police.
And no laughing.