HAVING movie theaters in the Kingdom continues to be a highly debated topic, especially in religious and social circles. Members of the first group believe that art, especially cinema, is a satanic thing. They also believe it will brainwash Saudis and destroy their culture and society. The second group believes that cinema is important because it is a tool that helps people express their opinions and influences social behavior. Cinemas help end the problem of loitering on streets and in malls and allow young Saudi men to spend their time constructively by watching movies. Many young Saudi men travel to nearby countries just to watch movies. Personally speaking, I do not know why the first group believes that cinema will bring vice and corruption to society when in fact they are merely theaters where movies are shown. In other words, they are similar to TVs. Today, Saudis can watch an extensive variety of Arabic and Western movies while sitting at home in front of their TV sets thanks to satellite channels. Nobody is calling for a ban on these channels. So why are some people scared and why do they not want the Kingdom to have movie theaters? Why are people allowed to watch films in homes but not in public places? The concerned authorities can monitor and control movie theaters should we decide to have them. We need to establish rules for the types of movies that can be shown in such theaters. The Ministry of Culture and Information can play a role in the monitoring process. For example, the scenes that are not permitted can be cut. The well-known Saudi writer Dr. Abdullah Sadiq Dahlan said that having movie theaters in the country would promote Saudi culture, help the youth adopt moderate Islamic ideologies and solve many of our complicated social issues. Some think that perhaps it is not suitable to talk about entertainment while the country is going through a tough period. I believe that this is the right time to have movie theaters for two reasons: entertainment can play a big role in helping people vent negative feelings and energy and become more accepting of others. They would help boost the economy and contribute to achieving some of the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.
