Saudi Arabia’s minister for fun sacked over pink leotard

The chairman of Saudi Arabia’s so-called Ministry of Fun has been sacked following a public outcry over an “indecent” outfit worn by a Russian circus performer during shows in Riyadh, Saudi state TV has said.

Pictures and video clips of the woman in her “pink figure-hugging costume” during performances in the Saudi capital prompted “sharp criticism” after being posted on social media, reports Dubai-based newspaper Gulf News.

“Ahmad al-Khatib, chairman of the Saudi GEA [General Entertainment Authority] has been removed from his position,” the Saudi Press Agency announced on Monday, citing a royal decree. Pro-government news website Sabq later clarified the decision, saying that Khatib was dismissed over the women in the footage wearing “indecent clothes”.

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The GEA was launched in 2016 in order to “organise, develop, and lead the entertainment sector to provide exciting entertainment options, and tailor experiences to the needs of people from all walks of life across Saudi Arabia”, according to Saudi newspaper Arab News.

The authority, nicknamed the Ministry of Fun by Western outlets, is part of a “far-reaching liberalisation drive that has ended decades-long bans on women driving and attending mixed concerts” among other things, adds New Delhi-based news site NDTV.

According to the FT, the man “driving all this” is Mohammed bin Salman, known as MBS, the deputy crown prince and favourite son of the king. Under his guideance, the GEA has been “introducing Saudis to the hitherto forbidden pleasure of live concerts”, said an article last year by the newspaper’s Roula Khalaf, who quoted local sources saying that the Saudi government was “considering opening cinemas” and that there was “talk of” a Cirque du Soleil-style show.

Both of those predictions came to fruition, but the circus show has now led to Al-Khatib’s downfall.

Ali Shihabi, director of the Washington DC-based Arabia Foundation, a pro-Saudi think tank, tweeted a video of the circus performers that included cutaway shots of monologues from several men who denounced the costumes and emphasised the need to uphold Islamic principles.

“Cynics who lightly dismiss the colossal challenges that MBS faces in his social reforms should view this video of young Saudi men passionately denouncing the presence of a Russian circus with women performers in their country,” Shihabi wrote.