Saudi Arabia to open first alcohol store for non-Muslim diplomats: Report
World
Customers will have to register via a mobile app, get a clearance code from foreign ministry
(Web Desk) - Saudi Arabia is preparing to open its first alcohol store in the capital Riyadh which will serve exclusively non-Muslim diplomats, a source familiar with the plans and a document showed on Wednesday.
Customers will have to register via a mobile app, get a clearance code from the foreign ministry, and respect monthly quotas with their purchases, the document said.
The move is a milestone in the kingdom's efforts, led by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to open the country for tourism and business as drinking alcohol is forbidden in Islam.
It is also part of wider plans known as Vision 2030 to build a post-oil economy.
The new store is located in Riyadh's Diplomatic Quarter, a neighbourhood where embassies and diplomats reside and will be "strictly restricted" to non-Muslims, the document said.
Millions of expatriates live in Saudi Arabia but most of them are Muslim workers from Asia and Egypt.
A source familiar with the plans said the store is expected to open in the coming weeks.
Saudi Arabia has strict laws against drinking alcohol, which can be punishable by hundreds of lashes, deportation, fines, or imprisonment and expatriates also face deportation.
The Saudi government did not respond to a request for comment.
State-controlled media reported this week that the government was imposing new restrictions on alcohol imports within the diplomatic consignments, which may boost demand for the new store.
The new regulation will curb imports to counter "improper exchange of special goods and alcoholic beverages received by the embassies of non-Muslim countries inside Saudi Arabia", Arab News daily reported on Sunday.
