INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Ahmad-Al-Khatib was dismissed over a circus performance which included women wearing "indecent clothes"Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:
Saudi Arabia on Monday sacked the head of its entertainment authority, state media said, following a conservative backlash
against a circus featuring women wearing figure-hugging costumes."Ahmad al-Khatib, chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority has
been removed from his position," the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said citing a royal decree, without giving a reason.The
pro-government Sabq news website said Khatib was dismissed over a controversial circus performance in Riyadh, which included women wearing
"indecent clothes".A video circulating on social media appeared to show a female performer in a tight pink costume, drawing outrage from
Saudi arch-conservatives.Saudi officials did not respond to AFP's requests for comment.Khatib's sacking comes in the midst of Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman's far-reaching liberalisation drive that has ended decades-long bans on women driving and cinemas, and allowed some
mixed-gender concerts.Khatib had been leading a multi-billion dollar initiative to turn the austere desert kingdom into a culture and
entertainment hub.The vigorous backlash against what was widely identified online as a Russian circus underscores the challenges facing the
prince as he seeks to modernise a country steeped in conservatism."Cynics who lightly dismiss the colossal challenges that (the prince)
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," tweeted Ali Shihabi, director of the pro-Saudi, Washington-based think tank, Arabia Foundation.The video
posted by Shihabi included a cutaway shot from the circus and monologues from several men who emphasised the need to uphold Islamic
principles.- 'Moral breakdown' -The conservative petro-state has some of the world's toughest restrictions on women, who are required to
wear body-shrouding abaya robes in public.In April, Saudi sports authorities shut down a female fitness centre in Riyadh over a contentious
promotional video that appeared to show a woman in tight gym clothes.Defending the decision, Saud al-Qahtani, a media adviser to the royal
court, said at the time that the kingdom was on the path of "moderation without moral breakdown".Later that month, the sports authority
apologised over a promotional video of a WWE event that showed scantily clad female wrestlers drawing euphoric cheers from men and women
alike.Khatib was appointed in 2016 as the head of the country's entertainment authority, seen as the main engine of the kingdom's social
transformation."This authority has been a key player in driving social change in the kingdom and hence has been heavily criticised by
conservatives," Shihabi tweeted.In February, the General Entertainment Authority announced it would stage more than 5,000 festivals and
concerts in 2018, double the number of last year, and pump $64 billion in the sector in the coming decade.The reform stems partly from an
economic motive to boost domestic spending on entertainment as the kingdom has reeled from an oil slump since 2014.Saudis currently splurge
billions of dollars annually to see films and visit amusement parks in neighbouring tourist hubs like Dubai and Bahrain.Khatib's ouster
follows a major cabinet reshuffle earlier this month that saw a heavy focus on culture and religion, as the kingdom undergoes a major image
overhaul.This was the second significant government change since the appointment of Prince Mohammed, son of the king, as heir to the
region's most powerful throne.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by TheIndianSubcontinent staff and is published from
