For the first time, Saudi Arabia will officially welcome the secular New Year this year.
Official Saudi social media announced a fireworks show, a countdown to 2020 and music with a DJ.
Last year, private New Year’s parties and events were allowed but nothing official from the Kingdom.
Up until now, the Kingdom and its Muslim clerics refused to celebrate the New Year because it is forbidden in Sharia law.
A member of the Saudi Council of Senior Scholars, Dr. Saleh Al-Fawzan, said on many occasions and fatwas that “participation in New Year’s celebrations is forbidden by Sharia,” describing it as a “legal innovation.”
Things are definitely changing in Saudi Arabia, and the reason is probably the desire to attract tourists as oil is becoming less and less stable as the major source of the kingdom’s income.
(Photo above was for the Saudi National Day celebrations.)
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