Saudi Arabia started easing restrictions on Christmas celebrations last year.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, RIYAD – Saudi Arabia has undergone many changes in terms of liberalizing the use of symbols of other religions and celebrating non-Muslim holidays. Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s two holiest mosques, is a country that appears to be changing under the Cultural Revolution of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS), which allowed events to unfold, parades from fashion to film festivals across the kingdom.
The Christmas trees, some of which cost around $ 3,000, have surprised many Saudis across the kingdom. This is because Riyadh shows how tolerant it is towards non-Muslim religious celebrations. Saudi Arabia started easing restrictions on Christmas celebrations last year.
“Now the joy of Christmas is creeping into the Saudi Arabia because social restrictions have been relaxed under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who wants Saudis to have fun and spend more money at home and needs foreigners to enjoy living here and help build new industries that don’t are not related to oil, ”reports The Wall. Street Journal reported from TRT World on Saturday (12/25).
Christmas has long been a controversial issue in the Islamic world, as more conservative Muslims view it as part of Western cultural colonialism. In the past, Riyadh banned all non-Islamic celebrations in public because Saudi Arabia’s official Wahhabi religious ideology considered it a form of blasphemy. But under MBS, that understanding was replaced with a more liberal understanding of non-Muslim holidays.
Now Saudi supermarkets are full of Christmas trees. Some of them are very expensive, and other items are holiday-related sales, as the country’s religious police shy away from Christmas shoppers. But Santa Claus still can’t ring his bells in Saudi Arabia. “They are just strict with Santa Claus,” said a shopkeeper, referring to Saudi religious police.
As part of MBS’s new reforms, the Saudis are embracing a West-led global culture, from pop stars to sporting events. But it’s not clear whether these changes are cosmetic or not, as criticism of the country’s human rights record continues to mount.
Last month, Canada’s Justin Bieber appeared in Jeddah to large audiences as well-known models such as Alessandra Ambrosio and Sara Sampaio presented new models to clients at fashion shows. Saudi Arabia also hosts the Red Sea Film Festival, which shows many films even from countries like Iran, a country in conflict with the Kingdom.
This year, the Saudi Arabian authorities have even authorized the showing of films like “Santa Claus is back” in the kingdom. Since 2018, Saudi cinemas have been allowed to show international films.
Some Muslim intellectuals have long criticized the changes in Saudi Arabia. It is because this change is happening from top to bottom, who does not care about the values and customs of ordinary citizens so that they face popular resistance. According to Serif Mardin, a prominent Turkish intellectual, this has led to the emergence of religiously inspired groups all over the Islamic world.
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