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15 girls die as zealots 'drive them into blaze' [Saudi Arabia]
The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 03/15/2002

Posted on 03/14/2002 4:41:08 PM PST by dighton

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.

Saudi newspapers said scuffles broke out between firemen and members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice who 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 Muslim holy city. Saudi media and families of the victims have been angry over the deaths of the girls in the fire that gutted the school.

The resulting public criticism of the religious police, or mutaween, is highly unusual.

The English-language Saudi Gazette, in a front-page report yesterday quoted witnesses as saying that members of the religious police stopped men who tried to help the girls escape from the building, saying: "It is sinful to approach them."

A civil defence officer told an Arabic-language newspaper, al-Eqtisadiah, 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".

He added: "We told them that the situation was very critical and did not allow for such behaviour. But they shouted at us and refused to move away from the gates."

The father of one of the dead girls alleged that the school watchman refused to open the gate to let the girls out.

"Lives could have been saved had they not been stopped by members of the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice," the Saudi Gazette said.

The much-feared mutaween roam the streets of the conservative kingdom wielding sticks to enforce dress codes and sex segregation and to ensure that Islamic prayers are performed on time.

Those who refuse to obey the orders of the religious police are usually beaten and sometimes jailed.

© Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2002.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: islamicviolence
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To: dighton
"Lives could have been saved had they not been stopped by members of the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice," the Saudi Gazette said.

The much-feared mutaween roam the streets of the conservative kingdom wielding sticks to enforce dress codes and sex segregation and to ensure that Islamic prayers are performed on time.

Those who refuse to obey the orders of the religious police are usually beaten and sometimes jailed.


Sounds a lot like the taliban ... Hmmmm ...
41 posted on 03/14/2002 5:35:47 PM PST by Tunehead54
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To: dighton
Extremism in the pursuit of virtue is certainly a vice.

How long until the West comes to realize that WWIII is going to be a confrontation that will make the fight against Fascism, NAZIism and Communism look like a thumb wrestling contest. That next World War is going to be bloody and violent. It will be between cult zealots in drag and you and I.

42 posted on 03/14/2002 5:37:17 PM PST by Thumper1960
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To: dighton
The first turkey that ever waves a stick at me will pull back a bloody nub.
43 posted on 03/14/2002 5:38:32 PM PST by MissAmericanPie
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To: Shermy;dighton
Seems a lot of Saudis are mad about this.

I've often wondered how the event was reported in the local news.
Thanks.

44 posted on 03/14/2002 5:40:40 PM PST by sistergoldenhair
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Comment #45 Removed by Moderator

To: AngrySpud
And if these scumbag religious police came across a naked woman being raped, they'd probably back away, saying "It is sinful to approach them."

Of course they would, then they'd beat them for having sex with a man not their husband. If it was the husband that was raping them, I guess that would be OK, excpet for the lack of proper attire in public part.

Too bad we can't send that Lt. Col. Hog driver back with her Hog to pay our respects to these "holy men"

46 posted on 03/14/2002 5:43:24 PM PST by El Gato
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To: BenR2
re: 18

My son in law's Uncle lives and works in Saudi as the director of nursing at the King Hussein Hospital in Jetta.. He is a homosexual and he says it is a dream come true for him..

He told us that he gets invited to Saudi homes for dinner by invitation from some of his male friends at the hospital, even though they are married men..

when he gets there dinner is on the table and he said he has never even seen the woman of the house nor any of the female children.. they are not permitted at the table with the men guests.. then after dinner he and his friends engage in a boy toy sex trist and he goes on his way...

He has also told me that unmarried men are forbidden by Islamic Law to have sex with a girl/women until marriage.. so they do the homo thing in the interum, (which is the main reason he took the job plus the money was awesome).. and most seem to like the boy toy thing so well they continue long after marriage.. what a weird group of beasty boys over there..

it doesn't surprise me a bit that they would let the girls burn to death in a burning building because they left without their head garments. Girls have very little value in Saudi and in most of the Islamic countries. How sad, how very, very sad.

47 posted on 03/14/2002 5:45:23 PM PST by oswegodeee
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To: WindRiverShoshoni
This doesn't excuse the failure to have fire drills, but it would be nice were those who wish to malign the Saudis to come up with sources a bit closer than former Israeli intelligence officers ("MEMRI") and Arab expatriates in London.

Right, drag the Israelis in.

(expletive deleted)

48 posted on 03/14/2002 5:47:04 PM PST by dighton
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To: dighton ; Orual
Let's see some defenders of this 'faith' go on the talk shows and explain this one.
49 posted on 03/14/2002 5:51:12 PM PST by aculeus
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To: dighton
The unspeakable bastards...

Ann Coulter's idea to conquer them and turn them into Christians is looking better every day.

50 posted on 03/14/2002 5:55:00 PM PST by KJMorgan
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To: dighton
Some 800 students were crammed into an area no bigger than 20 square meters

At first glance, that works out to about 40 students per square yard. Somehow, I doubt it.

51 posted on 03/14/2002 5:57:59 PM PST by Grut
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To: dighton
If one did not know better this sounds like it happened in Afghanistan in March of 2001.

And this is a country the U.S. considers ... um, important?

52 posted on 03/14/2002 5:59:51 PM PST by zeaal
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To: mdittmar
Ooohh,their angry,these people are @^@)!s!

Which kind of angry? "How dare you do this to my daughter?" or "You idiot! I could have gotten five camels for her!"

53 posted on 03/14/2002 6:00:17 PM PST by Mr. Jeeves
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To: dighton
But, Islam=peace!
54 posted on 03/14/2002 6:01:45 PM PST by Redleg Duke
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To: dighton
Islam is a psychosis.

Females are evil--the majority of them go to hell, and the vast majority of them are in hell. The attractiveness of women is a creation/manifestation of the devil.

The sooner the world can be rid of this mass psychosis, the better.

55 posted on 03/14/2002 6:01:48 PM PST by Arthur McGowan
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To: WindRiverShoshoni
Yah, right, it was the Joos.

Some might say you were an idjyot, but Jim doesn't allow any personal attacks at FR so I wouldn't pay any attention to them. ;-)

56 posted on 03/14/2002 6:01:50 PM PST by Pharmboy
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To: KJMorgan
Where are the Jehovah's Witnesses when we need them?
57 posted on 03/14/2002 6:02:48 PM PST by Savage Beast
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To: Grut
Most likely an error for 20 meters square, i.e. 400 sq. meters. Still awfully crowded.
58 posted on 03/14/2002 6:03:17 PM PST by dighton
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To: oswegodeee
I thought they were supposed to push walls over on homosexuals or something like that.
59 posted on 03/14/2002 6:04:00 PM PST by Savage Beast
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To: cynwoody
Face it. We have savages for allies.

You think that Saudis are our allies!?!?

You haven't been paying attention. It's much more complex than that.

60 posted on 03/14/2002 6:04:07 PM PST by FreedomPoster
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