Yeah, you read the headline right. A group of men was deported from Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates because their chiseled features and perfectly coifed hair was deemed “too handsome.” The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vices was reported to have feared that female visitors of the Jenadrivah Heritage and Cultural Festival, the event the drop-dead handsome men were attending, could have “fallen” for the irresistible chunks of man meat, and rather than letting that terrible scenario play out, they decided to make the hunky dudes leave.
Saudi Arabia’s strict religious law often borders on hilarity (The country has only recently allowed for women to ride bicycles). Young Saudi men and women are kept so separated that meeting a spouse, let alone casual romantic partner, through social encounters is next to impossible. If you’re a single guy, you can’t even go to the mall to hit on babes, unless you’re escorting your mom or sister lest they fall prey to horny dudes.
The funny thing is, the more Saudi law fixates on gender relations, the more a bunch of officials are talking about sex. For a religious code so deeply attached to modesty, the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vices is basically constantly talking about potential boners and orgasms. Apparently, it’s all anyone can think about, to the point that they need to physically remove some reportedly handsome men before someone feels a tingle where they shouldn’t. This specific incident may have been tied to an unnamed female artist who was at the festival, which caused the virtue police to get nervous. Because when a couple of hot dudes and a woman meet up there’s an atomic explosion, or something.
The antiquated gender relations enforced in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is leading to a whole new culture of dating and romance. For those interested, Rajaa Alsanea’s Girls of Riyahdh highlights how young Saudis are using cell phones and the Internet to fulfill their romantic needs. Where there’s a boner, there’s a way. The book was banned almost immediately after it was published (again, lest anyone feel a tingle in their nether regions), but gives a great glimpse into a society that deports guys for being handsome, for being so good looking it’s illegal, etc. etc.
Image via Associated Press