RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA — Now that Mazen Abdul-Jawad is in jail for daring to talk about his sex life on television, the Saudi government has turned its censoring eyes on LBC, the television station that gave him a platform. According to the Associated Press, the offices of Lebanese-based satellite TV station LBC have been closed by order of the Ministry of Culture and Information due to the interview and claims that it is unlicensed.
“The closure is indefinite,” assured Abdul-Rahman al-Hazza, a representative for the ministry.
Meanwhile, Abdul-Jawad, a divorced 32-year-old father of four and employee of Saudi Airlines, remains in custody. He has repeatedly apologized for his behavior, insisting that some of his unusually frank sexual talk was the results of having been “tricked” into discussing topics he might otherwise have kept to himself.
Abdul Jawad’s appearance on Wide Red Lines outraged many Saudi viewers and inspired at least 200 of them to register complaints and demand swift sharia brand justice, which includes the possibility of death. Those complaints resulted in the man’s arrest and fingerprinting for “publicizing vice” with his talk of cruising the streets looking for women and using his mobile phone’s Bluetooth earpiece in order to communicate with likely prospects.
Current Saudi law makes it illegal for unrelated men and women to be alone anywhere, including the same automobile, a coffee shop or any other public or private location. Even within private residences segregation occurs, with gender-specific living rooms existing to allow for same-sex socializing within the same domestic structure.
Attorney Sulaiman al-Jumeii insists that the interview, which began with Abdul-Jawad in his bedroom discussing his first sexual experience at the age of 14, was the result of manipulation. As al-Jumeii explains it, his client was not always aware that his words and actions were being recorded. Further, he contends that the sex toys Abdul-Jawad showed off during the segment were actually provided by the LBC crew.
Abdul-Jawad has been labeled a “sex braggart” by the nation’s media, with many citizens demanding severe punishment.
LBC’s chief, Pierre Daher in Beirut, has refused to comment on the issue or whether the station is still operating. There is currently no word on whether the company’s Riyadh office has also been closed.
