According to some reports 800+ people have been arrested in Riyadh for wearing low-slung jeans and sporting Afros in Saudi Arabia. Mosques in the Eastern Province have warned people that they will be banned if they are caught with either at prayer time and can also be arrested.
The youth arrested were released after their parents [...]
Posts under ‘life in saudi arabia’
Arrests for Afros & Low-slung Jeans in Saudi Arabia
Al-Qaeda Alive and Thriving in Saudi Arabia
Despite the Saudi crackdowns on suspected militants, the latest attack by Al- Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) was an assassination attempt against the Assistant Interior Minister for Security Affairs.
Prince Mohammad bin Naif was only slightly injured by the suicide bomber however the security breach was HUGE. Arab News reports:
The king asked Prince Muhammad [...]
Saudi Hai’a Join Second-Life
Al Watan newspaper reported yesterday that the Saudi Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (CPVPV or Hai’a) now has a presence on Second Life on the Middle East island. It is an unexpected development for sure, but certainly wonderful to see their initiative.
If you teleport to the Middle East [...]
Alcohol in Saudi Arabia- expats
When it comes to alcohol the worst offenders in the Kingdom are often from the expatriate community. 9 out of 10 news reports about raids on producers, suppliers and distributors includes at least one, if not more, expats within the illegal alcohol supply chain.
There are the expats who run factories to produce the local brew [...]
Alcohol in Saudi Arabia- locals
Alcohol is officially banned in Saudi Arabia- for both locals and expats (unlike other Muslim majority countries where alcohol is allowed for expats e.g. Pakistan or countries where alcohol is served in hotels openly available e.g. Egypt, Bahrain, Dubai etc). The reality on the ground is different and depends on socio-economic status. The vast majority [...]
First Riyadh Tweet-up a Success
The first Riyadh tweet-up held in May (a physical meeting up of Riyadh residents who use Twitter) was a success. Organized by @Saudi, some 20+ men and 2 women showed up at Second Cup on Tahlia; the men sat in the singles section and the women in the family section- perfectly segregated as per local [...]
Riyadh Tweetup
The first Riyadh TweetUp is scheduled for this weekend, Thursday, May 07, 2009 from 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM. Click here for registration
Event Details
This is the first Riyadh Tweetup meant to gather people located in Riyadh who use twitter to socialize and meet face to face.
We will gather in a coffee shop in northern Riyadh [...]
Pictures of Pigs to be Removed from Saudi Textbooks
The Saudi Ministry of Education recently ordered the removal of pictures of pigs, music instruments and anything else that might be considered “un-Islamic” from English language text books for private schools.
The rationale for removing the images of pigs as being un-Islamic is not unusual in many Muslim-majority countries however it deserves a second thought. Without [...]
Growing Pains of Reform in Saudi Arabia
Reform is a slow process that takes years and sometimes generations. The ongoing tussle between the public and the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Hayya) is one of the expected growing pains of reform in Saudi Arabia. A recent example was the Riyadh Book Fair, held during the past [...]
PR by Saudi Commission of the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice
Saudi Arabia is infamous for it’s “religious police” who are actually not police but civil servants entrusted with policing society for moral wrongs. Affectionately called Hayya, infamously called Mutawwas, the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice tends to have a love-hate relationship with the population.
The recent change of the Commission [...]
