Saudi Arabia To Allow Movie Theaters After 35-Year Ban

The recent move  by Mohammed Bin Salman to modernized Saudi Arabia in line with permissible Sharia law has seen him making series of changes away from age long practice.   

Saudi Arabia has announced on Monday that it would allow commercial movie theaters to open for the first time in more than 35 years. This will make refreshing news to the young people in the country, create jobs and expand their economy
The moves to allow access by early 2018, part of a broad campaign by the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, to transform Saudi society, followed measures that would give women the right to drive and to attend soccer games, and that would allow concerts and other forms of public entertainment.

At the same time, the crown prince has embarked on a broad crackdown against corruption, holding members of the Saudi elite in a luxury hotel, in what has been described as an effort to force them to repay billions of dollars diverted into personal coffers from other transactions. Critics say the detentions were intended to neutralize potential challengers.

The announcement on Monday is in keeping with a promise by the 32-year-old crown prince to return Saudi Arabia to a more tolerant version of Islam than the radical interpretation of the Muslim faith it adopted in 1979.

In a statement, the Culture and Information Ministry said the government would begin within 90 days licensing movie houses to open. It did not indicate what kind of movies the government might allow to be screened, but made clear that films would be governed by Islamic law.

“The content of the shows will be subjected to censorship based on the media policy of the kingdom,” the statement said. “The shows will be in line with the values and principles, and will include enriching content that is not contrary to Shariah laws and ethical values of the kingdom.”

It was also unclear how movie theaters’ seating would be configured in a conservative kingdom that enforces gender segregation in most spheres of life.

The ministry said it hoped the move would “encourage economic growth by developing the culture and media sector, and offer new employment opportunities,” including 30,000 full-time jobs by 2030.

New york times