By UMAR AbdurRaman
In January, Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA) (referred to by conservative Saudis as the General Evil Authority) announced 2019 as the “Year of Entertainment” in the kingdom with a $64 billion approved budget by Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman (MbS). Among the activities for the year is the ongoing 40 days long Jeddah Festival or musical concert, the largest live music festival in the heartland of Islām, holding just 50 miles from the House of Allāh, the Kaʿbah, running into the sacred month of Dhul Ḥijjah when millions will visit the Sacred House, announcing, “we are here, Allāh, we are here.” It also promises to come along with all vices without limitation or caution, all in the name of liberalism, modernisation or moderation.
The man who may soon be king of Saudi Arabia is charting a new, more modern and anti Islāmic course for a country whose foundation is based on Islam. For decades there were no concerts or film screenings or acceptance of such social vices.
His inaugurated GEA has supported the establishment of an entertainment academy. The academy is planned to open in Riyadh by September 2019 and would provide a number of courses and diploma programs. The main goal of the project is to provide Saudi youth with the tools necessary to enable them to work in the flourishing entertainment sector in Saudi Arabia.
Authorities have also announced issuance of instant e-tourism visa for the visitors of the ongoing 40-day ‘Jeddah Season’ festival. The visa will be issued within three minutes with a condition that the visa applicant shall buy ticket for any one of the events of the festival.
MbS has proposed to develop various cultural and entertainment hubs with the launching of a multibillion-dollar project in Qiddiya, nicknamed the “Entertainment City”. It is a 334 sq. km theme park that is expected to attract 17 million visitors by 2030.
Since catapulting to power with the support of his father, the king, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has pushed forth changes that could usher in a new era for one of the United States’ most important allies and swing the kingdom away from its foundations and Islamic heritage. He has introduced musical concerts, movies, beaches with open arms to nudity and other vices abhorrent to the state in the guise of tourism, liberalism and economic interest.
To further advance his influence, he reduced the religious police to a toothless bull dog without ability to arrest or implement the Islamic rules and code of conducts. He is also the force behind assassination and incarceration of scholars, thinkers, activities, journalists and critics of his ambitions.
Having been convinced ‘reform’ means inaugurating the filthy industry, he and his cabinet have become like national mannequins, leaving passersby perplexed at why they are entirely undressed, for they have lost all forms of honour, humility, integrity and bashfulness. By this, they are neither succeeding in following the ‘etiquettes of liberalism’ – if there ever were any – nor the virtues of their original identity as pure, honourable Muslims.
It is a shame and it wrenches the heart that the ‘Land of Tawḥīd’ and ‘Land of the Two Holy Sanctuaries’ is allowing itself to head in this direction. This is not denying the colossal amount of scholarship, modesty, and virtue that remains. Muslims across the world, however, expect better representation from whom they have historically and naturally wanted to confer the custodianship of Islām to.
No doubt with an honest knowledge of Islām, we will unsurprisingly look for alternative role models.