Why alcohol remains heavily restricted in Saudi Arabia despite recent easing
PTC Web Desk: Saudi Arabia is cautiously stepping into a new chapter in its long-standing relationship with alcohol. After enforcing a complete prohibition for more than 70 years, the Kingdom has recently allowed limited, tightly controlled access to alcohol for specific groups. However, these changes do not signal a broader acceptance. Instead, they reflect carefully calculated economic decisions shaped by history, diplomacy and governance.
In recent months, Saudi authorities have permitted government-operated alcohol outlets for non-Muslim diplomats. This was followed by restricted access for affluent non-Muslim residents holding premium residency permits. Plans are also underway to allow controlled alcohol sales in designated tourist zones, particularly in preparation for major international events such as Expo 2030 and the FIFA World Cup 2034.
Despite these developments, alcohol remains strictly forbidden for Saudi citizens and Muslims. The Kingdom continues to view alcohol as a regulated exception rather than a socially acceptable practice. To understand why, one must revisit a defining incident that reshaped Saudi policy in the early 1950s.
The incident that triggered the ban
The roots of Saudi Arabia’s total alcohol prohibition trace back to a tragic episode in 1951 involving a member of the royal family. At the time, alcohol was available in limited circles, particularly among diplomats and expatriates.
During an evening gathering at the Jeddah residence of British Vice-Consul Cyril Ousman, a young Saudi prince, Mishari bin Abdulaziz, who was known for heavy drinking, became intoxicated and behaved inappropriately toward a British guest. When Ousman intervened, refused further alcohol and asked him to leave, the prince felt publicly insulted.
The following day, still under the influence and enraged, the 19-year-old prince returned to the residence, demanding both alcohol and the woman. When Ousman again refused and attempted to remove him, Mishari drew a firearm and opened fire. The vice-consul was killed and his wife was seriously injured.
The killing caused a diplomatic crisis and deeply embarrassed the Saudi royal family. It highlighted the dangers posed by alcohol within elite circles and its potential to disrupt governance and international relations.
A king’s response
King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud reacted with fury. Determined to demonstrate accountability, he ordered his son’s arrest and initially sentenced him to death. In an extraordinary gesture, the king offered Mrs Ousman the right to choose the method of execution, even proposing that the prince’s body be publicly displayed. She declined, opting instead for financial compensation amounting to $70,000.
Eventually, the king reduced the punishment to imprisonment and monthly corporal punishment. However, he concluded that the real danger lay not only in his son’s actions but in the foreign practices, particularly alcohol consumption, that had infiltrated Saudi elite life.
Within a year, a sweeping royal decree was issued banning the import, sale and consumption of alcohol across the Kingdom. By late 1952, alcohol supplies vanished from Saudi Arabia. Even employees of the Arabian-American Oil Company were limited to a small monthly quota, marking the beginning of the country’s strict teetotal era.
Alcohol before the ban
Contrary to widespread belief, alcohol was not entirely unknown in the region before the ban. In pre-Islamic Arabia, wine consumption existed in certain urban and religious communities, and early poetry references drinking practices. After the advent of Islam, intoxicants were prohibited, though enforcement varied across time and place.
In the early 20th century, as Saudi Arabia engaged with foreign governments and oil companies, alcohol quietly returned in restricted diplomatic and expatriate settings. Its presence was tolerated but never openly accepted.
For more than seven decades, Saudi Arabia enforced one of the world’s toughest alcohol bans. Punishments included flogging and imprisonment for citizens, while foreigners faced deportation. Alcohol consumption, whether public or private, was illegal.
Despite strict laws, underground networks persisted through smuggling, home brewing and diplomatic imports. In 2024, the government moved to close a long-standing loophole that allowed embassies to import alcohol freely, indicating a desire for tighter oversight even as selective reforms were introduced.
- With inputs from agencies
