The comments by Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al ash-Sheikh, published on his website, said cinemas and round-the-clock entertainment could open the door to "atheistic or rotten" foreign films and encourage the mixing of the sexes. Cinemas and public concerts are already banned in the conservative Islamic kingdom. The head of the government's General Authority for Entertainment, Amr al-Madani, stirred debate last week when he raised the possibility of opening cinemas and staging concerts this year. The Saudi Gazette quoted Madani as saying Saudi singer Mohammed Abdo would perform in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah very soon. Saudi Arabia's clerics offer legitimacy and public support to a king who styles himself the guardian of Islam's holiest sites.

Source: bd News24 January 14, 2017 18:13 UTC