Approximately 7,000 people queued up over the weekend at Jeddah's Takeoff Social & Air Sports Center to take part in Saudi Arabia's first ever Comic Con. It was a great success, filled with entertainment, awesome cosplays and international stars.
When the news of the event first broke, one guy on Twitter claimed that those attending and organizing the event are in fact "devil worshipers". Shortly thereafter his tweet turned into a trending hashtag.
A chain reaction of hilarious tweets calling out the absurdity ensued.
It all started when this guy accused Comic Con of going against "Islamic values"
Translation: *Comic Con is an event that goes against Sharia and Islamic values and the General Authority for Entertainment plans to go ahead with it in a few days time in Jeddah*
And that's when people completely lost it ...
Some were truly sickened by the hashtag
"I'm Done"
Many just didn't get how Comic Con is un-Islamic?
"Let people enjoy things. We want to enjoy stuff."
Some laughed at the ridiculousness of it all
Others were just speechless
Then ... there were those who felt completely left out
Top international stars from the popular series Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad and Hannibal attended the epic event.
Originating in California, Comic Con has become an international pop culture phenomenon.
Regionally, the event first came to Dubai several years ago. The Jeddah version is organized by the Saudi company Time Entertainment.
It is supported by Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, which oversees entertainment events and activities in the kingdom.
Enhancing cultural and entertainment opportunities throughout Saudi Arabia is an integral part of the Riyadh's Vision 2030, which has been championed by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
In addition to events like Comic Con, the kingdom is moving to host more concerts and plans to open cinemas, despite opposition from some religious leaders.
Jeddah and Riyadh each hosted massive concerts back in January, the first to be held in the kingdom for many years.