New Saudi taboo: Teens smoking water pipes in coffee shops

World Tribune.com

[EggsAckley]

New Saudi taboo: Teens smoking water pipes in coffee shops

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Monday, May 20, 2002

ABU DHABI — Saudi's religious police force have added a target to their priority list — teenagers.

The religious police, composed of seminary students, have been authorized to raid coffee shops throughout the kingdom to search for those under 18 years old.

Saudi authorities have banned the entry of anybody under 18 in the popular establishments which according to the chief of the religious police "negatively affect the morals of youth."

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The 3,500-member force, called the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, will launch surprise inspections of coffee houses, Middle East Newsline reported. Cafe owners have been warned not to allow anybody under 18 to smoke the water pipes, or nargilehs, popular in the country. Othman Al Othman, chief of the religious police, said anybody found violating the ban on smoking will be arrested. Al Othman told the Al Jazira daily that Saudi authorities are battling the trend of youngsters frequenting coffee houses, which "negatively affect the morals of youth and lead them to start smoking."

Authorities have already banned cafes from operating within downtown areas of Saudi cities. The coffee houses and their nargilehs have been restricted to the outskirts of major Saudi cities.

The religious police are authorized to enforce Saudi morals. The police focus on stopping alcohol production and smuggling and ensure that women are properly dressed and escorted in public.

Justice Minister Abdullah Al Sheik said Saudi application of Islamic law, which includes beheadings and amputations, has had "tremendous positive results in achieving security and preserving the interests of the kingdom."

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[ArmoredCav]

I like it: They are digging their own graves. If you want revolution, keep on harrassing the youth of a nation.

[EggsAckley]

Maybe some of them have visited Santa Cruz. hehehehe.

[Billthedrill]

The only thing that scares me a little is the sneaking suspicion that somewhere in the U.S. some anti-smoking nazi is thinking "beheadings, tobacco, yeah...yeah, good idea..."

[neutrino]

Hmm...wouldn't it be great to spam the whole of Saudi Arabia with porn? Where's Larry Flynt when we need him?

[tet68]

The religious police are authorized to enforce Saudi morals. The police focus on stopping alcohol production and smuggling and ensure that women are properly dressed and escorted in public.

Aren't these the folks that tried to keep those girls in that burning school because their heads were uncovered?

[EggsAckley]

I know what you're saying. But there is another side to it: if they make life miserable enough for the up and coming generation, they're likely to trigger a revolt. There's a bit of that happening in Iraq right now. Perhaps THAT'S the way to obliterate the fundamentalist Muslims. If they have to kill and maim people just to make them follow their idiotic decrees, eventually the people may just say "F**K IT.

[headsonpikes]

"If you want revolution, keep on harassing the youth of a nation."

Great point, although I suppose it will be lost on the chowderheads here.

[Michael Barnes]

I tried a tea-leaf bong with some buddies when we visited Bahrain (ways back when I was still enlisted)...It was actually pretty good, if you get a good bundle...and the bongs are HUGE! I'm not joking..Berkely ain't seen squat compared to those badboys overseas.

[kinghorse]

If you think the US intelligence commnity flush with billions with a B of dollars recently earmarked for their operations are simply collating data your seriously mistaken. One could assume ample dollars are making their way into psysops activities in all suspected source regions. Also hard target acquisition and neutralization is probably occurring daily under the radar of the press. Syria, Iran Iraq, Indonesia, Sudan etal power elite are scrambling to preserve their war making assets. Many are probably being compromised. It won't take the US and other western intelligence community 2 years to plan their counterattack. We all know the radical arab/asian league is supporting what we term terrorist activities. This makes them a fair target for the full range of agitating measures the US can bring to bear on them.

[The Great RJ]

It's immoral for young men to smoke and women not to be kept covered when out in public, but it's a great act of faith have young people strap explosives to themselves and kill innocent human beings. What's wrong with this picture?

[remaininlight]

Degenerate the faithful With that crazy Casbah sound

[Plummz]

Tea-leaves, eh? I was trying to figure out what they were smoking when I first read this story - tobacco, cannabis, an opiate? What kind of high does one get from tea leaves?

[caddie]

You are forgetting that it is OK and downright respectable for muslims to cornhole little boy muslims.

They really think it is A-OK, and it is considered really classy to offer a small boy (maybe your son) to a male adult friend for him to bugger.

These people are satanic, plain and simple.