A Criminal Court in Jeddah has convicted the owner of a “halal bar” to three months in prison and a fine of 10,000 riyals for using words which violate public morals and religion, RT reported on Sunday.
The owner of the bar, which is actually a café, appeared in a 140-second sponsored advertisement published by social media celebrities saying that he serves “alcohol-free wine” at his “halal bar”.
“There is now a bar in Jeddah,” he said in the advert. “All drinks are free of alcohol.” The owner then explained that the drinks served in his café are “halal wine”. The Court has banned the advert.
The defendant defended himself by pointing out that the drinks are halal, are free of alcohol and were bought from licensed suppliers in the Saudi market.
Meanwhile, the Saudi Public Prosecution has filed separate lawsuits against four social media personalities for publishing the advertisement on their social media platforms.
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