Saudi Arabia’s decision to allow alcohol sales to non-Muslim diplomats, according to two sources, is the latest in a series of measures aimed at casting a more open, moderate image.
Here are five additional headline-grabbing measures enacted in recent years by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose reputation was severely harmed by the 2018 murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
1. Cinemas reopened
In April 2018, “Black Panther” became the first film to be exhibited in Saudi Arabia in 35 years, when the country removed a cinema ban enforced by its clerics in the 1970s.
Riyadh stated it wanted to open more than 300 cinemas by 2030.
Films, like television shows, are subjected to strict selection and regulation to avoid depictions of sex, religion, or politics.
2. Women at the wheel
In June 2018, Saudi Arabia repealed a decades-long ban on women driving, the only one of its type in the world, leaving women reliant on men for transportation.
Since 2018, thousands of women have taken the wheel, with some eventually becoming mechanics and taxi drivers.
The jubilation generated by the move, however, was tempered by a huge crackdown on many of the women activists who had previously advocated to repeal the prohibition.
3. Travel without male ‘guardian’
In 2019, Saudi women aged 21 and up were permitted to apply for passports and travel abroad without first receiving the agreement of a male “guardian” – spouse, father, or other male family.
The action signified a dramatic relaxation of the contentious guardianship system, which grants men near-total authority over women.
4. Tourists welcome
In an effort to diversify its economy and reduce its reliance on oil earnings, Saudi Arabia began opening up to tourists — its so-called “white oil” — for the first time in September 2019.
Until then, Saudi Arabia exclusively issued visas to Muslim pilgrims, expatriate workers, and, starting in 2018, individuals attending sporting and cultural events.
A year ago, Prince Mohammed unveiled a major tourism project that will transform 50 islands and a string of Red Sea sites into luxury resorts.
Tourists who violate the country’s modest clothing guidelines face steep fines.
5. Gender mixing
Men and women, who were previously barred from mixing in public, are now permitted to do so.
Women were allowed to enter a football stadium to watch a game for the first time in 2018, and they may now attend concerts with men.
They no longer have to fear the stick-wielding guardians of public morals in order to wash together on some beaches, and laws regarding the wearing of abaya robes have been modified.
Women who were previously restricted to a few fields, primarily in health and education, now work alongside males.
Since 2016, millions of women have entered the employment market as bankers, shoe salespeople, business owners, and border officials.