A week after Saudi Arabia unveiled plans to build a $500 billion futuristic megacity free from the kingdom's usual religious restrictions, there's confusion over what, exactly, will be allowed.
A video presentation last week envisaged men and women working side by side in the new city, women exercising in leotards and people playing musical instruments – activities which have traditionally been forbidden in the rest of the kingdom.
This image of an easy-going lifestyle is aimed at attracting foreign investors but, according to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who is the driving force behind the project, alcohol will be banned.
The official announcement of Neom, as the city will be known, described it has having a different "governmental framework" from other parts of Saudi Arabia – suggesting that sharia-based laws will not apply. In an interview with Bloomberg, Prince Mohammed confirmed that it will have "different rules" but continued:
"We can do 98 percent of the standards applied in similar cities. But there is two percent we can’t do, like for example alcohol." [al-bab.com] Read more
