Media365
Saudi Arabia is finally uncorking the bottle for non-Muslim foreign residents — but there’s a catch, and it goes straight for your wallet. Cheers, if you can afford it.Now, the non-Muslim foreigners can enjoy alcohol, but only if they earn enough money to qualify.According to the Quran, people practicing Muslim should abstain from consuming alcohol and other drugs. And since, Saudi Arabia is a Muslim nation, most of the laws were shaped according to the Quran. Though many like a countrywide ban on women driving have been reversed in recent years.Now, non-Muslim foreign residents will be able to purchase alcohol in Saudi Arabia — but only if they make more than 50,000 riyals, or roughly $13,300, per month, sources familiar with the shift told Bloomberg.For Saudi authorities, the motivations for expanding alcohol sales are clear. The kingdom is seeking more highly educated foreigners, hosting the men’s soccer World Cup in 2034 and under pressure to boost tourism and non-oil revenue as part of its economic diversification plan. “They can’t have missed that alcohol sales and associated taxes are a huge moneymaker for neighbouring Dubai,” said Leber. Despite vast oil wealth, Saudi Arabia faces a budget crunch and expected fiscal deficits in coming years. While officials appear to be moving cautiously to avoid backlash from conservative Saudis, years of political crackdown have left few dissenters willing to speak out. The recent expansion of alcohol sales has received no coverage in local media and no comment from the grand mufti, the kingdom’s official religious leader.
