Analysis: Why US experiment with prohibition holds a cautionary tale for Saudi Arabia

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A New York restaurant makes its view on alcohol clear during the 1930s prohibition era, which holds a cautionary tale for Saudi Arabia. (Getty Images)
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Updated 31 March 2022
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Analysis: Why US experiment with prohibition holds a cautionary tale for Saudi Arabia

  • Underground alcohol scene in the Kingdom comes with its own health and social challenges
  • Thorny issue should become part of the conversation as Kingdom’s status quo compared to 1920’s America

RIYADH: On Jan. 6, a Saudi columnist for the Jeddah-based newspaper Okaz turned his attention to one of the Kingdom's most pressing issues, but one that is rarely talked about — alcohol.

It was a bold article, given that the topic is rarely discussed on public platforms.

But at its heart was a stark message with wide-ranging social, religious and public health implications: There are major problems with the way alcohol has been dealt with that must be discussed.

“I do not remember that the Saudi media raised the issue of drinking alcohol, and I do not remember that a Saudi newspaper dared to raise the issue of alcohol abuse in the Kingdom despite the spread of alcohol poisoning as a result of drinking locally manufactured alcohol,” Abdullah bin Bakheet wrote.

“We deal with this issue in an ostrich manner.”




The Okaz column exploring the issue earlier this year. (AN Photo)

He continued: “It is as if those who drink alcohol are not our sons and brothers, and we do not realize that the victims of this type of alcohol are from the middle and poor classes, while the rich people who love (alcohol) have enriched with their money the gangs that smuggle good wine and sell it inside the country.”

Although it is rarely spoken about or covered in local media, it is no secret that there is a burgeoning underground alcohol scene in Saudi Arabia, complete with all the health and social issues that it brings.

Saudi Arabia has a youthful population. A recent review of research on the subject of substance abuse in the Kingdom noted that, of the 7 to 8 percent of all Saudis who reported using substances including alcohol, amphetamines and heroin, 70 percent were aged between 12 and 22.

The authors of the paper, “Substance use disorders in Saudi Arabia: a scoping review,” published in the journal “Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy” in June 2020, warned that Saudi Arabia’s “demographic distribution is heavily tilted toward youth (around 15% of the total population is between 15 and 24 years old) and youth are most affected by substance use.”

The authors, from the College of Medicine at Sulaiman Al-Rajhi University in Bukairyah, Al-Qassim, concluded that “a comprehensive review on SUD (Substance use disorders) research in Saudi Arabia is timely and can be the starting point for understanding this problem for both the policymakers and local researchers.”

In Saudi Arabia today, it is an open secret that young people — nationals and expats alike — regularly attend alcohol-fueled underground parties throughout the Kingdom. These range from groups of friends meeting and drinking in compounds, to private raves organized in secret locations disclosed to trusted invited guests by message only on the day itself.

Faced with upholding the prohibition on alcohol even as it opens up to the wider world, Saudi Arabia is in danger of becoming a victim of the law of unintended consequences, with parallels to be drawn with America’s flirtation with an alcohol ban in the early 20th century.




An illegal alcohol shipment seized by Saudi Customs. (SPA)

Prohibition, and the 18th amendment to the U.S. Constitution that framed it, was the product of sustained pressure from temperance campaigners and religious revivalists. It was, said President Herbert Hoover at the time, a “great social and economic experiment, noble in motive and far-reaching in purpose.”

But it was an experiment that failed.

Prohibition began in 1920 but was ended after 13 disastrous years. Noble it may have been, but its first effect was to bankrupt thousands of businesses and destroy the jobs of the countless people they employed.

The second consequence was the overnight creation of a new black market and hugely profitable revenue stream for organized crime. Corruption among police officers and agents of the Bureau of Prohibition was rife.

Illegal stills, speakeasies and bootleggers sprang up everywhere, and with deadly effect: During prohibition an average of a thousand people died every year from alcohol poisoning.

But the biggest shock of all was felt by the government itself, which suddenly lost a hugely significant source of taxes — in the case of New York, almost 75 percent of all revenue — causing an estimated tax shortfall for the federal government of over $11 billion.

The trigger for the column in Okaz was reaction on social media to a television interview with Dr. Saad Al-Soyan, a veteran Saudi sociologist and anthropologist who studied in America and Germany before returning to the Kingdom in 2003 to work as a professor at King Saud University.

During the interview, which touched on many serious issues, Al-Soyan happened to mention in passing the “little bottles” of alcohol found in U.S. supermarkets that, as Bakheet noted in his column, many of his contemporaries and subsequent generations of young Saudis had encountered while studying abroad.

Critics, wrote Bakheet, had extracted that short clip from the lengthy interview and circulated it disapprovingly on social media.

Bakheet, a novelist whose 2010 work “Al-Atayef Street” was long-listed for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction, said the reality was that Al-Soyan and many others who, like him, had studied abroad, had returned to their homeland to teach tens of thousands of Saudis.In so doing they had fulfilled the aim of the King Abdullah Scholarship Program to create a knowledge-based society equipped to compete economically and academically on the world stage.

Bakheet, who has 39,000 followers on Twitter, rebuked the religious conservatives who had so bitterly opposed the scholarship program, which after its introduction in 2005 saw the number of Saudi students studying abroad increase dramatically.

The “war on scholarships,” waged on the basis that while in Europe or the U.S. young Saudis would be tempted to try alcohol, had come close to defeating the scheme and almost “took us back 800 years,” he wrote.

If Professor Al-Soyan and all the other Saudis who had ever studied abroad had been denied the opportunity for fear of exposing them to the vice of alcohol, asked Bakheet, “would we have the giant Saudi banks, would we have the advanced hospitals, would we be able to run a giant company like Aramco, would we have established SABIC (Saudi Basic Industries Corp.) and Almarai?”

Yes, he acknowledged: “Everyone who participated in building this renaissance was tempted by the temptations of “Queirerat Al-Wanasah.” Some of them went through the experience and some of them avoided it.

“But they all returned and contributed to building their country.”

Another consequence of the taboo on even talking about alcohol is the impact on research into the scale and nature of abuse in the Kingdom, compromising the ability of the authorities to deal with it and the healthcare problems it is causing — problems that devastate families and cost the state a small fortune in medical and rehabilitative services.

The researchers at Sulaiman Al-Rajhi University, writing in the journal Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy in June 2020, carried out a review of all published literature on the subject of substance use disorders in Saudi Arabia, including alcoholism, and found there was a woeful lack of knowledge on the subject.

Of the 23 papers on the subject they were able to find in the literature, all were “outdated, weak in methodology, and poor in quality.” All had drawn their samples from hospitals in the western, central and eastern regions, only two included women, and the most recent had been published in 2013. The problem of substance abuse had most certainly worsened in the decade or more since the most recent research had been carried out.

Today, “the absolute number of people who have a substance use problem is likely high in Saudi Arabia because its demographic distribution is heavily tilted toward youth and youth are most affected by substance use.”

Given “the changing nature of Saudi society, which has traditionally been deeply religiously conservative, sustained by the Islamic principles of balance, restraint, and modesty,” more research into the problems of alcohol and drug abuse is urgently needed.

Of course, there are those who reject these findings and argue that alcohol has always been consumed in secret in the Kingdom.

“This has nothing to do with the age of the drinker. There are a lot of those who consume whiskey and wine in their 60s and 70s and have been doing so for decades,” a Saudi citizen told Arab News on the condition of anonymity.

He added: “Those who drink can buy from the black market, at a ridiculously hiked price. Those who can’t afford known brands end up buying locally made home brew, which can be poisonous and have all sorts of health hazards.”

There is another factor to be considered in the alcohol discussion.

Opening up to tourists and expats is a key component of the Vision 2030 blueprint for diversifying Saudi Arabia’s economy away from reliance on fossil fuels. To make its way successfully in a post-oil world, while preserving its unique cultural identity, the Kingdom is aligning itself more closely with global social norms as it increasingly opens its doors to the outside world.

Creating exciting new megaprojects, such as NEOM and Diriyah Gate, and staging globally appealing sporting and cultural events, the Kingdom is spotlighting its cultural and historical appeal as a unique destination and will see millions of visitors, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, pouring in.

But is the availability of alcohol a must to attract the 100 million visits it wants to achieve by 2030?

Well, not according to a recent Arab News interview with Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb. When asked whether alcohol would be permitted in the Kingdom given its popularity among tourists, he pointed to extensive research showing that “40 to 50 percent of travelers would travel to destinations that do not offer alcohol.”

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“We have a lot to offer other than alcohol. There is a lot to improve, be it in hospitality, culture, food and luxury, and therefore we will be competing on other things that tourists are traveling for,” he said.

“I believe you know our destinations at mainly the Red Sea will be positioned among the best destinations globally by 2030 and people will definitely experience them, even if we don’t offer alcohol.”

At the very least, as Bakheet concluded in his Okaz article, the thorny issue of alcohol can no longer be pushed under the carpet; it must become part of the conversation as Saudi Arabia embraces the brave new world.

Right now, he wrote, the alcohol business in Saudi Arabia was in the hands of gangs — smuggling gangs, distribution gangs, and money-laundering gangs, comprising a subculture whose combined impact is to threaten national security.

“It is time for us to start discussing the ignored issues in order to free ourselves from the phobia that the ‘awakening’ advocates planted in us,” he wrote.

“The time has come when the security services, health services, and financial authorities cooperate to estimate the great losses from smuggling and the great damage caused by adulterated alcohol that is made locally. In addition, huge sums of money are spent abroad from the pockets of those seeking this kind of fun.

“We need to start discussing the important issues with outside-the-‘awakening’-box thinking.”

That thinking should begin, Bakheet said, with all officials in relevant sectors asking themselves a challenging question: “Does the law banning the entry of alcohol into the country actually prevent the entry of alcohol and stop its consumption?

“Asking this question and answering it without ideological quibbles will open a door for us that has been closed for a long time, and free our minds that have been closed to scientific, practical and economic thinking.”

* Jonathan Gornall of Arab News Research & Studies Unit contributed to this report.


Saudi university develops smart sensor designed to help reduce fruit vegetable spoilage

Updated 4 sec ago
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Saudi university develops smart sensor designed to help reduce fruit vegetable spoilage

  • Device enables real-time remote monitoring across food supply chain
  • KFU College of Science registers device with US patent office

AL-AHSA: Researchers at King Faisal University in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province have developed a low-cost smart sensor meant to reduce fruit wastage of fruits and vegetables.

A report by the Saudi Press Agency on Thursday said the device, which is now registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), is designed to predict spoilage early during transportation and storage.

Developed by a team from the KFU College of Science, the device operates by detecting volatile organic compounds, particularly ethylene gas, a key indicator of the onset of spoilage in fresh produce.

"The compact and lightweight prototype is designed for easy installation in refrigeration units or transport containers," the report said.

As the device can be connected to Internet of Things (IoT) networks, real-time remote monitoring and early alerts can be done by stakeholders across the food supply chain.

It can be integrated into cooling and distribution systems, offering a practical solution for the food and logistics sectors, the report said.

It added that the device was showcased by KFU during the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Riyadh last December, drawing significant interest from visitors and investors due its "practical value in supporting smart agriculture and minimizing food waste in supply chains."
 


Saudi women lead conversation on leadership, investment and cultural power at Fortune summit

Updated 21 May 2025
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Saudi women lead conversation on leadership, investment and cultural power at Fortune summit

  • Speaking exclusively to Arab News at the event, Princess Noura bint Faisal talks of her role in nation’s cultural development: ‘I saw an opportunity to build something meaningful’
  • The concluding day of the summit featured a strong focus on entrepreneurship, economic diversification and sectoral transformation

RIYADH: The influence Saudi women increasingly are having on global culture, policies, investment and innovation was in the spotlight on Wednesday during the second and final day of the Fortune Most Powerful Women International Summit in Riyadh.

In an exclusive interview with Arab News, Princess Noura bint Faisal reflected on her own unexpected path to cultural leadership, the strategic value of soft power, and the expanding economic role of the creative sector in the Kingdom.

“I never thought I would be in the creative world,” she said. “But when I moved back to Saudi after Vision 2030 launched, I saw an opportunity to build something meaningful.”

Her journey since then has included the launch of Saudi Fashion Week in 2018 and helping to establish the Fashion Commission at the Ministry of Culture.

“We created infrastructure that didn’t exist: new jobs, policies and real career paths for people with creative talent,” Princess Noura said.

Princess Noura emphasized the important need to integrate culture across all industries, from retail and the food and beverage sector to sports and corporate strategy: “Culture isn’t a fixed definition. It’s how you express your identity and it can absolutely be monetized if it’s supported by the right business model.”

The concluding day of the summit featured a strong focus on entrepreneurship, economic diversification and sectoral transformation.

Noor Sweid, founder and managing partner of Global Ventures, offered insights into her company’s regional approach to tech investment. Rather than sticking to fixed sectors, she said it backs sectors that have long been “underbuilt,” including financial technology in 2018, healthcare in 2020 and, more recently, manufacturing.

One standout example of this approach, she said, is a company that digitizes spare-part inventories for oil and gas businesses using 3D printing, thereby resolving supply-chain gaps and sustainability challenges in real time.

Her comments were complemented by insights from Aidan Madigan-Curtis, general partner at Eclipse Ventures, who discussed the ways in which geopolitical shocks and climate pressures are forcing venture capitalists to refocus on industrial technology.

“VCs like to say they’re long-term but they’re also deeply cyclical,” she noted, arguing that the future lies in reinventing the ways in which the world makes, moves and powers things, taking into account developments such as automation and advanced manufacturing.

Cultural transformation through sport was a major theme during a panel moderated by Lama Alhamawi of Arab News, titled “New Heights.” Adwa Al-Arifi, the Saudi assistant minister for sports affairs, said that since the launch of Vision 2030 in 2016, physical activity among Saudis has increased from just 13 percent to more than 50 percent.

The Kingdom’s National Sports Strategy focuses on mass participation, youth development and elite performance, three pillars that have already led to the achievement of some historic milestones in women’s sports, such as the qualification of taekwondo athlete Dunya Abutaleb for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Several women shared their personal journeys in sports. Zamzam Al-Hammadi, who competes in the mixed martial arts Professional Fighters League, credited her mother for inspiring her career. Boxing expert Rasha Al-Khamis told how early support from her father gave her the confidence to pursue combat sports.

Mashael Al-Obaidan said Saudi Arabia’s desert culture sparked her love of motorsports. Aalia Al-Rasheed, head of women’s football at the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, spoke about the explosive growth in grassroots programs for the sport and revealed that more than 70,000 girls now play in school leagues.

Other sessions explored the economic and creative value of the fashion industry. During one on-stage discussion, Princess Noura reflected on what she considered one of the most notable outcomes of recent reforms in the country, the formal recognition of creative professionals.

“Before Vision 2030, designers weren’t even able to register their own commercial licenses,” she said. “There was no such thing as a fashion business. Today, designers can register as fashion professionals, operate legally and access support structures that didn’t exist before.”

This shift is emblematic of Saudi Arabia’s broader cultural transformation, in which creativity is no longer only a passion but also a viable and valued career path, she added.

The day’s sessions together highlighted the expanding leadership roles of Saudi women across diverse sectors and the determination of authorities in the Kingdom to turn strategic pillars such as culture, investment, sport and technology into economic engines.


Saudi Arabia ‘strongly condemns’ Israel shooting toward diplomatic delegation

Updated 22 May 2025
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Saudi Arabia ‘strongly condemns’ Israel shooting toward diplomatic delegation

  • Officials from Europe, Turkiye and Egypt scurry for cover as shots are fired toward them in the West Bank; no one is injured
  • Kingdom’s Foreign Ministry urges international community to act to halt Israeli violations in occupied Palestinian territories

RIYADH: Saudi authorities condemned “in the strongest terms” an incident on Wednesday in which Israeli soldiers fired toward a diplomatic delegation visiting the occupied West Bank.

The Kingdom called on the international community, in particular the permanent members of the UN Security Council (the US, the UK, Russia, France and China), to “immediately stop Israeli violations against civilians, diplomatic missions and relief organizations operating in the occupied Palestinian territories.”

Saudi Arabia demands Israel be held accountable under international law for its ongoing crimes during the occupation, the ministry added.

The delegation visiting the West Bank, which included diplomats from Europe, Turkiye and Egypt, was near Jenin when shots were fired by nearby Israeli soldiers, sending the officials scurrying for cover. There were no injuries.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said Israel “deliberately targeted, by live fire, an accredited diplomatic delegation.”

The incident sparked an angry response in Europe, where a number of governments condemned the shooting. Italy, France and Sweden were among those who summoned Israeli ambassadors.

The Israeli military said the visitors had “deviated from the approved route” and the soldiers fired warning shots to keep the delegation away from an unauthorized area.

Israel has been conducting a major military operation in Jenin and surrounding areas since January.


Polish pianist brings Europe’s musical soul to Saudi Arabia’s capital

Updated 21 May 2025
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Polish pianist brings Europe’s musical soul to Saudi Arabia’s capital

RIYADH: As part of the cultural dialogue between the EU and Saudi Arabia, the embassy of the EU in the Kingdom organized a musical evening at the Saudi Music Hub in Riyadh.

Speaking at “The European Piano Recital,” the EU ambassador said: “Saudi Arabia is a close ally with whom we enjoy close relations. My only wish is that music will serve to build bridges and bring our artists and our peoples closer together.”

During the recital, Polist vituoso pianist Wojciech Waleczek took the audience on a journey through the 27 countries of the EU, performing classical works that highlight the continent’s cultural diversity.

The pianist is renowned internationally for his artistic excellence and his commitment to spreading classical music throughout the world. He is also professor of musical arts at the University of Silesia in Katowice.

Waleczek told Arab News: “These were works by composers from all the countries of the European Union. We asked composers from each EU country to write a piece, which we presented this evening.

“I think this is a very important event, because we can exchange our cultures. For example, in Europe we can listen to music from other continents. Just as in Europe, we can listen to music from other continents. So we can bring European culture to other countries. That’s why I do it. I’ve discovered Polish culture and now I’d like to share it with Saudi audiences.”

Waleczek has a very active international career. He performs solo recitals, chamber music and as a soloist with orchestras in more than 40 countries, notably in Europe, the Middle East, America and Asia, and collaborates with many prestigious orchestras.

He closed his recital with a performance of Schiller’s poem “Ode to Joy,” which expresses an idealistic vision of human brotherhood, a vision shared by Beethoven. In 1972, the Council of Europe adopted the theme of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” as its anthem, and in 1985 the leaders of the EU adopted it as their official anthem.

Waleczek said: “I played the ‘Ode to Joy,’ which is the anthem of the European Union, and this piece is very special. I think that, in today’s world, we must always remember that we are the guardians of peace.”

A specialist in the repertoire of Franz Liszt, his recordings include “Grandes etudes de Paganini” (2017), “Harmonies poetiques et religieuses” in 2019, and “Weihnachtsbaum” in 2024. He also performs works by Franz Schubert, such as “Rarities and Short Piano Works” in 2021.

Alongside his artistic career, he teaches at the Institute of Musical Arts at the University of Silesia. He is also vice president of the SIGNUM association, which promotes classical music in Poland and abroad.

The recital concert is part of efforts to strengthen cultural links between Europe and Saudi Arabia and accompanies the Kingdom’s artistic and cultural transformation under Vision 2030.


Festival of fun: Riyadh expo highlights best in entertainment technology

Updated 21 May 2025
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Festival of fun: Riyadh expo highlights best in entertainment technology

  • Saudi Entertainment and Amusement Expo set to welcome 12,000 visitors over 3 days
  • Hologram zoo, inflatable monsters among attractions on show

Some of the weirdest and most wonderful innovations are on show at this year’s Saudi Entertainment and Amusement Expo in Riyadh.

With 350 exhibitors plus talks and discussions with industry leaders from around the world, the three-day event opened on Tuesday and is expected to attract about 12,000 visitors.

Among the products on show is a hologram zoo designed by Australian company Axiom Holographics, which was featured in Time magazine’s list of technologies of the year for 2023.

Brendan Hodgkins, global sales manager, said: “We package a full suite of hologram equipment that can be integrated into family entertainment centers, theme parks or shopping malls.

“During our trials, we attracted 25,000 people in just 42 days, generating over $550,000 in revenue.”

He said that the company had already sold more than 40 of its “zoos” around the world and was keen to expand into the Saudi market.

“We’re eager to bring this innovation to Saudi Arabia to help shape the future of entertainment in the Kingdom.”

Another of the exhibits on show, and possibly the largest, is a 20-meter tall inflatable ogre, designed and built by Anka Inflatable Co. from Guangzhou in southern China.

A representative of the company, who gave his name only as John, said the product was ideal for larger venues, like amusement parks.

While the purple monster attracted plenty of visitors at the show, the technology can be adapted to suit the end-user’s needs, John said.

“(It) can be customized in many shapes and the skin can be changed after one, two, or three years. It’s also collapsible and easy to transport,” he said.

Anka was also keen to increase its profile in the region, he said.

“Many of my friends have built successful companies here. The relationship between China and Saudi Arabia is strong and this is a very good market for us.”

Besides the products on show, the expo is also being used to attract new people into the industry, with the Saudi Entertainment Academy promoting a series of training programs with links to future career opportunities.

“Our vision is to focus on professional training through diploma programs,” Sultan bin Jumaiah, a sales specialist with the academy, said.

“We aim to provide professional candidates for companies looking to hire. After completing our diploma, students will have the opportunity to join various companies in this sector.”

The initiative aligns with Saudi Vision 2030, which seeks to diversify the economy and create new job opportunities for Saudi citizens.