Things you should NEVER do in Saudi Arabia… or you could be risking your LIFE - There are many, many rules in Saudi Arabia - but not a lot is written down. Saudi Arabia is a country whose sole constitution is based on the Quran - the religious text of Islam. If people in SA find themselves in a legal pickle, it's down to each individual judge to interpret the laws as there's no official written rules. In general, if the act committed is suspected to be 'haram' - something which might lead a person astray from Islamic faith - then suspicion alone is enough for a ruling.
Banned: Porn
Having porn on your phone, tablet or computer could land you in seriously hot water if you touched down in Saudi Arabia. Even illustrations of scantily dressed people, especially women, is banned.
Guess what? Customs officials can and will scan your phone for any pictures they deem to be inappropriate and then confiscate your equipment.
Banned: Taking pictures of buildings
You're on holiday so you're going to snap pictures all the time, right? WRONG. Photographing government buildings, military installations, and palaces is not allowed.
One should also avoid photographing local people - especially Saudi Arabian men without their permission - and don't point a camera in the direction of women.
Banned: Eating, drinking or smoking in public
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and is a whole four weeks of fasting. Therefore it's forbidden to eat, drink or smoke in public during daylight hours during the month of Ramadan.
Banned: Sausage sandwiches
Talking of eating and drinking, don't expect to tuck into a full English breakfast every morning with a side of bacon, sausages and black budding. Importing pork products is forbidden, therefore making pork a banned substance.
Banned: Wearing anything red on Valentine’s Day
It been reported that flower shops and gift shops are prohibited from selling red roses, anything heart-shaped or red for that matter on Valentine's Day. The rule was decided by the 'Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice' (CPVPV) It's thought the 'holiday' is not an Islamic occasion and it may lead people astray.
Banned: Going to the cinema
If you want to see the latest James Bond movie in SA you actually have to leave the country - why not make a weekend of it? It's thought cinemas are breading grounds for men and women to mingle unsupervised, This could lead to immoral actions outside the realm of marriage.
Many SAs take the short trip to Bahrain to watch movies.
Banned: Learning a musical instrument at school
The piano always looks good on a person's CV but if you want to learn as a child it has to be private tutorials. Music lessons are forbidden in public forums and therefore, if you want to learn, it has to be done 'underground'.
Banned: Going to the gym if you're a woman
Private gyms for women WERE allowed to operate until recently when the Religious Police closed them down.
