A Saudi national denied media reports that the nation, where Islam was first believed, would repeal its 73-year-old prohibition on alcohol, which is against Islamic law. According to the report, Saudi regulators planned to allow beer sales in tourist destinations as the nation prepares to host the 2034 football World Cup, which was covered by some foreign media after it appeared on a beverage website last week. It did not provide an information resource. As part of an ambitious plan to expand its market and reduce its dependence on oil, the after ultra-conservative kingdom has relaxed some restrictions to draw in tourists and foreign businesses. Saudis and foreigners can still engage in activities that were previously inconceivable in the Gulf nation, such as dancing at desert shouts, seeing models at fashion shows, and taking trips to the movies. The kingdom’s prince, who also holds the title of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, one of Islam’s most revered sites in Mecca and Medina, sparked a contentious online conversation following the report regarding drinking laws. The merely Gulf nations that forbid the sale of alcohol are Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The second drinking shop in the capital, Riyadh, opened last year in a small move to allow alcoholic beverages to be consumed in the country, serving only non-Muslim diplomats. ( This is a Reuters story )
