After Decades of Prohibition, Saudi Arabia Opens First ever Alcohol Store, Details Emerge

• Saudi Arabia is about to open its first liquor shop in decades as it increasingly loosens social restrictions
• Legit.ng understands that the alcohol will only be sold to non-Muslim diplomats, and authorisation must be validated through an app called Diplo
• Saudi Arabia plans to open the licensed store in the coming weeks in Riyadh, according to multiple reports

Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9-year-experience covering public journalism and global news

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is preparing to open its first alcohol store in its capital, Riyadh.

According to a list of store rules CNBC said it sighted, the venue is only accessible to non-Muslim diplomats, and authorisation must be validated through an app called Diplo.

Saudi Arabia to open first store alcohol

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The media platform said a Western diplomat based in Riyadh, who does not want to be named, said that their colleagues had already visited the store and that it is “extremely well stocked."

No guests or people under 21 are allowed to accompany authorised visitors to the store, photography is strictly prohibited, and phones need to be kept in secure “mobile pouches” so as not to be used while in the store.

Purchases are also subject to a monthly quota system per registered individual.

The store is expected to open in the coming weeks, Reuters reported on Wednesday, January 24.

Since it was officially prohibited in 1952, the kingdom has strictly banned alcoholic beverages in the country, Middle East Eye noted.

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The move is a milestone in the kingdom's efforts, led by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to open the ultra-conservative Muslim country for tourism and business as drinking alcohol is forbidden in Islam.

Nigerian Muslims fume

Following the development, some Nigerian Muslims expressed their displeasure.

Muhammed El-Bonga Ibraheem told Legit.ng:

"The news that Saudi will start selling alcohol to diplomats isn’t surprising. It was narrated by Anas Ibn Malik where the Prophet SAW said that, as part of the last hour, knowledge would disappear, ignorance would prevail, alcohol would be drunk and adultery would become rampant."

Similarly, Kaduna-based Umar Faisal told Legit.ng:

"I was telling someone also that the only betterment you'd see in this world is that which is within yourself. Just purify yourself, for the world will always be in decline in all Godly manners till the end of time. Innalillahi wa inna ilaihir rajiun."

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Saudi won’t agree to fossil fuel phase-down

In a related news, Legit.ng reported that Saudi Arabia's energy minister shut the door on agreeing to phase out fossil fuels at the UN's COP28 climate talks, setting the stage for difficult negotiations in Dubai.

A tentative "phasedown/out" was included in a first draft of an agreement on climate action that delegates are haggling over during talks that are scheduled to finish on December 12, 2023.

But energy minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, a half-brother of Salman, disclosed that Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, would disagree.

Source: Legit.ng