Muslim Mirror Desk
Who would have thought that a night club will be opened in Jeddah? Well, a brand named ‘White’ which already has nightclubs in Beirut and Dubai have now invested in Jeddah to expand their franchise by opening another night club based on halal terms.
The CEO of the venue told news website Arabian Business that the club was a high-end cafe and lounge.
“The Saudi market will be great, because the local community goes out a lot. You have people in the country who go out a lot,” Tony Habre was quoted as saying.
But unsurprisingly, the news has divided social media users in the kingdom.
The nightclub opening comes as authorities lead a much-trumpeted drive to modernize the conservative kingdom that has included giving women the right to drive.
Meanwhile, the Saudi authorities have denied that officially there is no permission to open such a venue and the matter is being probed.
Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA) on Thursday denied it had given the green light for the opening of a nightclub in the coastal city of Jeddah.
In a statement posted on its official Twitter account, the GEA announced the opening of an immediate investigation into videos circulating online that were purportedly showing the interior of the venue.
“According to information provided to the GEA, the event (Project X) is in violation of the legal procedures and regulations in force, and has not been authorised by the body,” the statement said.
Saudi Arabia is one of the most h it is forbidden to have such public places in the country. However, this announcement is seen as an extension of the modernisation drive that includes international tourists and places that allow mixed gatherings.