Sometimes the joy of newly wedded bliss is just too much for Middle Eastern men to take in. You can understand why they’d be so pumped after seeing their best bud rack up wife number four. Unlike their western brethren, though, who celebrate a friend strapping on the ball and chain by rocking out to the electric slide and the chicken dance, Saudi dudes would rather break out some ordnance and launch a volley or two into the night sky . . .

But the fun of firing wildly into the air doesn’t come without a little risk. From aljazeera.com:

At least 25 people have been killed by electric shock in a wedding in eastern Saudi Arabia, civil defence officials and local media say. Celebratory gunfire brought down an electric cable at a house in Ain Badr village where the wedding was held on Tuesday night, Abdullah Khashman, an Eastern Province official, said.

And in true New York Times fashion, women and children were hardest hit.

Some Saudi media reports said the blaze erupted inside a tent, killing at least 23 women and children. The kingdom’s conservative codes require genders to be separated at most public events, including weddings.

So if you’re ever invited to a wedding in Riyadh, you may want to consider ducking out after the ceremony. Just sayin’.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

28 COMMENTS

    • Jake45, Really? Other than having no basis in fact, that comment shows you have never attended school, nor learned to read. Did someone type that for you? You did however show your ignorance, bias and stupidity. Learn to read, then study some history dude.

      • Except B.O. did, in fact, bow to the Saudi king on camera. So, Jake’s statement does have a basis in fact and if you bother to look it up you too can see it for yourself. You might want to check that out before you go calling somebody ignorant, biased and stupid. My guess is you’ve also spent exatcly ZERO time in Saudi Arabia. Should you ever do so you may discover a whole new level of “ignorant, biased and stupid” that will have you wishing for the tolerance and wisdom of Jake.

        • Well, another person who knows no history. Yes, I have been to Saudi Arabia. Also Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan.

          So, since we established relations with Saudi in 1933, and with many conflicts and disagreements have forged a strong relationship for 80 years. Speaks for itself.

          Did you not see Bush, when The Saudi’s visited his ranch?

          This has nothing to do with our differences in religion or culture..

          As for “bowing”, look at the reception Bush gave the Saudi’s. Certain protocols and signs of respect go both ways.

          So, in summation. It sounds like you are as ignorant as Jake45..

  5. Ing, the reply thing is goofy, the posted comment was a response for Jake45, not you. I happen to agree with your comment. Being born female in the Middle East is the pits.

    • If you hadn’t mentioned somebody else’s name I might’ve wondered what was up. But I figured where your comment was supposed to go (and agreed with it too).

      Comments are popping up in all sorts of random places today.

  7. Islam permits up to four wives, not five, Dan.

    And it’s spelled Riyadh, not Riadh.

    And Riyadh is about 250 miles from where this happened; and in a different province.

    If you’re going to attempt wit, at least try to get your facts right.

  8. Shouldn’t the caption have been ” IGOTD – Saudi Arabia”
    Then again handing out that many IGOTD trophies at one time would have been expensive
    Any loss of life no matter where or is who is a tragedy

  9. This is a worthless and xenophobic thread. Seriously, what purpose, besides baseless cultural self-congratulation, and money-grubbing internet attention, is this thread supposed to serve? If a Saudi site posted statistics related to American post-wedding alcohol-related car accidents, what would you say?

  11. I would like it rememberd, that despite the similar name, I am not jake45.

    Too many parents named their kids jake from ’85 to ’95.

    That is all

    • Not quite, more of a two way street. Yes, started out with oil in the 30’s. But, in time, has become our most dependable ally in the Middle East. Although we have deep differences on religion, Palestine, both of us have put aside the major differences to mutual support: during WW11, cold war, fight against extremism, allowing American bases on their soil, support during both Iraq conflicts. Sending their youth to be educated in the US. Not to mention purchasing our planes, tanks, and guns for their military.

      Not to mention breaking the oil embargo to us in the 80″s.

      This list goes on.. May I suggest, before making comments, you do a little research??

  13. I think it is fair to say that anyone who fires randomly into the air is a half-wit, and needs to have their gun rights revoked, at least during their jail time and/or prison time.

    Having said that, there are many countries like Saudi Arabia where being born female is to be avoided if at all possible. Besides the obvious countries (Congo and Somalia), the most violent include Afghanistan and Iraq, where the backlash against the US has imposed new levels of repression and punishment.

    This is not the fault of the U.S. Rather, it is just an outline of how bad the problem is, and how hard it will be to make progress against.

Comments are closed.