KNews.id- Again, Saudi Arabia took controversial steps regarding the country’s policies. After previously starting to allow statues, Saudi Arabia is now starting to relax the rules against LGBT groups (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender). On a website thepinknews, Saudi Arabia is reportedly now allowing LGBT people to come as tourists to the country.
The news also refers to the official royal tourism website visitsaudi.com. In the latest update as of May 1, the site contains questions that are frequently asked by visitors in the “Frequently Asked Questions” segment. In the General Information column, there is a question whether LGBT visitors are allowed to visit Saudi Arabia.
“Everyone is allowed to visit Saudi Arabia,” replied the column, quoted Saturday (6/5). “And the arrivals will not be asked personnel questions in detail,” he added. Not only that, on a similar site in the same segment it is also published about whether unmarried couples can also come to Saudi Arabia. The answers given are almost the same.
“Everyone is welcome to visit Saudi Arabia,” he replied. “However, please respect local customs and behave appropriately when in public places,” the site reads. Quoting Al-Monitor, there was actually no official government comment on this matter. But this fact created a commotion in cyberspace. “Like most Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East, same-sex relations are prohibited by law in Saudi Arabia.
This is due to its conservative culture and the traditional interpretation of Islamic law, Sharia, which prohibits homosexuality. Same-sex relations are punishable by death or lashing in Saudi Arabia,” the media wrote. “But Saudi Arabia’s laws against homosexuality are inconsistently enforced in the kingdom. There are no known prosecutions for same-sex relationships during this year,” Al-Monitor added, referring to the US State Department’s 2022 Human Rights data.
Previously, King Salman’s country had allowed sculpture artists to hold exhibitions of their work. Quoted from the Middle East Mirror, a ceramic artist from Saudi Arabia, Awatif Al-Keneibit, was reportedly able to display a number of his sculptures and pottery in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The statues on display depict Saudi Arabian women and wear glasses. Apart from that, the statues are also worn in traditional Saudi Arabian desert gowns. “Who could have imagined that one day this exhibition that is in the basement could be displayed in Olaya (downtown Riyadh)?” said Awatif Al-Keneibit, quoted by Reuters.
“They used to tell me that this was impossible to show because it is forbidden in Islam. It is now [exhibited] in the heart of Riyadh,” he added. Keneibit sees this as a ‘way’ for Saudi Arabian women to do art which has so far been dominated by men. The artist who had studied in the United States (US) said that previously he was forced to create a private gallery at the bottom of his house specifically for friends and guests because of a ban in 2009. Saudi Arabia has made a number of changes in recent years. In 2018, the kingdom lifted its ban on
Women driving, although several activists campaigning for women’s right to drive were reportedly arrested shortly before the decision. That same year, Saudi Arabia announced that women would no longer be required to wear the abaya, a long garment that covers the body from head to toe. In 2021, the dedicated Pure Beach beach opened in Jeddah on the Red Sea, which will be the first beach in Saudi Arabia where women can wear bikinis.
Previously, King Salman’s country had allowed sculpture artists to hold exhibitions of their work. Quoted from the Middle East Mirror, a ceramic artist from Saudi Arabia, Awatif Al-Keneibit, was reportedly able to display a number of his sculptures and pottery in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The statues on display depict Saudi Arabian women and wear glasses. Apart from that, the statues are also worn in traditional Saudi Arabian desert gowns. “Who could have imagined that one day this exhibition that is in the basement could be displayed in Olaya (downtown Riyadh)?” said Awatif Al-Keneibit, quoted by Reuters.
“They used to tell me that this was impossible to show because it is forbidden in Islam. It is now [exhibited] in the heart of Riyadh,” he added. Keneibit sees this as a ‘way’ for Saudi Arabian women to do art which has so far been dominated by men. The artist who had studied in the United States (US) said that previously he was forced to create a private gallery at the bottom of his house specifically for friends and guests because of a ban in 2009.
Saudi Arabia has made a number of changes in recent years. In 2018, the kingdom lifted its ban on women driving, although several activists campaigning for women’s right to drive were reportedly arrested shortly before the decision. That same year, Saudi Arabia announced that women would no longer be required to wear the abaya, a long garment that covers the body from head to toe. In 2021, the dedicated Pure Beach beach opened in Jeddah on the Red Sea, which will be the first beach in Saudi Arabia where women can wear bikinis. (Ade)
