Saudi Arabi Hosts Its First Comic Con - Kate Kahle

Saudi Arabia hosted their first Comic Con. The three day festival attracted many thousands of people and was funded in part by the Saudi government due to their hopes that it would increase tourism to their country. This is surprising because Saudi Arabia is usually a very strictly conservative country, to the point  where it is the norm for men and women to be separated in public. Comic Con had separate, gendered, entrances, but the actually convention hall was not separate. The young people in Saudi Arabia are trying to bring more arts and culture into their country, in strong contrast and opposition to fundamentalists that are imposing strict Muslim religious ideals on the social norms of the country.



http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/19/middleeast/saudi-arabia-comic-con/index.html