Posted on 03/15/2002 6:47:01 AM PST by veronica
"Saudi Arabia's religious police are reported to have forced schoolgirls back into a blazing building because they were not wearing Islamic headscarves and black robes."
So begins a report today by England's Telegraph Group Ltd., publishers of The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph.
The report quotes Saudi newspapers to the effect that scuffles broke out between firemen and members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice when the latter tried to keep the girls inside a burning school in Mecca.
Fifteen girls were killed as they stampeded to escape from the blazing building in the holy Muslim city. The Telegraph reported that a civil defense officer said that he saw three members of the religious police "beating young girls to prevent them from leaving the school because they were not wearing the abaya."
Saudi Arabia's Prince Abdullah clarified last night that his latest peace proposal includes "normalized relations," and not merely peace, between the entire Arab world and Israel. Israel must merely withdraw to the pre-1967 lines, including from the Temple Mount, the Old City of Jerusalem, the Jordan Valley, the cities of Maaleh Adumim, Ariel, and Efrat (Gush Etzion), and all of Judea, Samaria, Gaza, and the Golan.
Saudi Arabia is not exactly crawling with religious police. In five years there I saw exactly five real muttawaiin on three separate occasions, and I used to get out and about a lot. The government keeps them on a pretty short leash, although I'm sure they consider cities like Makkah their bailiwick. They are ignorant old men and often self-righteous bullies. There are also a munber of self-appointed busybodies whom a person is entitled to ignore. I don't know if the muttawahs in question were official ones but the word "alleged" suggests that they will be hung out to dry.
Let's keep things in perspective. The Saudi men I know adore their daughters, and I'm sure that their are a lot of enraged daddies in Makkah today. There may be some who are considering a little of what we'd call frontier justice. Let's see if more heads roll in Makkah as a result of this tragedy than did following the holocaust in Waco.
The following also appeared in the March 15 Arab News. Note the mention of the "alleged members of the Commission for Promoting Virtue and Preventing Vice"
School guard refutes allegations
BY Yasser Al-Rasheed, Arab News Staff MAKKAH, 14 March —
Humaid Al-Hadly, the guard of the fire-ravaged Makkah school, has refuted allegations that he had left the school premises after locking its gate, thus hampering rescue operations.“This is totally false. I had kept the gate open as per the instructions of the school director,” he told Arab News.
Hadly, who is over 60, said Muneera Fadl ur-Rahman, the school director, informed him that a fire that had broken out on the top floor of the building.“She told me to open all the gates of the school to help the girls and teachers get out as quickly as possible.
I responded by unlocking them all. I also turned off the electricity supply,” he said.He said more than 250 students had got out of the building before Civil Defense rescue workers arrived at the scene. The girls then found shelter in a nearby building and at a local woman’s house, he pointed out.
Hadly says he took part in the rescue operation, along with Civil Defense officers. He criticized the problems created by the alleged members of the Commission for Promoting Virtue and Preventing Vice, which hampered rescue efforts.
“I joined this school as a guard at the beginning of the present academic year. I have not worked at any school before I came here from the village,” Hadly said.
OR ELSE! VEE HAF UTHERR VAYS!
INSHAH ALLAH!
Police don't treat human life in such a fashion.
Not being deceptive. Perhaps it was where I lived. One year in Khobar. Four in Jeddah. Lotsa trips in the desert in the Eastern Province. A number of jaunts up and down the western coast. I paid a visit or two to Riyadh where I saw a muttawah for the first time making sure that shops were closed. The second time was in the Khalidiya Mall in Jeddah where a great big tall guy in a green bisht (cloak) with gold piping, accompanied by two burp gun toting cops was running up and down the halls bellowing "Go to prayer!!" at the top of his lungs, with folks scattering in all directions to get out of his way. Probably some prince, from his dress.
Then I almost got busted by two of them in one of those famous green Suburbans. I was escorting my wife and her girlfriend out the Syrian Souk in Jeddah. Abayas on but no head covering. I heard them trying to get our attention, so I said honey don't look over there, just get in the truck and let's go. Sorry no speakee Arabee. (Actually, I do.)
Yeah, you're right. Muttawahs do make sure that stores are closed for prayer. But far more often, it's the cops that do that job, as I'm sure that you have observed yourself. I've see that hundreds of times.
A friend of mine got busted for wearing shorts in Old Twon in Jeddah by an official muttawah with two cops. He ticketed and was called in by his manager at work and had to write two letters of apology to officialdom. Apologize or leave the Kingdom. (The first on wasn't obsequious enough.)
Nope. I got no brief for these old geezers. Maybe my experience differ from yours, and I don't know why that is. I've known many guys that spent years in the Kingsom and never saw a muttawah once. Nope. I got no brief for these old geezers. But neither do I deceive. I don't tell lies on the Freerepublic. I may not always agree with everything that is said here, but I have to much respect for this institution to practice "deception" here.
Not being deceptive. Perhaps it was where I lived. One year in Khobar. Four in Jeddah. Lotsa trips in the desert in the Eastern Province. A number of jaunts up and down the western coast. I paid a visit or two to Riyadh where I saw a muttawah for the first time making sure that shops were closed. The second time was in the Khalidiya Mall in Jeddah where a great big tall guy in a green bisht (cloak) with gold piping, accompanied by two burp gun toting cops was running up and down the halls bellowing "Go to prayer!!" at the top of his lungs, with folks scattering in all directions to get out of his way. Probably some prince, from his dress.
Then I almost got busted by two of them in one of those famous green Suburbans. I was escorting my wife and her girlfriend out the Syrian Souk in Jeddah. Abayas on but no head covering. I heard them trying to get our attention, so I said honey don't look over there, just get in the truck and let's go. Sorry no speakee Arabee. (Actually, I do.)
Yeah, you're right. Muttawahs do make sure that stores are closed for prayer. But far more often, it's the cops that do that job, as I'm sure that you have observed yourself. I've see that hundreds of times.
A friend of mine got busted for wearing shorts in Old Town in Jeddah by an official muttawah with two cops. He ticketed and was called in by his manager at work and had to write two letters of apology to officialdom. Apologize or leave the Kingdom. (The first on wasn't obsequious enough.)
Nope. I got no brief for these old geezers. Maybe my experience differ from yours, and I don't know why that is. I've known many guys that spent years in the Kingdom and never saw a muttawah once. Nope. I got no brief for these old geezers. But neither do I deceive. I don't tell lies on the Freerepublic. I may not always agree with everything that is said here, but I have to much respect for this institution to practice "deception" here.
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