Long banned, Christmas has finally, at least tacitly, arrived in Saudi Arabia; just don’t use the name in marketing or be ostentatious about your tree.

Coffeeshops serving drinks in red mugs with snowflakes are ok. The same goes for the sale of bar soaps named ‘Tis the Season and Vanilla Bean Noel.

Christmas trees that sell for up to US $ 3,000 each are a little more complicated. Religious police no longer harass traders who sell items that refer to a non-Muslim holiday. But traders remain uncertain about the trees and sometimes still keep them in a back room. Religious references and Christmas carols remain out of reach.

Relaxing the rules of the game in a country that still prohibits the worship of non-Muslims in public and the construction of non-Muslim places of worship is part of an effort to ensure the kingdom does not lag behind in competition with the United States of America. The Emirates and Qatar project themselves as an enlightened and modern country that can attract foreign investment and compete for foreign talent and tourists.

The easing is also part of an effort to position the kingdom as a beacon of Muslim moderation in competition with the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Indonesia.

As Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country and democracy, grapples with rampant conservatism and Qatar seeks assurances to football fans that they will welcome diversity of all kinds at the Cup. in next year’s world, the United Arab Emirates sprinted in leaps and bounds.

Over the past year in the United Arab Emirates, where public references to Christmas and Christmas carols are not an issue and where non-Muslim places of worship exist alongside mosques, sweeping legal reforms have been made. enacted to legalize alcohol and cohabitation without marriage and this week ended censorship of film releases. The caveat, as elsewhere in most Muslim countries, is that the reforms are rooted in Islamic law and jurisprudence.

Nahdlatul Ulama, the world’s largest Muslim civil society organization, which is at the forefront of the Indonesian moderation projection has started a process of reforming Muslim jurisprudence but has so far avoided burning questions which are high on the agenda of its rivals in the Middle East.

The Saudi easing of standards also serves to distinguish the kingdom from other contenders for religious soft power and leadership of the Muslim world like Turkey and Iran, which are ruled by Islamists who draw inspiration from or apply more strictly interpretations. conservatives of Islamic law. The easing further aims to support economic reforms and efforts to diversify the economy and create jobs.

Of course, Saudi Arabia has been signaling for several years that it is embarking on the path of greater religious tolerance and social liberalization. Meetings between Saudi leaders and evangelical and Jewish leaders and support for interfaith dialogue have served this purpose.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman turned the Muslim World League, once a major vehicle for the global spread of Wahhabism, into the ultra-conservative interpretation of Islam that dominated Saudi Arabia for its first 85 years, by making it propagator of its vaguely defined concept of moderate. Islam.

Mr. Bin Salman also lifted the ban on driving for women, liberalized gender segregation, created greater employment and leisure opportunities for women and generated a Western-style entertainment industry. But, like the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, it has not completely abolished male guardianship.

Saudi stores began stocking several years ago on Valentine’s Day, long banned in the kingdom, selling red roses, and in October, Halloween costumes first appeared in shop windows.

However, more and more, same-sex relationships are emerging as a red line in the social liberalization of the Gulf.

The kingdom’s highest cleric, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Sheikh, spoke out this week by swinging a fatwa or religious opinion denouncing homosexual relations. It appeared to respond to a United Nations General Assembly resolution passed earlier this month that called for recognition of “women in all their diversity,” including “gender identity” and “sexual orientation. “.

In what amounted to rare public, albeit implicit, criticism from the clergy of Mr. Bin Salman’s liberalizations, Mr. Al-Sheikh also appeared to be reacting to a major electronic dance festival, the Middle Beast Soundstorm, which took place. held near Riyadh in recent days and reportedly attended by 732,000 people.

Some reports suggested that some participants had been publicly intoxicated and exhibited behavior that raised suspicion that they were gay.

The kingdom punishes homosexuality with death.

Mr. Al-Sheikh, a descendant of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, the founder of Wahhabism, described homosexuality as one of the “most heinous and ugliest crimes”.

He asserted that “human rights … find a place first and foremost in the law of God and warned that” the whole world is afflicted with scandalous audacity, false claims and perversion. contemptible, which aims to strip man of his humanity! “

Mr Al-Sheikh appeared to draw a red line for social reform on an issue that was likely to enjoy public support.

A recent opinion poll found that 67% of people applauded the kingdom’s rejection of the UN resolution while 33% said they had no opinion.

Academic Matthew Hedges, who was arrested in the Emirates and sentenced to life in prison for espionage while researching a newly published book, noted that the fight against “immoral” sexual behavior was a way for the UAE authorities to appeal to the cultural sensitivities of the public to justify the construction. a state of surveillance.

Mr Al-Sheikh’s fatwa contrasts sharply with efforts by Qatari officials to downplay criticism of Gulf state’s anti-gay laws and reassure LGBTQ fans that they would be welcome at the World Cup next year and would even be allowed to fly the rainbow flag at the Games. Qatari LGBTQ people insist that they are not given the same tolerance.

For the Saudis, Mr. Al-Sheikh’s fatwa contains a caveat. Saudi Arabia may have embraced significant social liberalizations, but beyond the red lines they rest on a fragile foundation until they are anchored in changes in religious doctrine and jurisprudence.

“While the changes (in Saudi Arabia) are potentially far-reaching, their ultimate direction is uncertain. Most… remain fairly reversible. And while state structures and officials have accepted and even applauded the measures, some social resentment and resistance is still possible and unintended consequences could still materialize, ”warned academics Yasmine Farouk and Nathan J Brown.

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