One of the last remaining vestiges of the once feared Saudi Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (CPVPV), also known as
Hai’a or religious police was their strict enforcement of closure of all shops and businesses during the five daily prayers.
Despite repeated attempts to overturn this ruling, it remained enforced and violators were immediately met with the full wrath of the Hai’a. Punishments included shop closures for an indefinite time while those caught working in them during prayers calls were subject to detention or deportation in the case of expatriate shop attendants.
With Saudi Arabia embarked on a new vision under a new leadership, fuelled by the determination of a young Crown Prince to move the country out of its malaise and boost ahead, this bizarre ruling of closures had no place in modern times.
Saudi economy contracts for fifth straight quarter amid oil cuts
Vivian Nereim, Bloomberg
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Men and women shop at the Al Yasmin mall in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Aug. 6, 2017.Bloomberg photo by Tasneem Alsultan.
Saudi Arabia s economy contracted for a fifth straight quarter as the kingdom curtailed crude production to fulfill its commitments to OPEC, though the non-oil sector the engine of job creation showed signs of improvement.
Gross domestic product shrunk 4.6% in the third quarter compared to the same period of last year, according to the statistics authority. In line with most other nations, that was an improvement from a 7% contraction between April and June as the worst effects of the coronavirus pandemic wore off.