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Mixed-Gender Nightclub Opens in Jeddah, but Only Briefly

Leslie Bonilla

   Officials in Saudi Arabia shut down a mixed-gender nightclub that had
   opened in Jeddah,the country's second-largest city.

   Several news sites reported Thursday's shutdown, andAmerican
   singer-songwriter Ne-Yo, who was to have been the headline act, tweeted
   his regrets: "Was literally on my way to the venue when I heard it was
   shut down due to some technicality. Was looking forward to performing.
   ... Maybe we try again some other time."

   According to media reports, a popular Middle East-based nightclub known
   as "White" opened thebranch in Jeddah -- regarded as more liberal and
   diverse than the capital,Riyadh --but it was tobe alcohol-free in
   keeping with the country's Islamic laws.

   Earlier Thursday,however, Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment
   Authority (GEA) denied it had given the licenses required for the
   opening of the establishment.

   In a statement posted on its official Twitter account, the GEA
   announced the opening of an immediate investigation into videos
   circulating online that purportedly showed patrons inside the venue.

     اÙÙÙئة اÙعاÙØ© ÙÙترÙÙ٠تÙØªØ ØªØÙÙÙا٠ÙÙرÙا٠ÙÙ ÙÙاطع
     ÙÙدÙ٠ت٠تداÙÙÙا ÙØ¥Øد٠اÙÙعاÙÙات ÙÙ ÙدÙÙØ© جدة ÙÙ
     Ùت٠ترخÙصÙا ÙÙ Ùب٠اÙÙÙئة [1]pic.twitter.com/MAIKTCM2EZ
     -- اÙÙÙئة اÙعاÙØ© ÙÙترÙÙÙ (@GEA_SA) [2]June 13, 2019

   The authenticity of the videos could not be independently confirmed.

   AP reported that the club would be temporary, operating for only a
   month as part of a citywide festival to boost tourism and domestic
   spending. The establishment would be mixed gender, and women would not
   have to wear the abaya, the country's mandatory loose robe. Women are
   typically barred from attending live events in Saudi Arabia.

   Saudi Arabia has been taking steps toward becoming more open, but many
   rules are still in place. Several mixed-gender events have taken place
   in the kingdom, although some establishments have been shut down.

   'Halal' club

   The club's Instagram account was also closed after critics opposed to
   the venue reported it to authorities, according to a spokesperson for
   Addmind Hospitality Group, which runs the establishment. The Instagram
   account subsequently went back online. Some media reports have referred
   to the establishment as a "halal" nightclub, with the term halal
   meaning permissible.

   Sean Foley, an associate professor of history at Middle Tennessee State
   University, wrote a book, Changing Saudi Arabia: Art, Culture and
   Society in the Kingdom,on culture and politics in contemporary Saudi
   Arabia.He told VOA that the club's status as a "halal" club represents
   consistency with Islamic norms.

   "By using that term, that says that [while] this may be a nightclub,
   it's a version of a nightclub that can find a way of reconciling
   religious traditions of a Saudi context with something also that Saudis
   would like to do," Foley said.

   It's "consistent with the way that society already wanted to go," Foley
   said. And, despite criticism, Saudi Arabia's liberalizing measures have
   garnered a base of public support, he said.

References

   1. https://t.co/MAIKTCM2EZ
   2. https://twitter.com/GEA_SA/status/1139204643416891392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

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