The Man Too Handsome for Saudi Arabia Who Wasn’t
May 3, 2013 1:33 am

Saudi Arabia often makes US (and international) headlines for its laws (legal mishaps?) regarding women, sex and religious minorities. Some of these stories undoubtedly belong there, but a surprising number gain traction thanks to a small amount of research and suspension of critical engagement. It seems that when it comes to Saudi Arabia (and sometimes her theocratic counterpart Iran, albeit less so), the more bizarre the story may seem – in that way only the Saudi Arabia of our perception could normalize – the more believable it is.

News and blog media have a particular penchant for covering ridiculous, often inaccurate and even false fatwas (here's our quick definition and a more nuanced discussion on it). And in August 2012, the internet went into a bit of an uproar over the alleged building of an all-female city to promote women's participation in the workforce. Unfortunately, the dreams of the impending matriarchy were dashed when it was eventually revealed that the city was for both men and women, but created facilities specific for women to encourage their participation.

So, what's the latest Saudi Arabia headline wreaking havoc across the internet?

You have most probably heard by now that three Emirati men were allegedly thrown out of a cultural Janadriyah Festival by the Saudi religious police (pl. mutawaeen) for “being too handsome.” Most reports, however, have claimed the three men were actually deported from the Kingdom, itself, for their ‘seductive' lure that was apparently going to send the attending women into an incontrollable hormonal flux. Fementertainment blog, Jezebel, was amongst the first to reveal the identity of one of the alleged Emirati men, Omar Borkan Al Gala – a photographer, model, actor and poet. The internet went into self-fanning mode as several images of the young man went viral and thousands clamored to follow him on social media websites.

Unfortunately, no one in the English press bothered to actually fact check the story.

As it turns out, three men were not, in fact, deported from Saudi Arabia. Actually, no one was deported from Saudi Arabia and certainly not for being too handsome. And, actually, no one was even kicked out of the heritage and cultural festival except for a member of the religious police for protesting against the presence of a Gulf female singer. According to UK’s Al-Arab:

A member of the Saudi feared religious police, known as Mutawa, stormed the UAE pavilion at National Festival for Heritage and Culture, also known as Al Janadriyah, but was forced out by the Gulf Kingdom’s national guards.

The incident took place when the Mutawa member objected to the presence of the Emirati singer Aryam in her country’s pavilion.

A brief U-Tube film showed several guards surround the member of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice before they escorted him out of the pavilion at the annual festival in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

And that's it.

There was, indeed, an incident involving Al Gala (and apparently him alone): according to the head of the mutawaeen, Sheikh Abdullatif Al-Sheikh (Arabic source), Al Gala had made his way into the family section of the event and was dancing inappropriately. Several complaints were made against him and he was taken aside by members of the national guard, questioned and that was it. He was not asked to leave the event, let alone the country. It turns out his uncomfortable dancing and not his uncomfortably good looks were the reason for some cause for concern and discomfort at the festival.

Al Gala has yet to deny the story and would probably find little reason to do so considering the amount of fame he is now enjoying as The Man Too Handsome for Saudi Arabia, which has helped boost his online personality as well as his career. It should also be noted that some of the sources who were the first to report, in Arabic, that three men were removed from the festival/deported from Saudi Arabia are no longer found online.

While the laughs and light-hearted news from the oil lands of strife are being welcomed by news readers and makers as a nice departure from the usual headlines, this sort of misreporting is not only common but feeds into dangerous and reductionist stereotypes of Muslims and Muslim countries, especially as these stereotypes relate to gender and sexuality's interplay with Islamic law. Somewhere the story of an awkward dancer making families uncomfortable and the story of a member of the religious police being removed from the same festival crossed paths to create a ‘sexy' news story that just made sense enough for the imagined Saudi Arabia.

The common tendency to take stories about incidents in Muslim countries at face value, without much (easy) fact checking (language need not be a barrier with the glory that is Google Translate), offers coverage that only fuels mischaracterizations of the role of religion in the public and legal spheres. Additionally, in these stories and the ensuing commentaries, Muslims cease to exist outside political and social caricatures and are made to fit neat cookie-cutter ideas and images.

In an era of fast-paced news where there is a tendency for any story to go viral within minutes across millions of blue screens, the responsibility for factual, non-gullible news has become dire. This is especially the case when it comes to stories about Muslims, Muslim countries and Muslim and Islamic law.

http://www.islawmix.org/the-man-too-handsome-for-saudi-arabia-who-wasnt/#.UYSowYaC8Zw

So, all along, na wash

Isn't it absurd to believe in such news? Is he more handsome than the normal, everyday Saudi guy? The media just love to hate Islam, it doesn't change anything.

Lessons from the "handsome guy" story:

1. Dont believe everything you hear

2. Allah commanded women to lower their gaze also and a lustful gaze of hers is just as sinful as that of a man

3. It is not backbiting when its a public sinner and EVERY book of tazkiyya mentions this. The guy posts inappropriate pictures of himself and tried to sell this hoax.

4. I do know the difference between eyeliner and mascara. I also know that unless a guy is playing the joker in batman, he doesnt need to be wearing lipstick.

5. Tight thobes are not cool...on anyone

- Sheik Omar Suleiman

tbaba1234: Lessons from the "handsome guy" story:

1. Dont believe everything you hear

2. Allah commanded women to lower their gaze also and a lustful gaze of hers is just as sinful as that of a man

3. It is not backbiting when its a public sinner and EVERY book of tazkiyya mentions this. The guy posts inappropriate pictures of himself and tried to sell this hoax.

4. I do know the difference between eyeliner and mascara. I also know that unless a guy is playing the joker in batman, he doesnt need to be wearing lipstick.

5. Tight thobes are not cool...on anyone

- Sheik Omar Suleiman

Exactly! But that number 4 is funny though

Nice one thaba, pls mod front page, since the First Lie made front page it is only rational that the truth makes front page, I had suspicion of the story at first but the funny thing is big media organizations actually fell for the story making it seem unlikely that the story was a lie . . . Anyway I don't know the difference between eyeliner and mascara!

FrontPage please.

why are you trying to escalate the matter further?

the man has been removed from facebook, he's not disturbing you so just let things be.

its God who creates people and gives them whatever look He deems fit.

why making trouble over these things?

tpia@:
why are you trying to escalate the matter further?

the man has been removed from facebook, he's not disturbing you so just let things be.

its God who creates people and gives them whatever look He deems fit.

why making trouble over these things?

How is he making trouble? Pointing out that there were lies told about about Islam and Saudi government is now trouble to you?
I don't remember people advising others not to stir trouble with their blasphemous comments when the lies made the front page.

^^^maybe she has a crush on him.

inurmind: ^^^maybe she has a crush on him.

inurmind: ^^^maybe she has a crush on him.

Probably. I remember that most of the ladies loved the guy when they saw his pictures on nairaland.

Subhanallah!
Just imagine this... Things like this always make me want to ask the media(especially western media) why the hatred for Islam & Muslims? The news made alot of headlines because the news is akward-saudi arabia deported 3 too handsome men.
Jumaat karim to ya'll in the house8-)

why the hatred for Islam & Muslims? The news made alot of headlines because the news is akward-saudi arabia deported 3 too handsome men.

so, in essence you're agreeing Arab = Islam, and Islam = Arab.

there was some confusion on this point in the past.

Hope the argument wont pop up again sometime.

inurmind: ^^^maybe she has a crush on him.

and you're afraid because. . . . . . . . .

AbdH:

Probably. I remember that most of the ladies loved the guy when they saw his pictures on nairaland.

he's been removed from facebook- you need to contact google as well and remove his pictures there.

tpia@:



and you're afraid because. . . . . . . . .

Because I love you bebe.

tpia@:


so, in essence you're agreeing Arab = Islam, and Islam = Arab.

there was some confusion on this point in the past.

Hope the argument wont pop up again sometime.

That is why we always ask you guyz to always go and search for knowledge before spewing garbbage in a social forum. Where in my comment do I mention that arab= islam? Aren't their arabs that are christians?
Arab is a tribe and islam is a deen (religion). Please stop tailing me if you know you'll be twisting my posts k?

^ If you care to explain why you feel a report about saudi arabia deporting three men for being too handsome, translates as hatred of Islam and muslims, that might help you better than jumping around in annoyance.

inurmind:

Because I love you bebe.

You might as well go ahead and explain what i'm supposed to do with this information, given the fact that i dont know you from adam and am not overly concerned about whatever your opinion of me is.

I think you should save these types of posts for those who are seeking for such, they're everywhere on the forum, you couldnt have missed them.

tpia@:


You might as well go ahead and explain what i'm supposed to do with this information, given the fact that i dont know you from adam and am not overly concerned about whatever your opinion of me is.

I think you should save these types of posts for those who are seeking for such, they're everywhere on the forum, you couldnt have missed them.

Actually I started sending these ridiculous posts to you because you once thought I was seeking your attention. Now of all people to seek attention from, why I go come choose crazy tilapia? Anyway if you want me to stop you could simply request for it, unless I will keep loving you bebe.

Why didn't this make front page??

You're starting to sound like someone who isnt all there.

inurmind:

Actually I started sending these ridiculous posts to you because you once thought I was seeking your attention. Now of all people to seek attention from, why I go come choose crazy tilapia? Anyway if you want me to stop you could simply request for it, unless I will keep loving you bebe.

Salaam
Let us not call people names or abuse them

Walexz02:
That is why we always ask you guyz to always go and search for knowledge before spewing garbbage in a social forum. Where in my comment do I mention that arab= islam? Aren't their arabs that are christians?
Arab is a tribe and islam is a deen (religion). Please stop tailing me if you know you'll be twisting my posts k?

The matter is simple. Saudi Arabia which you specifically mentioned is officially under sharia law
When KSA is mentioned Islam comes to people's minds and the press exploits that
The association of countries in the ME with Islam is typically brutally exploited
You will often see the focus on negatives.
You will hear Igbo spoken on the streets of Dubai, an Arab-muslim country. They don't remind anyone of that real-life practice
Yet they claim we are out to kill them
It is instructive that antelopes don't voluntarily take occupation in lions' dean
But highly intelligent mammals, human beings, struggle for visas to stay in countries of people who want to kill them?

while any crime can be committed in Latin America where a lot of countries have over 80% christian population, but they don't bring religion to trial. They focus attention on the individuals
can you imagine the reaction or the vilification of islam that would have happened were the carnage and near-anarchy in Mexico to be taking place in the Middle East?