In Riyadh, the Saudi morality police are again in the news. You may recall that when we last left the medieval mod squad they had secured a sentence to flog a woman who insulted them. Now, the religious police was caught on video beating up a British resident after they paid a bill at a women-only cask desk. The religious police was irate at the violation of the strict Sharia-based separation of the sexists and apparently took what they thought was the morality correct approach in beating the man in front of his wife who was wearing a black abaya cloak.
The British man is heard screaming at the police to leave his wife alone and saying “That’s my wife, how dare you!”
The confrontation occurred at a supermarket when the husband and his wife went to a female cashier. The very thought of such a thing sent the morality police into a frenzy. They filmed his car as he left and he then turned around and filmed them. That is when the violent confrontation occurred when he refused to hand over his camera. He was then attacked and pushed to the ground.
By the way, putting aside the medieval application of Sharia law, the demand for the camera and film is a position held by some American prosecutors and police including such figures as Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez in Chicago. We have been following the continuing abuse of citizens who are detained or arrested for filming police in public. (For prior columns, click here and here). Despite consistent rulings upholding the right of citizens to film police in public, these abuses continue. It is a rather bad sign when an ally for Alvarez can be found in the Saudi morality police.
However, this particular confrontation occurred over the enforcement of the segregation of Saudi society even at a supermarket checkout aisle. The British man is actually a convert to Islam and have lived in the kingdom for many years with his Saudi wife.
The religious police are officially called the Commission of the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice and known unofficially as Mutawaa. We have long covered the abuses of the Saudi Arabian religious police known as the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. These are the religious fanatics who reportedly forced girls back into a burning school in Mecca because they were not sufficiently covered in public — 15 died as a result. When they are not apparently burning girls, they are forcing women to cover up “attractive eyes” or shutting down dinosaur exhibits or shutting down lingerie stores or arresting women having coffee.
The important thing for the religious police is that the scene below shows the adherence to a moral code in the beating of a man in front of his wife. After all, a man paying a woman at a checkout counter in a supermarket could lead to . . . oh I don’t know . . . equality of the sexes.
Source: Yahoo
paulette, WW2 was a just war.
I’m thinking it’s not such a bad ideal to use that same line of thinking here…. Express check out with more than the alloyed number of items…..
Sharia Law abuses human rights in every single country where it is practiced.
I get the impression that Puritans from the 1700s would be beaten for being too immoral in present day Saudi Arabia. Unless they were males from the royal family.
Karen – the Puritans had their days. 🙂 The trial transcripts show they were a randy little bunch.
Paul,
If only those unchained from the constraints of human nature could reasonably articulate their secret; we could then all exist under that one world order called Utopia.
Paul, not in public. we don’t even fart in private, we sometimes fluff.
All religion is tyranny.
First of the self and then of society.
Dave – all is a bit much. You have proof of this?
“Saudi morality police”, now there’s an oxymoron for you. Reminds me of the phrase ‘a just war.’
Have you ever had 3 items in the express checkout only have someone in front of you with a full basket?
The man lived in Saudi long enough to know that there are women-only checkout lines and they aren’t intended for men. Even so, cops beating him up was so…. so, U.S. Women-only checkout lines might have some benefits: no farting, no belching, no pinching or patting.
bettykath – are you saying women do not fart, belch, pinch or pat? Clearly you live in a separate universe. 😉
If the British man was a recent convert to Islam, it seems that he didn’t do his due diligence research on the religion to which he was converting. While I seriously don’t approve of anything Islamic, I don’t feel the least bit sorry for this brainless twit or his wife. If he doesn’t like the way things are in Saudi Arabia…..move.
DBQ – people who convert to something have a tendency to go overboard at the beginning.
“To grouse or not to grouse? That is the question.”
Annie, you seemed to be arguing with yourself these days. Nicely done. 😉
I wonder what they do to people who try to go through the Express Lane with more than 10 items???
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Interesting? I wonder if the man still feels the same way about a. His conversions and b. his decision to live in the freedom loving country of Saudi Arabia. I am continuously perplexed by Westerners who choose to live in places like Saudi Arabia. With all our our problems, it seems like a serious lack of judgement.
I am sure that he will reconsider when the US equips these police types with baseball bats. In fact, I think we all need to contact our Reps in Congress and urge them to send baseball bats as part of our AID packages.
Morality Militia.
Not sure if the Saudi morality police are more like “men only” vigilante squads.
They were all wearing white shirts and the guy standing in front of the car was wearing protective gloves. They need to be outfitted with body cams.
I hope this Brit expat will reconsider his conversion to Islam. I hope that they can eventually beat some sense into him.
What a notion, the “equality of the sexes”. Might make some of the newcomers to this blog a bit uncomfortable. You know, feminism and all isn’t too popular among those on the right. As for what happens in Theocracies, well we would be wise to take notes for future reference. And lastly, western women, let us cease our grousing, be grateful we don’t live in an autocratic male dominated theocratic country!
By their deeds ye shall know them.
If it makes you feel any better, the Islamic women are getting their lingerie in whatever quantities they can afford. They just wear them in the house. I do like the idea of the separate grocery checkout lines. My wife always wants to use the self-serve and she always screws something up so they have to help her.
“Medieval Mod Squad.” LOL!
Should US foreign policy experts consider a country’s legal/ moral conditions, when identifying allies and enemies? Or only political/economic/trade conditions conducive to western investment? Money seems to be more important than people.