Saudi mufti warns of ‘depravity’ of cinema, concerts

AFP, RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s highest-ranking cleric has warned of the “depravity” of cinemas and music concerts, saying they would corrupt morals if allowed in the ultra-conservative kingdom.
“We know that singing concerts and cinemas are a depravity,” Grand Mufti Abdulaziz al-Sheikh said in a television interview cited by Sabq news website late Friday.
The head of the Saudi supreme council of clerics was responding to a question about the plans of the kingdom’s General Authority for Entertainment to licence concerts and study opening cinemas.
He warned that cinemas “might show movies that are libertine, lewd, immoral and atheist, because they rely on films imported to change our culture,” according to Sabq.
He said there is “no good” in singing concerts, insisting that music entertainment and opening cinemas represent a “call for mixing between sexes”.
“At the beginning they would assign areas for women, but then both men and women will end up in one area. This corrupts morals and destroys values,” he said. 
However, “entertainment through cultural and scientific media is okay,” he said, urging the authority “not to open doors for evil.”
Developing tourism and entertainment in the desert kingdom is one of the wide-ranging goals of Saudi Arabia Vision 2030 announced in April

Saudi mufti warns of depravity of cinema, concerts

AFP, RIYADH: Saudi Arabias highest-ranking cleric has warned of the depravity of cinemas and music concerts, saying they would corrupt morals if allowed in the ultra-conservative kingdom. We know that singing concerts and cinemas are a depravity, Grand Mufti Abdulaziz al-Sheikh said in a television interview cited by Sabq news website late Friday. The head of the Saudi supreme council of clerics was responding to a question about the plans of the kingdoms General Authority for Entertainment to licence concerts and study opening cinemas. He warned that cinemas might show movies that are libertine, lewd, immoral and atheist, because they rely on films imported to change our culture, according to Sabq. He said there is no good in singing concerts, insisting that music entertainment and opening cinemas represent a call for mixing between sexes. At the beginning they would assign areas for women, but then both men and women will end up in one area. This corrupts morals and destroys values, he said. However, entertainment through cultural and scientific media is okay, he said, urging the authority not to open doors for evil. Developing tourism and entertainment in the desert kingdom is one of the wide-ranging goals of Saudi Arabia Vision 2030 announced in April