2024-01-28 19:53:13
Saudi Arabia has found a creative solution to curb alcohol smuggling into the kingdom: opening a store that sells alcohol to non-Muslim diplomats only in the diplomatic quarter in Riyadh.
This is not an unprecedented step in the Kingdom, because until 1952 there was no prohibition on the consumption of alcohol. However, a year earlier the son of the first king Abd al-Aziz, the 19-year-old Prince Mishari, got drunk – and shot dead the British diplomat, Cyril Osman, because the latter refused to provide him with more alcohol. In response, the king decided to ban alcoholic beverages, and so far the leaders of the kingdom have not thought of changing the decision.
It is not at all certain that the person behind the decision is the seventh king of Saudi Arabia, Salman, but rather his son the crown prince who is also apparently the figure behind the driving permit for the kingdom’s women. Mohammed bin Salman is interested in bringing the kingdom closer to the West in various areas, starting with the ambitious city of the future, Neom, which is being established in the west of the country, through making the Saudi league known all over the world, and ending with the 2034 World Cup to be held in the kingdom.
In the alcoholic sense, it seems that the crown prince learned from the 2022 World Cup held in Qatar where it was discovered, at the very last moment, that the royal house decided that no beers would be sold in the stadiums. They agreed to sell alcohol in the fan complexes, in addition to the usual approval in hotels, clubs and bars for those 21 and older, but the late announcement by FIFA that it had signed a sponsorship agreement of about 75 million dollars with Budweiser – led to the beer company being stuck with a huge inventory that it had prepared in vain ahead of time.
“This is an attempt by the Saudi government to show openness to the West as part of Mohammed bin Salman’s modernization measures and to balance through openness and simultaneous policing the phenomenon of alcohol smuggling in the kingdom,” Dr. Ido Zelkovich, head of the Middle East Studies program at Emek Jezreel Academy and a researcher at the Chaikin Chair at Gao, tells Globes -Strategy. “Alcohol culture is forbidden in Islam, so when the phenomenon is more institutionalized, it is easier to monitor the Saudis who indulge in it. Institutionalizing the phenomenon and limiting it constitute an attempt to restrict the spread of alcohol.”
Pre-registration and application
Although the World Cup will be held in the Kingdom in a decade, Mohammed bin Salman has already proven time and time again that he is looking towards the distant future. For him, the peak event of world football is a destination where the Kingdom is supposed to present to the world the results of “Vision 2030”. Therefore, instead of immediately approving alcohol for anyone who wants it, it is reasonable that the royal house handles the issue bit by bit – so as not to arouse the extremists against it. Those pious people who were clear that the introduction of alcohol into Mecca and Medina would soon put them on the streets.
“We will approve the allocation of specific amounts of alcohol at the entrance to the Kingdom, to curb the entry of uncontrolled goods,” explained Riyadh, who defined the approval of the liquor store for diplomats as a “new regulatory framework.”
The same framework is designed to complement the Saudi law that stipulates deportation for foreigners caught drinking alcohol, while fines, flogging or imprisonment for locals. However, alcohol continued to flow in large volumes – and not necessarily pirated. Drinks can be found, for example, at receptions in Riyadh’s diplomatic quarter, indicating that embassies use diplomatic mail for the introduction of drinks.
In order to prevent a black market from growing on the basis of the alcoholic beverages that will be introduced with approval, some basic principles were defined even before the opening of the alcohol store. Only diplomats who would like to consume alcohol are required to register with the government and receive permission, in order to join the “Diplo” application through which the drinks are purchased. At the same center for drinking alcohol, according to a Reuters report, people under 21 and people who do not wear “appropriate clothing” will not be able to enter, nor will it be possible to take out drinks.
Furthermore, according to a document obtained by the AFP agency, each of those diplomats will receive 240 points per month, knowing that a liter of beer is worth one point, a liter of wine is worth three points and drinks with higher alcohol percentages are worth six points.
Profitable black market
An issue that has not yet been resolved is non-Muslim foreign citizens who will continue to visit Saudi Arabia. Like them, local secularists will continue to look for their alcohol on the black market. “Everyone knows that embassies sell alcohol, some have developed a side business from it,” a Saudi investor told CNBC. “They sell the alcohol on the black market at four times and even ten times the normal price.”
According to the report on the American network, the price of a bottle of vodka on the black market in Saudi Arabia is up to 600-500 dollars, and a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue Label costs about 2,000-1,000 dollars. This is how the danger of illegal or domestic consumption of alcohol increases, endangering the lives of citizens.
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