FIFA@2034: Saudi Arabia denies plans to lift ban on alcohol
New Delhi: A Saudi official on Monday denied recent media reports, claiming that the Kingdom, ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2034, plans to lift its 73-year-old ban on alcohol.
The consumption of alcohol is strictly forbidden in Saudi Arabia.
Rumours about the ban-lifting began to float when a wine blog post last week claimed that the authorities planned to allow controlled alcohol sales ahead of the 2034 FIFA World Cup, which Saudi Arabia will host. Some international media outlets also picked up the story which cited no source of information.
It sparked an online debate in Saudi Arabia, a deeply conservative nation, where the King himself is the Custodian of the Two Mosques at Mecca and Medina, Islam’s highest holy sites.
In recent years, Crown Prince Muhammed Bin-Salman (MBS) has introduced several reforms, including driving for women, reducing dependence on the oil-based economy, boosting tourism and investment, minimizing gender segregation, and the power of religious police.
Last year, Saudi Arabia opened its first alcohol store in Riyadh, but only for non-Muslim diplomats. Previously, alcohol could only be brought in through diplomatic mail or bought illegally on the black market. The country maintains strict laws against alcohol consumption, with offenders facing deportation, fines, or prison time. Flogging as a punishment has largely been replaced by jail sentences.
(Subham Singh)
