A video circulating online has sparked outrage among Arab social media users. The footage shows a Kaaba-like structure with dancers performing around it, drawing criticism for allegedly mocking Islam’s holiest site.
The video, filmed during the opening of Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season festival, features a cube-shaped structure with bright lights and visuals. Dancers can be seen moving around it.
Many observers compared the scene to the Islamic ritual of circumambulating the Kaaba, the sacred structure at Mecca’s Grand Mosque.
One social media user criticized the event, saying, “Saudi disgraced Islam with this. They used a model of the Holy Kaaba to display images of singers and dancers.”
Another wrote, “Are there still religious scholars in Saudi Arabia? Are there still Muslims?”
The video also drew condemnation from Muhammad Al-Bukhaiti, a member of Yemen’s Houthi Politburo. He accused Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of being responsible, claiming the performance mimicked Islamic rituals.
However, according to local reports, a Saudi authority denied that any idols or Kaaba models were part of the Riyadh Season event.
