Cheers: Saudi Arabia Opens First Alcohol Store, Strictly for Non-Muslim Diplomats

Saudi Arabia has begun allowing alcohol to be sold in public for the first time in decades, this week opening its first liquor store in the capital, Riyadh, according to reports.

The store in Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter, where most embassies and diplomats are located, caters only to non-Muslim diplomats, the reports said.

Potential patrons have to register and make their purchases using a government app with an access code, and the amount of alcohol permitted to any individual is limited.

Saudi Arabia banned alcohol sales in the 1950s and has harsh laws punishing alcohol consumption, even for non-Muslims, with whipping among the prescribed penalties. There have been recent reforms to replace lashings with imprisonment or deportation.

Diplomats have been able to bring alcohol into Saudi Arabia in diplomatic pouches, which are not inspected at borders, and alcohol has been available at embassies. There is also a thriving black market in alcohol.

However, the new store appears to be an effort to regulate the diplomatic alcohol supply.

It also represents a major step in the oil-rich state’s ongoing transition towards a more business-friendly destination for international foreign investment.

Led by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom is undergoing a comprehensive development program called Saudi Vision 2030, which involves economic modernization and the relaxation of some social restrictions.