As Joe Biden prepares to visit Saudi Arabia, the Saudis ae making their stance promoting homosexual behavior clear.
The kingdom is cracking down on any things, including toys, with a rainbow on them weeks before President Biden’s eagerly awaited and contentious trip to Saudi Arabia, where he will meet with crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.
In the Saudi capital of Riyadh, the commerce ministry warned toy and clothing retailers over the sale of “rainbow hues,” saying such items would henceforth be prohibited as they “contradict the Islamic faith and public morals and promote homosexual colors targeting the younger generation.”
A list of prohibited items is currently being created by the commerce ministry.
“We are offering a tour of the things that defy the Islamic faith and public morals and encourage gay colors targeting the younger generation,” said a statement from the government.
According to a report by the state-run Al-Ekhbariya news channel, “targeted items include rainbow-colored ribbons, skirts, hats, and pencil bags, the majority of them seemingly designed for young children,” the AFP reported days ago.
It’s unclear if the more innocent “non-signaling” toys will make it past the Saudi censors given that children’s toys frequently contain rainbow colors even before the age of “Gay Pride flags” and given that the symbol began to be widely used in Western society and media over the past half-decade.
Given that the rainbow pride flag has been a well-known symbol for a while, the timing is especially intriguing. The Saudis could have implemented this safeguard years ago, but instead they opted to make headlines with their crackdown.
The date for Biden’s contentious trip to Riyadh was announced by the White House on Tuesday. The first stage of the official journey, which takes place from July 13 to 16, will start in Israel and the West Bank and end with a summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The de facto ruler MbS and him will meet in person at that time, but it’s still unclear whether a deal has already been reached behind the scenes and the mid-July visit will only be symbolic.
Are the Saudis engaged in a bit of trolling ahead of the Biden visit, knowing he desperately needs something from them?
Rephrased From Zero Hedge