Saudi Arabia is set to allow foreigners to invest in publicly traded companies that own real estate in two of Islam’s holiest cities, Mecca and Medina, as the ultraconservative, oil-rich Gulf kingdom looks to attract more foreign investment.
Foreign companies will now be able to invest in Saudi companies operating in Mecca and Medina, overturning years of policy that may eventually open the door for non-Muslims pic.twitter.com/Y7HJMAXHAe
A music festival attracted criticism for allegedly mocking the Kaaba, considered to be Islam’s holiest site, and for being “insensitive” amid the ongoing wars between Israel and Hamas as well as Lebanon.
Saudi Disgraced Islam with This
This is the opening of Riyadh's entertainment season in Saudi Arabia this year.
They had a model of the Holy Kaaba where they displayed images of singers and dancers. pic.twitter.com/n2RXD1LSCg
American athletic apparel brand Nike launched its first-ever campaign ad film, “What If You Can?” aimed at Saudi Arabian women, a first in Saudi history. The ad hopes to inspire girls in the Muslim-majority, ultraconservative kingdom to build confidence and realize their full potential through the power of sport. However, the ad also sparks debate on the role of women in a changing Saudi Arabia.
More than 1,000 pilgrims have died during the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia this week as the yearly pilgrimage fell during a scorching summer in the Middle Eastern kingdom and amidst an ongoing heatwave in the northern hemispheres that affects cities and regions across four continents.
For the first time in history, many Muslims attending this year’s Hajj in Saudi Arabia will be able to harness the power of artificial intelligence to answer their inquiries on religion as the country will be introducing a smart robot to guide pilgrims on fatwas and other religious edicts.
Research made by an Israeli think tank revealed that textbooks from Saudi Arabia showed significant moderation of anti-Israel and antisemitic material, while references to Palestine were removed from most maps and lessons where they previously appeared, pointing to the possibility of the ultraconservative Muslim kingdom laying the groundwork for normalizing ties with the Jewish state.
For the first time in its history, Saudi Arabia will be opening an alcohol store in its capital, Riyadh, that will cater to non-Muslim diplomats, according to a familiar source and a document.
A wave of social media accounts in Saudi Arabia have been recently promoting and calling for the return of ancient Arabian, pre-Islamic deities as part of the kingdom’s national and cultural heritage, sparking outrage among religious Saudis and other Muslims as the ultraconservative kingdom pushes to modernize and replace its religious identity with a more nationalistic one.
A man in Saudi Arabia has been sentenced to death for his Tweets criticizing the country’s leadership following an intensifying crackdown against dissent in the ultraconservative, Muslim-majority kingdom.
Brazilian soccer player Neymar sparked controversy in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Muslim world for the cross pendant he wore while arriving in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, following the signing of a lucrative, two-year contract with the Al-Hilal Saudi Football Club.
