It’s one thing to be deported from a country for illegal entry, criminal or lewd behavior or as a potential threat to national security, but quite another to be kicked out based on one’s God-given good looks. When I first read reports in the UK press that three Emirati men attracted the attention of the Kingdom’s Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice for the “sin” of being too handsome, I thought it was a joke or a publicity stunt; simply too ridiculous to be true. Turns out my initial instincts were spot on.
According to the Arabic online newspaper Elaph that broke the story, the three UAE citizens were visiting the Janadriyah Heritage and Culture Festival in Riyadh when they were removed and flown to Abu Dhabi on the grounds they might arouse female passions. What! That had to be a first.
I was mulling writing to human rights groups urging them to set up new “defend the beautiful” departments. What message does this send to those foreign visitors permitted to stay, I thought? People will be asking themselves “I’m super attractive, so why aren’t the authorities booting me out?” Being kicked out of Saudi Arabia could become a test, a benchmark of good looks for the beautiful people—or, at least, for those who believe they are. A Saudi deportation stamp could be akin to a notch on a suavely attractive man’s Gucci leather belt.
Britain’s Daily Mail reported that “the UAE released an official statement indicating that the religious police were concerned about the unexpected presence of an unnamed Emirati female artist” in the festival’s pavilion. The head of the UAE delegation to the festival stated, “Her visit to the UAE stand was a coincidence as it was not included in the program which we had already provided to the festival’s management.” That was confusing because as far as anyone was aware the “female artist” hadn’t been deported.
The name of one of the men “deported” solely on the strength of his physical attributes was revealed as Omar Borkan Al-Gala, 25, a self-ascribed unattached poet, actor and photographer from Dubai, currently living in the Canadian city of Vancouver. I thought that he’d been overly coy about his negative Saudi experience. Why hasn’t he been using his expanding public platform to rail against Saudi injustice? Too busy basking in his overnight worldwide fame? His career has rocketed with interview requests, modeling and movie offers. He says he will start work on his debut film in Dubai with shooting scheduled for June. He calls himself “an actor” but admits he’s had no acting experience.
The British media has turned this narcissistic young man into the 21st century’s Rudolph Valentino and he’s clearly lapping up the attention he’s receiving from adoring fans homing toward his Facebook page like bees to honey to send him messages of undying love and hugs to his mother who’s been pictured with him. His photographs and video interviews have gone viral. He has revealed that no one has yet captured his “beautiful heart” but the lady who does has to be “very beautiful” and willing “to look after him.”
His original page with almost a million “likes” was inexplicably removed by Facebook initiating “Too handsome for Facebook” headlines. His new page has attracted 878,000 likes in less than a week. His photographs are being sold on the streets of the Philippines. Females everywhere are not only swooning over his face but also his velvet voice. It shouldn’t be long before Hollywood comes-a-knocking.
It now transpires that the story is a scam. Shame on those UK dailies that carried it for not probing the truth! Nothing new there! British editors lust after stories that are damaging to Saudi and other Gulf states, especially Dubai which has recently been mercilessly bashed over a trio of British men sentenced to four years for drug possession. And, frankly, it doesn’t take much imagination to know who was behind this latest pack of lies that has been detrimental to the Kingdom’s image abroad. Just ask yourselves who benefited?
According to Sabq, a Saudi Arabic-language online daily, Al-Gala and his compatriots weren’t deported after all. There was, indeed, a fracas at the festival’s UAE pavilion due to the impromptu arrival of Emirati singer Aryam, causing national guards to intervene and escort a member of the religious police away from the area. And the London-based Arabic paper Al-Quds Al-Arabi notes that Al-Gala was taken aside to be ticked off by authorities for inappropriate dancing. Reports suggest that none of Al-Gala’s compatriots got themselves into hot water, and none were booted out of the country. Not that Al-Gala cares; his ego’s now so huge it’s a wonder he can get through the door and what’s more to the point, he’s laughing all the way to the bank.
Linda S. Heard is a British specialist writer on Middle East affairs. She welcomes feedback and can be contacted by email at heardonthegrapevines@yahoo.co.uk.
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It’s no crime to be handsome in Saudi Arabia
Posted on May 16, 2013 by Linda S. Heard
It’s one thing to be deported from a country for illegal entry, criminal or lewd behavior or as a potential threat to national security, but quite another to be kicked out based on one’s God-given good looks. When I first read reports in the UK press that three Emirati men attracted the attention of the Kingdom’s Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice for the “sin” of being too handsome, I thought it was a joke or a publicity stunt; simply too ridiculous to be true. Turns out my initial instincts were spot on.
According to the Arabic online newspaper Elaph that broke the story, the three UAE citizens were visiting the Janadriyah Heritage and Culture Festival in Riyadh when they were removed and flown to Abu Dhabi on the grounds they might arouse female passions. What! That had to be a first.
I was mulling writing to human rights groups urging them to set up new “defend the beautiful” departments. What message does this send to those foreign visitors permitted to stay, I thought? People will be asking themselves “I’m super attractive, so why aren’t the authorities booting me out?” Being kicked out of Saudi Arabia could become a test, a benchmark of good looks for the beautiful people—or, at least, for those who believe they are. A Saudi deportation stamp could be akin to a notch on a suavely attractive man’s Gucci leather belt.
Britain’s Daily Mail reported that “the UAE released an official statement indicating that the religious police were concerned about the unexpected presence of an unnamed Emirati female artist” in the festival’s pavilion. The head of the UAE delegation to the festival stated, “Her visit to the UAE stand was a coincidence as it was not included in the program which we had already provided to the festival’s management.” That was confusing because as far as anyone was aware the “female artist” hadn’t been deported.
The name of one of the men “deported” solely on the strength of his physical attributes was revealed as Omar Borkan Al-Gala, 25, a self-ascribed unattached poet, actor and photographer from Dubai, currently living in the Canadian city of Vancouver. I thought that he’d been overly coy about his negative Saudi experience. Why hasn’t he been using his expanding public platform to rail against Saudi injustice? Too busy basking in his overnight worldwide fame? His career has rocketed with interview requests, modeling and movie offers. He says he will start work on his debut film in Dubai with shooting scheduled for June. He calls himself “an actor” but admits he’s had no acting experience.
The British media has turned this narcissistic young man into the 21st century’s Rudolph Valentino and he’s clearly lapping up the attention he’s receiving from adoring fans homing toward his Facebook page like bees to honey to send him messages of undying love and hugs to his mother who’s been pictured with him. His photographs and video interviews have gone viral. He has revealed that no one has yet captured his “beautiful heart” but the lady who does has to be “very beautiful” and willing “to look after him.”
His original page with almost a million “likes” was inexplicably removed by Facebook initiating “Too handsome for Facebook” headlines. His new page has attracted 878,000 likes in less than a week. His photographs are being sold on the streets of the Philippines. Females everywhere are not only swooning over his face but also his velvet voice. It shouldn’t be long before Hollywood comes-a-knocking.
It now transpires that the story is a scam. Shame on those UK dailies that carried it for not probing the truth! Nothing new there! British editors lust after stories that are damaging to Saudi and other Gulf states, especially Dubai which has recently been mercilessly bashed over a trio of British men sentenced to four years for drug possession. And, frankly, it doesn’t take much imagination to know who was behind this latest pack of lies that has been detrimental to the Kingdom’s image abroad. Just ask yourselves who benefited?
According to Sabq, a Saudi Arabic-language online daily, Al-Gala and his compatriots weren’t deported after all. There was, indeed, a fracas at the festival’s UAE pavilion due to the impromptu arrival of Emirati singer Aryam, causing national guards to intervene and escort a member of the religious police away from the area. And the London-based Arabic paper Al-Quds Al-Arabi notes that Al-Gala was taken aside to be ticked off by authorities for inappropriate dancing. Reports suggest that none of Al-Gala’s compatriots got themselves into hot water, and none were booted out of the country. Not that Al-Gala cares; his ego’s now so huge it’s a wonder he can get through the door and what’s more to the point, he’s laughing all the way to the bank.
Linda S. Heard is a British specialist writer on Middle East affairs. She welcomes feedback and can be contacted by email at heardonthegrapevines@yahoo.co.uk.