Saudi Arabia has opened its first alcohol store in the diplomatic quarter of its capital Riyadh, two sources told CNBC.
The news, which has not been officially confirmed by the Saudi government, marks a major breakthrough for the highly conservative Muslim theocracy where alcohol has been banned since 1952.
According to a list of store rules seen by CNBC, the venue is only accessible to non-Muslim diplomats, and authorization must be validated through an app called Diplo.
No guests or people under the age of 21 are allowed to accompany authorized visitors to the store, photography is strictly prohibited and mobile phones need to be kept in secure “mobile pouches” so as not to be used while in the store. Purchases are also subject to a monthly quota system per registered individual.
MBS is a piece of shit, but he also knows he can’t isolate your average person from the rest of the world, and that people will want some of the things we have. Your average person can see that the rest of the world has movie theaters, and they want that. They can see that the rest of the world has women driving, and they’ll want that too. Alcohol? At least this gives the optics, even if it’s still inaccessible to most.
Even a piece of shit knows when they have to loosen the leash a little, especially when it doesn’t really affect the piece of shit. If they don’t, it’s a matter of time before it comes back to haunt them.