RIYADH: A British man raised in the UAE is living the multicultural dream after embracing his love of Arab culture, as well as the beauty of Saudi Arabia’s language and heritage. John Bin London, who has a global fanbase on TikTok, often shares videos of himself in traditional Saudi attire. In one viral video, which currently has around 1.
5 million views, he shows his coworkers trying Saudi coffee and eating dates. He teaches them to eat the date with their right hand followed by coffee poured from a traditional dallah into a finjan. He has also used the social media platform to document his trips to the Kingdom, garnering a positive response from Arabs around the world.
Although London does not have an Arabian background, he is often mistaken for a Saudi national. He grew up in the UAE, interacting with locals and immersing himself in the traditional lifestyle. A typical day with his friends would involve lounging with Arabic coffee, learning the language in the process.
He would also pick up the cultural etiquette and mannerisms of those around him. “My language was English, I couldn’t speak Arabic other than basic words that expats know, but my lifestyle was (such) that every day I was in the desert and my friends were all Bedouins,” he told Arab News. London’s passion for Arab culture led him to teach himself the language and build his expertise in Qassimi Arabic, a sub-dialect of Najdi Arabic which is spoken in the Qassim region.
“I am someone who has been ra.
