Okay. I'm snowed.
The comment from Ahmed Qassim al-Ghamdi, former chief of the
...
Crown Prince of Soddy Arabia...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
as of 2016....
pursues a far-reaching liberalisation drive that has upended years of conservative tradition.
"It is a positive social event and congratulating people for it is not against sharia (law)," Ghamdi told Saudi-owned al-Arabiya television.
"It is an act of kindness to share greetings on Western national and social holidays, including Valentine's Day, exchange red roses with others, as long as it is towards peaceful people who do not share animosity or are being at war with Moslems."
Such comments from the Saudi holy manal establishment would be inconceivable around two years ago, when the
In recent years, Saudi Arabia launched a series of reforms, including gradually diminishing powers of the
Florists openly sold red roses and Valentine's Day memorabilia in cities such as Jeddah on Wednesday without any trouble from the
The declining presence of the
But opposition to the prince's reforms has been muted ‐ at least publicly ‐ after his crackdown on dissent, including arrests of prominent holy mans with millions of followers on social media.