Mazen Abdul-Jawad, a Saudi man arrested for sharing his sexual exploits on a Lebanese talk show, may face death or long-term imprisonment under the kingdom’s Islamic law, says Reuters.

Telegraph reports that the 32-year-old Saudi national held back little during his July 15 appearance on the Lebanese Broadcasting Channel (LBC) show "Bold Red Line." From his Jeddah apartment, Jawad showed audiences a sex guide on his bookshelf and told of his first sexual encounter with a neighbor at the age of fourteen.

Perhaps most aggravating to the Saudi government was Jawad’s divulging of the means through which he picked up women: Bluetooth headsets. In a country where public interaction between the sexes is frowned upon, Bluetooth can be used to facilitate communication in crowded areas.

The Saudi government, strongly influenced by the conservative clerical establishment, will not take these offences lightly.

"It all depends on the judge's point of view since there are no precise sentences for offences like this but the judge may show no flexibility towards him and could sentence him to death by stoning to set an example," Saudi lawyer Suleiman Al-Alwan said.

According to Donna Abu-Nasr of the Canadian Press, Jawad has hired a lawyer, Al-Jumeii, and is preparing his defense. Al-Jumeii cited Jawad’s lack of written approval to air the footage as grounds to dismiss the case. The defense also claimed that LBC staffers brought the various contraband sex toys to the apartment without permission.

What is certain is that the case will put wind in the sails of the most conservative elements of Saudi Arabia. According to Asma Alsharif of Reuters, clerics will be calling for strict punishments to curb any further "vice" among Saudi youth.

Subsequently, the case will likely harm the liberal movement in Saudi Arabia, which has been pushing for more reform and freedom in the Kingdom. Telegraph says that even Al-Watan, a typically pro-reformist newspaper, strongly denounced both Jawad and "Bold Red Line" for hosting him.

Dirty Talk TV Offices Shut

Saudi officials have shuttered the Jeddah office of LBC, which recently aired a scandalous program, reports BBC News. The region was shocked last month by an interview with Mazen Abdul Jawad, a Saudi man who "talked about his sexual conquests and how he picks up women in the kingdom," along with showing audiences his sex toys.

The program on which Jawad appeared, was intended to address taboo topics in conservative Saudi society and goes by the name "Bold Red Line." LBC offices in other Saudi cities are also being closed by authorities, according to BBC.

Although BBC quotes a Saudi information ministry spokesman as saying, "[the offices were shut] because of the interview with Mazen Abul Jawad," Arab News claims the Ministry of Information and Culture has cited "operating without a license" as the reason behind the shutdown. "The office had been working without license for the past three years," an anonymous source told Arab News.

The offices are to remain closed indefinitely, says the Associated Press.

Two friends of Jawad have also been arrested, according to Agence France-Presse, although authorities are "currently studying which charges to lodge." AFP also reports that the doors of the LBC offices were "sealed with red wax" and posted with signs indicating closure by the information ministry.

“More than 200 people have filed legal complaints against [Jawad]… and many Saudis say he should be severely punished," writes The Guardian. Pre-marital sex and sexual relations as or with a minor are both major crimes in religiously conservative Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi Gazette reports that the Riyadh office of LBC has been closed as well, although previous reports stated the office was correctly licensed.

Back to articles