[Serious] What do you wanna know about Saudi Arabia?

[Deleted]

1) Supporting the right of non-Arabs/non-Muslims to be atheist.
Totally OK. In Saudi Arabia we never force foreigners to change their religion or accept Islam. Ask anyone who worked there.

2) Supporting the right of Arabs/Muslims to be atheist.
If you don't pray or do any do any of the Islamic stuff, no would would care. However if you speak publicly about it then you would get into trouble.
Arabs are not all Muslims. so any Arab working in Saudi Arabia who happens to be christian or atheist then they are perfectly fine.

3) Being atheist as a non-Arab/non-Muslim and admitting to it in private but not speaking about it publicly.
even if you speak publicly about it. you are still fine. just don't enforce it to the media.

4) Being atheist as an Arab/Muslim and admitting to it in private but not speaking about it publicly.
same as above.

5) Publicly admitting to being atheist as a non-Arab/non-Muslim.
you are fine.

6) Publicly admitting to being atheist as an Arab/Muslim.
refer to question 2

7) Speaking against Islam in private.
no one would know. I talk smack about Islam all the time with my close friends.

8) Speaking against Islam in public.
a big NO NO.

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I remember that story and I never knew some people drink it.

appearntly, a small group of people believe that camel urine can cure some illnesses. Think of it as guru stuff.

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very interesting how you refer to yourself as arab and not saudi yet you consider yourself an eye witness.

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- Do women have the exact same social standing as men, in rich and poor families?
Yes. except for driving and marriage on all social levels.

- Do women have the exact same standing in front of the law and courts?
yes. she can divorce a man as much as a man can divorce a woman.

- Does a woman's testimony in front of the police/a court weigh just as much as a man's?
yes. 1 eye-witness man = 1 eye-witness woman

- Is the punishment for the same crimes identical for both genders in every case, and when it comes to every crime (including adultery etc.)?
It's way harsher for men than for women. Law is lenient on women in Saudi Arabia.

- Are woman allowed to vote and be voted for, and are they able to access polling stations without the permission/help of their husband/another man?
Yes. Last year, women were finally able to vote and vote themselves up into any open position. same as men. And they do not require any permission for as long she is a Saudi born.

Im not arab, Im middle eastern, my family is in the oil station construction business, so ive been there alot.

you are giving false information here, according to Quran and your State law, Women are valued half the man, in Al-Nahl vers 97(*ل*حل *ل**ه 97) and for eye witness according to The Prophet's Hadith, 3 woman eye witnesses are equal to a man.publicly admitting to atheism results in execution if also admitted in court or theres an evidence to it and so on...

your country has seen modernity in some parts, but only exclusive to those having power/money/connections, just like any fascism.

[Techno-Druid]

How are Black people (specifically African-Americans) and black associated media such as rap and hip hop viewed by most Saudis?

[shadowmouse]

Just as an aside, the people of a country are not exactly the same as the country or the leaders of that country. I encounter that problem rather often in my own work.

Not every Saudi will agree with every point of their law or politics, nor will they disagree with every such point. The same is true for Americans, British, Swedes or whatever.

We've got people trying to answer. They didn't make various situations, nor have they been handed a magic wand to alter them. How about keeping things friendly?

[Deleted]

I have a very hard time believing most of these answers, and it wouldn't be the first time we'd be hearing lies. And hearing stuff like "whipping pretty light" just makes me laugh, it is still a barbaric way to deal with "law offenders". You can't protest, you can't have political parties, your only way to have any voice in your government is by electing people into the consultative assembly, and they have no real power. How can you change what is wrong with your country?

What is the consequence of apostasy in the middle-east? And I do not mean not practicing religion, I really do mean apostasy.

Can women be singers? I know they can't in some countries in the middle-east, I'd like to know if they can be in SA?

Do you think cutting a thief's hand is appropriate?

[Heladys]

Nothing. In 10 characters or less.

[Rasulis]

Which is most popular?

Coca Cola, Pepsi or Crude Oil?

Last time I was there, you could fill up two cars for the price of a can of Coke. You figure it out.

[breadisfunny]

is it true that draenei live there?
where did the op go?
did the vice squad take him?
does the vice squad really patrol the streets looking for troublemakers?
what is the food like? is it spicy?
how hot is it there?
do you use camels a lot?
what is saudi arabia's opinion on pakistan india and china?
does saudi arabia have pickles?

[Super Friendly Kitty Cat]

What type of American entertainment do you get?

Is the NFL, NBA, MLB, shown in your country?

Also, when Middle Eastern men are depicted in movies as terrorists, does that offend you? Are there constant dialogues in your media about this depiction?

One more question about women not being allowed to drive. What are the opinion of women towards this policy? Are they happy with it? How controversial would it be for someone to promote allowing women to drive in their election campaigns?

[Silent]

These questions illustrate the pointlessness of this thread. We already have well-documented examples answering your questions. If the OP comes in and answers them differently, that wouldn't suddenly nullify the existing evidence.

Saudi Arabia is an oppressive, totalitarian state, regardless of what the OP says. Imagine a North Korean making a similar thread claiming that things aren't that bad and actually everyone gets treated well.

I'm not disputing the facts. You have a mind of your own. Whatever conclusion you come to is due to a series of logical and rational deductions. All I'm here to do is provide the opinion of a native who's lived in both Saudi and the UK in order to clear up the fog regarding a few things that may seem alien to you guys and gals.

Which is most popular?

Coca Cola, Pepsi or Crude Oil?

Pepsi is. You rarely see Coca Cola restaurants.

I hear that alcohol, drugs, gambling and most concerts are banned. What can you do as a youth in SA to spice things up?

The expact community manages to get alcohol and throw their own hardcore parties. A Dutch buddy of mine tells me that hey would basically go into the compounds and you'd see every single imaginable contraband including acid and meth.

Your everyday Saudi just hangs our with friends and chills really. Usually we go to shisha lounges; coffee shops and talk; drift or have drag races; or just visit family and friends at their place.

What are people's general honest opinions of their regime?

Why is there a denial of women's rights' violations?

And why do people there still feel it is ok to live in a theocracy?

1) Depends on who you ask. In the Eastern Province, Riyadh, Najd, and Jeddah, we tend to be a lot more critical and vocal about the government because we actually see the structural problems that permeate the country, such as: the housing crisis, mass unemployment, economic homogeneity. For us we believe that the governance should be a representative democracy; and if not that, then the transition from an absolute government to the British system (i think it's called constitutional monarchy?)
3) Generally the people who believe its okay to live under a theocracy believe that Islam should be the political system that governs the state. This comes down to the perception of what is seen as the morally just and righteous form of governance, and is a discussion suited more towards comparative politics. Before you judge, you have to acknowledge the fact that the idea of democracy is very flawed in itself, but these flaws are generally not discussed in the public forum [but are immediately seen once you enter the academic discourse]

On a lighter note:
-What are some popular/traditional candies/candy brands that you can only find in Saudi Arabia?
-What are some classic fairytales you heard growing up?
-What is school like for the average child?
-What is Saudi street food like?
-Who are some popular celebrities from Saudi Arabia?

More serious note:
-How do Saudi people view people from countries like China, the UK, Brazil, Russia, America, etc? Are there are stereotypes you can share (funny, or not)?
-We know that LGBT issues need to be on the back burner at the moment, but how do people in Saudi Arabia view gay people? Are younger people more accepting than older people? Is it just not spoken of at all?
-What's the biggest issue that you feel needs to be fixed?

Street food is amazing because ingredients are very fresh. For the kids we have corner food joints called boofiya's that basically makes falafal sandwiches, burgers, french fries, cheese & egg sandwiches. Everyone eats from them cuz their quick & cheap. We have shawaram's which are NOT like Turkish Gyro's / Kebabs. Shawarma's are basically layered of thinly sliced meat roasted on a roasterie w/ tahini + hot sauce + salad wrapped in freshly baked pita bread - it is the food of the God's. I cant really comment on celebriteis or fables because honestly i dont remember.

Regarding the serious stuff

We tend to view foreigners from the far east or the west with a combination of respect and curiosity. When it comes to sterotypes we have the same as everyone else; Chinese good at maths ... etc. lol. We arent really racist but we just overgeneralise.
LGBTQ+ issues are generally a taboo. The younger generation are much more accepting and open to dialogue on average than the older generation due to being more exposed to it through TV / literature / having friends belonging to those orientations. Honestly though? I think the reason why the older generation arent open to it is because they have this preconceived notion and arent really willing to change their view because they think their right. Its basically stubbornness

Education. I personally believe that if the educational system (so both the content of the curriculum, teachers, and parents) becomes reformed, then this will lead to a bottom-up development for the future generation. Content is obvious. Why teachers + parents? Because the relationship between the student and teacher is vital for thee students mind to truly blossom. Why the parent? Because the kid spends the bulk of his time with them. They will be significantly influenced by the way they think about things, and how they do things.

To what extent are the peoples of Saudi Arabia actually religious? In a state were religious observances are mandatory, how many of them are just faking it?

Not that many if I'm being frank. The majority do believe in the general idea of monotheism and prophethood. A small proportion of those don't "practice" (i.e. don't pray / fast) but they still believe in the jist of Islam. Personally I havent encountered that many who don't practice. Those that don't practice are quite integrated in the community as well; it's not as if their completely ostracised and seen as outliers. You have unique cases in all things though.

Whats the punishment for just smoking some weed there?

If your a small time nugget and your not causing any problems, just a fine (or if the cop is feeling nice a slap on the wrist). Otherwise jail time.

How are Black people (specifically African-Americans) and black associated media such as rap and hip hop viewed by most Saudis?

I don't really understand your question buddy. Could you perhaps rephrase it?

I have a very hard time believing most of these answers, and it wouldn't be the first time we'd be hearing lies. And hearing stuff like "whipping pretty light" just makes me laugh, it is still a barbaric way to deal with "law offenders". You can't protest, you can't have political parties, your only way to have any voice in your government is by electing people into the consultative assembly, and they have no real power. How can you change what is wrong with your country?

What is the consequence of apostasy in the middle-east? And I do not mean not practicing religion, I really do mean apostasy.

Can women be singers? I know they can't in some countries in the middle-east, I'd like to know if they can be in SA?

Do you think cutting a thief's hand is appropriate?

I completely agree with your first paragraph buddy. But we are trying to change. The problem is that it's happening very slowly because the powers that be are resisting. But it is happening. Yes women can be singers. There are actually quite a lot of them that make their living as wedding singers. A few of them that make it big start recording labels.

No I dont think cutting hands is appropriate

[Techno-Druid]

I'm not disputing the facts. You have a mind of your own. Whatever conclusion you come to is due to a series of logical and rational deductions. All I'm here to do is provide the opinion of a native who's lived in both Saudi and the UK in order to clear up the fog regarding a few things that may seem alien to you guys and gals.



Pepsi is. You rarely see Coca Cola restaurants.



The expact community manages to get alcohol and throw their own hardcore parties. A Dutch buddy of mine tells me that hey would basically go into the compounds and you'd see every single imaginable contraband including acid and meth.

Your everyday Saudi just hangs our with friends and chills really. Usually we go to shisha lounges; coffee shops and talk; drift or have drag races; or just visit family and friends at their place.



1) Depends on who you ask. In the Eastern Province, Riyadh, Najd, and Jeddah, we tend to be a lot more critical and vocal about the government because we actually see the structural problems that permeate the country, such as: the housing crisis, mass unemployment, economic homogeneity. For us we believe that the governance should be a representative democracy; and if not that, then the transition from an absolute government to the British system (i think it's called constitutional monarchy?)
3) Generally the people who believe its okay to live under a theocracy believe that Islam should be the political system that governs the state. This comes down to the perception of what is seen as the morally just and righteous form of governance, and is a discussion suited more towards comparative politics. Before you judge, you have to acknowledge the fact that the idea of democracy is very flawed in itself, but these flaws are generally not discussed in the public forum [but are immediately seen once you enter the academic discourse]



Street food is amazing because ingredients are very fresh. For the kids we have corner food joints called boofiya's that basically makes falafal sandwiches, burgers, french fries, cheese & egg sandwiches. Everyone eats from them cuz their quick & cheap. We have shawaram's which are NOT like Turkish Gyro's / Kebabs. Shawarma's are basically layered of thinly sliced meat roasted on a roasterie w/ tahini + hot sauce + salad wrapped in freshly baked pita bread - it is the food of the God's. I cant really comment on celebriteis or fables because honestly i dont remember.

Regarding the serious stuff

We tend to view foreigners from the far east or the west with a combination of respect and curiosity. When it comes to sterotypes we have the same as everyone else; Chinese good at maths ... etc. lol. We arent really racist but we just overgeneralise.
LGBTQ+ issues are generally a taboo. The younger generation are much more accepting and open to dialogue on average than the older generation due to being more exposed to it through TV / literature / having friends belonging to those orientations. Honestly though? I think the reason why the older generation arent open to it is because they have this preconceived notion and arent really willing to change their view because they think their right. Its basically stubbornness

Education. I personally believe that if the educational system (so both the content of the curriculum, teachers, and parents) becomes reformed, then this will lead to a bottom-up development for the future generation. Content is obvious. Why teachers + parents? Because the relationship between the student and teacher is vital for thee students mind to truly blossom. Why the parent? Because the kid spends the bulk of his time with them. They will be significantly influenced by the way they think about things, and how they do things.



Not that many if I'm being frank. The majority do believe in the general idea of monotheism and prophethood. A small proportion of those don't "practice" (i.e. don't pray / fast) but they still believe in the jist of Islam. Personally I havent encountered that many who don't practice. Those that don't practice are quite integrated in the community as well; it's not as if their completely ostracised and seen as outliers. You have unique cases in all things though.



If your a small time nugget and your not causing any problems, just a fine (or if the cop is feeling nice a slap on the wrist). Otherwise jail time.



I don't really understand your question buddy. Could you perhaps rephrase it?



I completely agree with your first paragraph buddy. But we are trying to change. The problem is that it's happening very slowly because the powers that be are resisting. But it is happening. Yes women can be singers. There are actually quite a lot of them that make their living as wedding singers. A few of them that make it big start recording labels.

No I dont think cutting hands is appropriate

How do most people in Saudi Arabia view rap and hip hop? As a genre. Majority hate it, love it? Mixed views?

[Silent]

How do most people in Saudi Arabia view rap and hip hop? As a genre. Majority hate it, love it? Mixed views?

Ah ok! Hip Hop is my 1 tru love so Ill go ahead and answer. Mixed views imo. The religious peoples' say that if the rap lyrics (or in music in general) tells you to go get drunks / get high / fornicate then it's haram and so you should not listen to it. Other's are like "cool dude w/ever dude u do yo thang I do mine".

No Saudi hip hop song I've heard has talked about any of that which is surprising. They follow the old school model of talking about your average jo's problem (work, life, problems w/ girlfriends etc); the theme of some songs I've heard is pan-Arab and social justice; other's are telling the stories of friends who have fallen into drugs and alcohol. The cool thing about Saudi hip hop imo tho is that when it first came to the scene, it followed the same template as Arab poetry - basically, rap battles.

In the olden days of Arabia poets would walk around the streets and they'd enter a duel of words, where they would try to embarrass their opponent. (As someone who loves hip hop i found that really cool)

[Deleted]

@Silent
1. As a SA immigrant living half your life in a western country, whats your opinion on gay/transexual people?
2. Do you solely hang out with other ME people or do you mainly hang out with westeners. Why?
3. How do you experience a country so far to the other side of the freedom spectrum than your own country?

Also ill ask you to read this.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%...n_Saudi_Arabia

This contradicts alot of things you said in this thread (and the other SA guy). Is everyone lieing?

[Thepersona]

Has your country done any policy regarding global warming and the subsequent (i hope) fall of demand on fossil fuels?
Does SA have a good natural resource apart from oil?

[unfilteredJW]

Is this the same Saudi Arabia that this week, when we mentioned investigating them being apart of the 9/11 attacks, freaked out and threatened things?

Because that's what you do when you are innocent.

[Super Friendly Kitty Cat]

Is this the same Saudi Arabia that this week, when we mentioned investigating them being apart of the 9/11 attacks, freaked out and threatened things?

Because that's what you do when you are innocent.

Right, great logic.

I am sure if we released some investigation into the Chinese government being involved in 9/11 the Chinese government would have a similiar response.

Whoa China-bro, you sound guilty.

[Cynep]

I'm not into modern music as they all sound like crap. I go listen to Saudi Arabnian, Egyptian, Lebanese 90s songs.

my suggestion is this. This guy is as famous to arabs as micheal jackson to americans.

Good music actually. I have 3 questions:

1. Arab and Turkish music is surprisingly similar despite being different peoples with different languages. Any ideas why? Both Islamic? But European music is very varied despite being all Christians.

2. The singer gets interrupted by applause several times, his face shows emotions related to his song at that time. What is he singing about? Especially when he's interrupted?

3. You talked about older people not willing to discard their own culture - but check musical instruments in the video, they are all European? :S Do your people still play old local instruments?

[Deleted]

I completely agree with your first paragraph buddy. But we are trying to change. The problem is that it's happening very slowly because the powers that be are resisting. But it is happening. Yes women can be singers. There are actually quite a lot of them that make their living as wedding singers. A few of them that make it big start recording labels.

No I dont think cutting hands is appropriate

Nice to know about women being able to sing in public, I saw a documentary where it was forbidden in Iran, that is why I am asking. But I am disappointed, you dodged the most important question: What happens to people born in SA, in a muslim family, when apostasy is involved?
Apostasy means you no longer adhere to said religion, if the word tripped you, but I have a feeling it didn't.

[Silent]

@Silent
1. As a SA immigrant living half your life in a western country, whats your opinion on gay/transexual people?
2. Do you solely hang out with other ME people or do you mainly hang out with westeners. Why?
3. How do you experience a country so far to the other side of the freedom spectrum than your own country?

Also ill ask you to read this.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%...n_Saudi_Arabia

This contradicts alot of things you said in this thread (and the other SA guy). Is everyone lieing?

1) My personal view is that I dont really see anything weird about it. With that said, I'm not going to give you any special privileges just because your not straight, and I personally dislike people who expect to be treated better because of that - but this stems from my ideology that I treat someone based on s/he treats other and how good of a person they are.

2) Keep in mind that I've studied my entire elementary education in the UK when I was younger. Right now I'm in my 3rd year of Uni. The first year I tried to meet as many people as possible because I was genuinely curious to see what kind of people were out there (and I still am genuinely curious and interested in other peoples' backgrounds and experiences). I'm really grateful for forcing myself to go out of my comfort zone and do this. I didnt discriminate, but at the start of this year I've realized that I've started to drift a bit more towards people form a similar background as me (i.e. Middle Eastern or Islamic [not to say they are Muslims]). These guys are about 1/3 of my close friend base and their a mix of Iranians, Mongols, Malaysians, Singaporeans, Lebanese, Palestinian's and two Saudi's (one an undergad and the second is a University lecturer back in Saudi who's pursuing a PhD). The other 2/3 are genuinely people that I thought looked interesting, or they did or said something that caught my attention and so I decided to go talk to them. There was just chemistry between our personalities I guess.

Disclaimer: I was a devout and practicing Muslim who grew up in a Shii'ee community, but earlier this September I decided to abandon religion. I don't know what the appropriate term is, but I don't really believe in anything.

3) There isnt really much freedom of speech in the West m8 I dunno what you on about, at least not absolute freedom of speech. I enjoy racist humour and find the whole Arab terrorist thing quite funny because of how ridiculous it is. When I'm in the UK I gotta be a bit more careful I guess.

Regarding the women's right and the wikipedia article, Ill read it later and respond accordingly because I've been up for 36h and I'm knackered. This response may be misdirected, but this is something you have to keep in mind.

It's not that we're lying. All that me and the other dude are doing is providing you one account of how a Saudi. Effectively we are voicing our opinions and trying to add to the plurality of discussion rather than have one person's voice dominate, or have an outsider speak for us. If any of you are watching the US presidential elections, then I think one thing you would have all picked up is that there isnt one true way of looking at an issue, i.e. things aren't white or black but are different shades of grey. At the end of the day it is your ideology which will shape your information to make sense of reality.

I think what characterises me and the other bro-ski is that we don't see things as negatively as the media or y'all. Rather, we see that things are bad yes, and we do not deny this, but there is room for change, and change is slowly occurring

Has your country done any policy regarding global warming and the subsequent (i hope) fall of demand on fossil fuels?
Does SA have a good natural resource apart from oil?

Sadly, till now we are entirely dependent on oil. There were a few announcements earlier for plans regarding nuclear energy. The reason why we arent going solar is because on a cost-benefit analysis it's more expensive to build the solar cells and so right now is not worth it. But I think the hit on the oil prices has gotten them reconsidering this.

Good music actually. I have 3 questions:

1. Arab and Turkish music is surprisingly similar despite being different peoples with different languages. Any ideas why? Both Islamic? But European music is very varied despite being all Christians.

2. The singer gets interrupted by applause several times, his face shows emotions related to his song at that time. What is he singing about? Especially when he's interrupted?

3. You talked about older people not willing to discard their own culture - but check musical instruments in the video, they are all European? :S Do your people still play old local instruments?

Ufff... hard questions

1) if I had to take a guess it'd be that the Ottoman empire effectively conquered all of the Middle East and so spread their culture, customs, and music to those regions. Naturally though the effects of colonisation are not immediately removed once the coloniser is removed; their presence lingers on and continues to affect the future generations

2) Brain 2 fried to so will leave this for later [pm me so I dont forget pls]

3) I wouldnt say they're all Europeans; Skip to 6:15 and you'll see (basically) a wooden flute. That musical instrument is Persian and is called a Ney [https://goo.gl/gygwzN]. The violin (or one of it's many variations) can also be seen. Whether the violin is "European" or not is not something I can comment on. The drums are definitely not European my friend. If anything they're African. The drums may have permeated the Middle East due to the proximity between Africa, North Africa (Egypt, Morrocco, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria), perhaps through trade routes?

Nice to know about women being able to sing in public, I saw a documentary where it was forbidden in Iran, that is why I am asking. But I am disappointed, you dodged the most important question: What happens to people born in SA, in a muslim family, when apostasy is involved?
Apostasy means you no longer adhere to said religion, if the word tripped you, but I have a feeling it didn't.

I didnt comment because I didnt really see much of a reason to since religion in my view is a personal issue and the person in question would be smart enough to avoid discuss this in public. But since you pressed the issue I'll respond.

If you came out as an apostate people would be shocked, but they wouldnt pin you to the floor, call the local sheikh, and stone you to death; people are more civilized than that (well, the majority are). You do get outliers like I said earlier, and you may see this in the very far and remote villages. I think people would be more like "wtf?" mainly because to be a Muslim is seen by the community as being part and parcel of being a Saudi / Arab, and so to not adhere to the Islamic identity confuses people to an extent. Like the other two guys have said tho, there are a lot of people that don't practice, and there are also a lot who are outright atheists (me being one of them). I honestly dont think people really care insofar as you dont start shit talking their idea's.

[Sentynel]

Haven't read through all of the posts but do you guys really drink camel piss? What does it taste like?

[Caolela]

Why does Saudi Arabia threaten to sell $750 billion in U.S. assets if the 9/11 bill passes?


http://www.reuters.com/article/us-us...-idUSKCN0XD10S