Not Everyone Is Geeking Out Over Saudi Arabia’s First Comic Con
The cosplay fest is headed to the religious kingdom, but certain restrictions apply — especially for women
Comic Con is known as a mecca for all geeks who love dressing up as their favorite fictional character and reveling in their fandom. Typically, comic lovers would have to travel to San Francisco or New York City for such conventions, but this week they’ll be able to celebrate geek culture at Saudi Arabia’s first Comic Con.
Saudi Comic Con will be held in the city of Jeddah from February 16 to 18, and while many have already bought their tickets, others are upset by the Western phenomenon making inroads in the traditional Islamic kingdom. Those opposing the convention have been tweeting against it with a hashtag that calls attendees and organizers “worshipers of the devil.”
Comic conventions such as these have been going on since the ’70s (the first one was in San Francisco), but have spread across the world over the years. While this is the first official Comic Con in Saudi Arabia, there have been other types of comic book convention in the Middle East such as the Middle East Film and Comic Con, which attracted more than 50,000 fans in the past.
Saudi Comic Con is being organized by Time Entertainment and backed by the General Authority for Entertainment, which oversees events and activities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The organizers didn’t answer questions about expected attendance, instead referring Vocativ to the event website. According to a press statement from Time Entertainment, “there is great demand in the country as tens of thousands of Saudis have travelled abroad to attend such events.”
Despite the online backlash, those who’ve purchased tickets have posted saying they’re excited to immerse themselves in three days of comics, anime, video games, books, and cosplay (the practice of dressing up as favorite characters). However — unlike conventions in the West — those who cosplay will have to follow a specific set of rules.
@Saudicomiccon We are ready 😍💚⚡️… pic.twitter.com/uYtMarer5Q
— عبـدالرحمٰن فقط (@AbdurhmanAFC) February 8, 2017
my cosplay for the second day, chiaki nanami from SDR2 👾✨ #سعودي_كوميك_كون pic.twitter.com/Mw1csJ17Bs
— ♡ (@kittykomaeda) February 3, 2017
The convention’s website prohibits cosplayers from displaying any indecent symbols or logos that may be deemed contrary to Islam or public morality. Men and women will also be prohibited from dressing immodestly or cross-dressing — something that is pretty ordinary at San Francisco’s Comic Con. Men who dress up to portray a female character “will be asked to leave the show.”
In addition, there will be no gender mixing, since it’s labeled as a crime by the Saudi Grand Mufti. The press release states that women will have to leave the “female zone” of the show wearing an abaya and without any cosplay-related items or accessories.
Costume restrictions are not discouraging people from attending, though. Maher Mosly, movie blogger and panel moderator at SCC, told Vocativ people are thirsty for this kind of event.
“There will be lots of excitement and ambiguity, but that will just make the first convention memorable as a historical moment for us,” Mosly said in a direct message on Twitter. “They will be lining up to get there for all days experiencing every single activity even it’s not part of their interest, it’s the curiosity.”
Mosly is not part of the committee that organized the event so he was not able to comment on the rules or restrictions that set the convention apart form the rest. Mosly will be moderating a big panel featuring lead actors from hit TV shows “Hannibal,” “Game of Thrones” and “Breaking Bad.” There will also be other panels featuring Saudi actors, producers, and directors. Cast members from Saudi’s new fiction drama show “Mas’hour,” about people who got superpowers through witchcraft, will also be present.
Mosly said he’s very excited about the star power behind the panels because he, along with all the fans, will be able to push back against the stereotype that Saudi Arabia is living under a rock with regard to TV and movie culture.
“It’s the first time that we have actors in such level visiting Saudi and interacting directly with Saudi fans,” Mosly said. “I’ll focus in reflecting an important image delivering the message that in Saudi we are a true’ fans of movies and TV shows knowing all the facts and details and we are not on the dark side as people think of us because the lack of Cinema.”