DANCING WELCOMED BY YOUNG IN SAUDI, BUT NOT EVERYONE IS SURE
Young Saudis say that the sight of men and woman openly dancing to live concerts and a DJ last week is a development long overdue for millions. But many residents are resisting the reforms and denouncing their influence on the Islamic morals of the kingdom.
Riyadh has chosen a staggered approach to introducing western entertainment, familiarising the kingdom with its history at the same time.
As part of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s National Transformation Programme, Riyadh aims to tap into its enormous young population. Part of that requires investment in their careers, providing opportunities and harnessing their potential.
But now, almost two years into the rapid reforms, Saudi officials recognise that opening cinemas and holding international concerts to ensure youths are entertained is almost as important.
Last week, the manifestation of Saudi’s approach to change was clear. It hosted the Formula E race, peppered with performances from worldclass DJs and live acts, while opening the doors to Ad Diriyah, the ancestral oasis city of Al Saud dynasty.
Thousands of Saudi youths were unsegregated at the performances, in a country where a few years ago women could only attend university lectures by a male professor through a monitor.
The government is investing in its increasingly ambitious women, who struggled in the past to pursue maledominated careers.
Nine female drivers signed up for the Formula E testing the day after the race, less than a year since the kingdom lifted its ban on women driving.
“Saudi Arabia is thawing and there is movement of ambition that had existed for decades,” said Wafaa Al Rehili, a Saudi government worker. “I see this as positive change reflecting Vision 2030.
“It’s creating opportunities within the country to discover individuals’ talents and welcoming the world here.”
In the past year, women have been given the opportunity to drive and travel unimpeded by the ultra-conservatism of some members of Saudi’s society.
Ms Al Rehili said she could not believe she was “living a normal life in Saudi Arabia”.
Young Saudis are thrilled about what this shift represents – a long-awaited break from the jurisdiction of the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, known internationally as the religious police, but referred to by Saudis simply as “the organisation”.
Even the development of pre-Islamic Unesco heritage sites such as the Nabataean heritage site of Al Hijr was considered by many of the country’s conservative clerics as profane or even blasphemous.
It was not until the recent reforms that tour guides could take Saudis and tourists from abroad to sites of the Arabian Peninsula’s ancient past.
Prince Mohammed has opened up the kingdom to forms of western entertainment that Saudi’s conservatives would have once pronounced as sacrilege. Young people see their crown prince as a bold reformer and a bringer of progress.
Many of Saudi’s young people attribute Prince Mohammed as being responsible for sidelining the religious police. In 2016, the Council of Ministers issued a new law limiting the jurisdiction of the police, thwarting their control over Saudi life.
Their responsibilities, which included all public spaces, have been greatly scaled back.
But the authority’s influence on the kingdom’s population lingers, making many critical of the rapid developments.
Wary of being publicly critical, some of those who oppose the change took to Twitter and posted photos of the religious police’s logo or photos of clerics captioned with: “May God bring them back.”
Others posted videos of girls dancing at the concerts, asking: “Is this was the new Saudi? Is this religious moderation?”
“The age of development wasn’t based on dancing and decay,” Adel Al Mutiri posted on social media. “Development is in the infrastructure, transport, the creation of jobs and big projects.”
Saudi Arabia has the secondhighest unemployment rate in the GCC, after Oman. It has struggled to bring jobs to many of its young residents, who have grown increasingly disenfranchised with long waits for government jobs.
Others regarded the festivities last weekend as a clash of generations, as the country goes through change.
“I don’t think there’s a more difficult time for Saudi Arabia than right now, as three generations clash with their own opinions and views,” Mailaf Al Mutairi posted.
Western tourists, a rarity in Saudi Arabia, visited this weekend under a new visa system, as one of the world’s most inaccessible countries tries to open its society and diversify its economy away from oil.
Riyadh has chosen a staggered approach to introducing western entertainment