Could you imagine being brought up in such a repressive culture? If it was not for Oil and Money they would still be living in tents and looking for water on camels.
RIYADH,
Saudi Arabia (AP) - Saudi Arabia began interrogating 57 men Saturday who were arrested after allegedly flirting with women in front of a
shopping mall in the
holy city of Mecca, a local newspaper reported.
The country's religious police arrested the men Thursday night, alleging behavior that included dancing to pop music blaring from their cars and wearing improper clothing, according to the Okaz newspaper, which is deemed close to the government.
The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice runs the religious police, who are charged with enforcing Saudi Arabia's strict Islamic lifestyle.
Its members patrol
public places to make sure women are covered and not wearing make up, the sexes don't mingle, shops close five times a day for Muslim prayers and men go to the mosque and worship.
The police—informally known as the muttawa, literally "enforcer"—don't wear uniforms. But they are recognizable by their long beards and their robes, shorter than the ones normally worn by
Saudi men. They also shun the black cord that sits atop the headdress worn by most Saudi men.
Women in Saudi Arabia are required to wear a long, enveloping black cloak called an abaya and to cover their hair with a headscarf.
The
newspaper report said the men who were arrested Thursday could be released if they could prove they did not flirt with any women. Otherwise, they will be transferred to court and stand trial, the paper added.
02-24-2008, 02:39 PM
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