Dry since 1952: Will the 2034 World Cup rewrite Saudi Arabia’s rules on consuming alcohol?
Despite the common misconception, Saudi Arabia’s alcohol ban was not put in place due to Islam.
In the city of Jeddah, on Saudi Arabia’s west coast, British vice-consul Cyril Ousman was hosting a party with friends at his house. The date was 16 November 1951, and the country, just 22 years old, was showcasing itself to the world.
Inviting Prince Mishari bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, son of King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud—the country’s founder—to the party seemed like the appropriate thing for Ousman to do. Reports vary on the prince’s motive for being removed from the party: some say the 19-year-old royal made advances toward a young female guest, while others claim that, already drunk, he had been refused additional alcohol.
The young prince had consumed a lot of alcohol and was eventually expelled by the host, to a sea of shocked faces. The next day, he returned to the scene of the disgrace.
However, instead of arriving at the gates of the house with his tail between his legs and a written apology, the teenager stormed up to Ousman with a loaded gun. He fired at the vice-consul, killing him and injuring his wife.
King Abdulaziz, embarrassed by his son’s actions, offered the injured wife the choice of deciding his fate. Instead of a death sentence, she opted for a lengthy jail term and lashes.
However, this was not enough for the King, still furious at his son’s actions. Believing alcohol was to blame for the murder, the substance was immediately banned in the country.
‘Plenty of fun can be had without alcohol’
More than 70 years on from this turning point in the country’s history, rumblings have continued about when the ban might be overturned.
Saudi Arabia will host global events like Expo 2030 and the 2034 World Cup. Since oil alone cannot sustain the economy, the country is clearly thinking about what it can do to attract foreign visitors—with alcohol high on the list.
I would argue that removing the death sentence by stoning for homosexuals, stopping the execution of those accused of ‘witchcraft,’ addressing appalling workers’ rights, and ending bans on women making significant decisions without male permission are all higher priorities. But then again, I’m not the Crown Prince.
The most recent official stance on alcohol at the 2034 FIFA World Cup was not positive for those who expect a beer while watching their team: Prince Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud told British radio station LBC back in February that “At the moment, we don’t allow alcohol. Plenty of fun can be had without alcohol - it’s not 100% necessary and if you want to drink after you leave, you’re welcome to, but at the moment we don’t have alcohol.”
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“Rather like our weather, it’s a dry country,” he said, adding that “everyone has their own culture. We’re happy to accommodate people within the boundaries of our culture but we don’t want to change our culture for someone else.”
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