Authorities in Saudi Arabia are clamping down on young lovers’ penchant for leaving padlocks in public places as a token of their love for each other, with some saying this is a classic example of them copying Western “infidels”.
The trend for inscribing a message onto a lock and attaching it to a piece of public street furniture such as a bridge is popular in Europe – particularly in France and Italy. The trend is thought to have begun in Paris at the Pont Des Arts bridge. It eventually collapsed under 45 tons of the locks.
Now police in the kingdom’s second largest city, Jeddah, have begun a crackdown after a resident posted a video on Facebook showing how the idea is catching on there.
Angry respondents included Mujahid al-Nuwisar, who wrote on Twitter: “This is in not Paris this is Jeddah, a city situated between the two holy mosques.” Another, Eid el-Rifai, said that the action was “imitating the infidels” in the West.
Although unmarried men and women are usually segregated in Saudi Arabia, with women forced to wear modest clothing and banned from activities including driving a car or playing certain sports, Jeddah is regarded as more liberal.
However, cinemas and pop music are banned. Those who break the country’s rules are often thrashed if caught.