The wacky world that is Saudi.

A couple of funny stories from the crazy wacky world of Saudi Arabia might amuse you.



First, young Saudi men are getting hooked on Viagra, to the extent that they can no longer get it up without it.

I love the way the default defense is that the problem is caused by the internet spam ads...Classic.

Young Saudi men go wild over notorious blue pill
By Abdul Rahman Shaheen, Correspondent
Published: April 30, 2009, 22:57

Riyadh: The kingdom has been gripped with a craze for erectile-dysfunction medications by young men - an occurrence which has many worried.

A large number of married Saudi youths are flocking to pharmacies to take hold of Viagra - "the little blue pill" - or any other stimulants that will give them more satisfaction. The catchy words and obscene images that appear on online advertisements of these medications are another factor luring youth into buying packets of these stimulants.

According to Saudi doctors, this phenomenon reflects the spread of a negative sexual culture among the younger generation in the Kingdom.

"[The] lack of an effective mechanism to monitor and curb these adverts was instrumental in spreading this mania among the youths," they said. However, agents of the pharmaceutical companies deny responsibility for this. The firms called for strict vigilance by authorities to stop the sale of counterfeit medications.

Several young men said that they started taking stimulants soon after marriage. Some of these youths dared to disclose their identity while others requested anonymity.

They agreed that the pills were instrumental in keeping them virile during love making. They also felt that their masculinity was directly linked to their potency.

Mohammad Nassir Al Qah'tani, said: "I started taking stimulant during the very first week after my marriage at the instance of one of my friends. This was an impressive experience for me and my wife."

He added that he stopped using the stimulants at the advice of a doctor but added that his sudden stoppage resulted in some mental disturbance.

Another young man, called M.A., said that he became addicted to the stimulant and could not make love to his wife without using the pill. He said he was now considering seeking psychiatric help.

Dr Duraid Yazji, a consultant urologist, said that the erectile-dysfunction medications were meant for aged men in their 50s and 60s with some degree of dysfunction due to reduced hormonal production.

Perhaps its because they are married to wives they have no attraction for? Because meanwhile, a Reuters report in the Gulf News that the Saudi authorities are closing woman-only gyms. Apparently there is no way for the businesses to get a license (unlike men-only gyms).

And, of course, everyone knows that such vigorous exercising might make girls loose their virginity. Nice point Shaikh Abdullah. Clearly you've been giving the idea of vigourously exercising young women a lot of thought.

Saudi women question government clampdown
Reuters
Published: May 01, 2009, 22:51
...
Unhappy at the growing number of unlicensed female gyms, the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs recently closed two in the Red Sea city of Jeddah and one in the city of Dammam on the Gulf Arab coast for not having a licence.
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While male gyms get licences from a government sports body, female gyms have no official authority overseeing them.
...
"Football and basketball are sports that require a lot of movement and jumping," Shaikh Abdullah Al Maneea, member of the official Supreme Council of Religious Scholars, said in a religious opinion published in Okaz newspaper on Thursday.

He said such excessive movement may harm girls who are still virgins, possibly causing them to lose their virginity.
...

You've gotta love the comedy that the Supreme Council of Religious Scholars manages to pump out. This classic one was reported after an 8 year old girl finally got her divorce from a 50 yr old letch who had bought her from her father for $13,000.

Saudi Arabia's conservative Muslim clergy have opposed the drive to end child marriages. In January, the kingdom's most senior cleric said it was permissible for 10-year-old girls to marry and those who believe they are too young are doing the girls an injustice.