Saudi Arabia might impose fines for violating public decency

Tuesday, October 1, 2019

Saudi Arabia has said that it would impose fines for 19 offences related to public decency, like immodest dress and public displays of affection, although the Muslim kingdom has opened up for foreign tourists.

The Interior Ministry has launched a visa regime that allows holidaymakers from 49 states to visit one of the world’s most closed-off countries. Till now, the majority of visitors have been Muslim pilgrims and business people.

Violations listed on the new visa website also include littering, spitting, queue jumping, taking photographs and videos of people without consent and playing music at prayer times. Fines range from 50 riyals ($13) to 6,000 riyals ($1,600).

Alcohol remains illegal, and this might deter some tourists. It is also unclear whether unmarried foreign men and women are allowed to share a hotel room.

But the ban on driving for women has been lifted and public entertainment, including once banned cinemas, has flourished. Many restaurants and cafes have done with physical barriers separating genders and no longer stop serving customers at prayer times.

Some women now wear colorful abayas, the loose fitting robes worn over their clothes that are usually black, or choose not to wear robes at all.

The Gulf country, which shares borders with Iraq to the north and Yemen to the south, boasts of vast tracts of desert and also verdant mountains, pristine beaches and historical sites including five UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

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