A 'halal sex shop' selling Sharia-approved products is set to open in Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
The owner of erotic brand El Asira, Moroccan-Dutch businessman Abdelaziz Aouragh, says his latest branch will open in Islam's holiest city - Mecca.
Saudi clerics were consulted to ensure the shop adhered to strict laws and customs, and have given it their approval, Aouragh told Arabic news channel Alyaoum24.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Masturbation is forbidden under Islam, so the shop will not be selling vibrators, sex dolls or other similar toys, nor will it stock pornographic material.
Eleven things women in Saudi Arabia can't do
Instead, it will offer a wide range of "pleasure-enhancing" products including massage oils, scented candles and creams. "Our products include items that increase feelings of sensuality and improve the atmosphere between the couple in the sexual relationship," he said.
Aouragh says he want to challenge the way women are viewed in Islamic society. "It is not true that Muslim women are seen only in the kitchen and seen only wearing the veil. We should also highlight love."
Woman face a multitude of restrictions in Saudi Arabia, but Aouragh insists his products will create "more admiration and love for women" by improving marital relationships.
In 2013, the first online sex shop in the Muslim world to operate in line with Islamic teaching opened in Turkey. "Despite what outsiders may believe, sexuality is a normal human necessity in Islam," the site's founder Haluk Demirel told the BBC.
But halal sex shops should be careful not to use "pornographic" language, he says. "For example, instead of 'horny' we use 'desiring'. These details are important."
-
Democrats push for ICE accountabilityFeature U.S. citizens shot and violently detained by immigration agents testify at Capitol Hill hearing
-
The price of sporting gloryFeature The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics kicked off this week. Will Italy regret playing host?
-
Fulton County: A dress rehearsal for election theft?Feature Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is Trump's de facto ‘voter fraud’ czar
-
Epstein files topple law CEO, roil UK governmentSpeed Read Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the US, is caught up in the scandal
-
Iran and US prepare to meet after skirmishesSpeed Read The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
