Saudi Arabia has opened its first alcohol store in the diplomatic quarter of its capital Riyadh, two sources told CNBC.
The news, which has not been officially confirmed by the Saudi government, marks a major breakthrough for the highly conservative Muslim theocracy where alcohol has been banned since 1952.
According to a list of store rules seen by CNBC, the venue is only accessible to non-Muslim diplomats, and authorization must be validated through an app called Diplo.
No guests or people under the age of 21 are allowed to accompany authorized visitors to the store, photography is strictly prohibited and mobile 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.
Building a database of non-muslim diplomats does not seem like a breakthrough. I can’t help myself but smell nazi everywhere I look lately.
Pretty sure any nation knows how many diplomats are in their country, take off the tinfoil hat.
I’d love to, but it’s comfy in the world where religious violence is the theme of the party.
While I probably overreacted I still wouldn’t use this to get drunk if I were in their shoes.
hey with SA it doesn’t have to be religious - afaik nothing about Khashoggi’s murder was related to religion. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Jamal_Khashoggi