Saudi Arabia closes dozens of music lounges
The Saudi Arabian authorities have recently ordered the closure of more than twenty music lounge in Riyadh and Jeddah. These spaces, which have become popular in recent years, have offered live appearances, shisha, mixed gender spaces and affordable entrance. They symbolize the rapidly social transformation that takes place under the kingdom’s modernization agenda. Employees explained the closures by reporting violations of public health and hygiene codes. Inspectors reported violations severe enough to justify the immediate shutdown. However, many observers believe that repression reflects increasing pressure from the conservatives you are worried about at the rate of reforms. The lounges have
