Saudi Arabia to Get First Alcohol Shop in More Than 70 Years
The extra-conservative Muslim country of Saudi Arabia is preparing to open its first alcohol store in its capital city of Riyadh which will serve only the non-Muslim diplomats in the coming weeks unde
Saudi Arabia is preparing to open its first alcohol store in its capital city of Riyadh which will serve only the non-Muslim diplomats. Saudi Arabia's Center of International Communication (CIC) announced “The new store is located in Riyadh's Diplomatic Quarter, a neighborhood where embassies and diplomats reside, and will be "strictly restricted" to non-Muslims.” The store is expected to open in the coming weeks. Customers will have to register via a mobile app, get a clearance code from the foreign ministry, & respect monthly quotas with their purchases. The CIC also said “This new process will continue to grant and ensure that all diplomats of non-Muslim embassies have access to these products in specified quotas.” For now it is unclear if other non-Muslim expatriates will also have access to the store or not. The decision to open a liquor shop in an extra conservative muslim country like Saudi Arabia is being considered as a milestone and the beginning of a new era because drinking alcohol is forbidden in Islam. Earlier, alcohol was available only through diplomatic mail or on the black market in Saudi Arabia. The decision was led by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to increase tourism & business opportunities. The initiative is a part of Saudi’s ‘Vision 2030’ to build a post-oil economy. Prince Mohammed has been initiating many changes which included opening Saudi for non-religious tourism, concerts & allowing women to drive. Saudi Arabia in recent years relaxed strict social codes such as segregating men & women in public places and requiring women to wear all-covering black robes, or abayas. Vision 2030 also includes developing local industries and logistics hubs all over Saudi, & aims at adding hundreds of thousands of jobs for Saudi nationals.
