Saudi Woman Sues 'Moral Police'

**jankren** · May 12, 2007, 05:16 PM

Saudi Woman Sues Moral Police

A Saudi civil court is to hear the first ever case brought against the kingdom's religious police, commonly known as the Muttawa.

The unnamed woman is seeking compensation after she and her daughter were allegedly wrongfully arrested in a shopping centre car park in 2004 for "not wearing decent clothing", Abderrahman al-Lahm, her lawyer said.

Al-Lahm said the religious policeman in question arrested the pair, commandeered the car from their driver and drove them to his headquarters where the already sick mother suffered "health complications".

Women in Saudi Arabia must be covered from head to toe when they go out in public.

Changing society

The woman's family is bringing the case before a civil court in Riyadh on Sunday after an Islamic court rejected the complaint, ruling that "a member of the religious police cannot be judged".

Al-Lahm said he hoped his client's case would help consolidate the role of justice in defending individual freedoms and human rights.

The case comes after al-Watan newspaper last month reported that attacks by the public against the 5,000-strong special force for the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice were on the rise.

The newspaper partly attributed differing views over the role of the Muttawa, to the changes undergone by Saudi society since the special force was founded several decades ago.

The interior ministry issued a decree in May 2006 aimed at reining in the religious police by requiring them not to interrogate detained suspects, as they had previously done, but to hand them over to the regular police instead.
http://english.aljazeera.net/News/Te...=NoModifyGuest

I believe the concept of 'Moral Police Force' is as evil as the concept of 'Nazi Gestapo' and other similar secret police forces. I believe they both are heavily restricting the freedom of the people. According to a story I heard in the news, in Saudi Arabia men cannot even wear too much hair-gel because the moral police would arrest them on the grounds that they are trying to attract women who are not their wives with their looks

. Sometimes I think the Saudis should also force men to veil themselves too

.

Anyway, God willing the case would end in favor of the woman and one day ordinary Saudis who dislike their devilish theocratic government would overthrow the monarchy.

Peace,

**Thanatos** · May 12, 2007, 05:18 PM

What is your opinion on Burkhas?

**jankren** · May 12, 2007, 05:25 PM

Originally Posted by Thanatos

What is your opinion on Burkhas?

You mean 'Burkha' the ninja outfit which covers the face?

Well, as you know from my other posts I constantly show disagreement in anything associated with Islam which does not originate from the scripture but merely a tradition imposed under the disguise of religious obligation. And this issue is definitely no different. So Im AGAINST mandatory requirement for anyone to wear a 'tent' wherever she/he goes.

Peace,

**Odovacar** · May 13, 2007, 06:00 AM

Originally Posted by jankren

You mean 'Burkha' the ninja outfit which covers the face?

Well, as you know from my other posts I constantly show disagreement in anything associated with Islam which does not originate from the scripture but merely a tradition imposed under the disguise of religious obligation. And this issue is definitely no different. So Im AGAINST mandatory requirement for anyone to wear a 'tent' wherever she/he goes.

Peace,

Looks like islam needs a reformation, eh? They should go back to their original Koran, instead of some crap traditions, created by turban wearer lazy fellows.
We can see on this Saudi example what Hobbes meant when speaking about 'the realm of darkness'
The realm of darkness=theocratic state. Wors of the worst.

**jankren** · May 13, 2007, 06:30 AM

Originally Posted by Odovacar

Looks like islam needs a reformation, eh?

No kidding man, it is needed badly.

Anyway, speaking of veil, it is interesting to note that the 'real and original Arabs' which are the Bedouins who live in the middle of Arabian desert do not even seem to believe in the imposition of traditions under the disguise of religious obligations that are oberved in Saudi cities.

These pictures show that the Bedouins seem to treat traditions as ... traditions such as the covering of face which the National Geographic explains to have been imported by Arab nomads from Persian and Indian customs or rather fashion because in Middle Eastern culture the eyes are considered the most sensual part of a female. Moreover, the Arab Bedouin nomads do not seem to force their women to veil themselves from head to toe nor they forbid their women to DRIVE!!

**Denny Crane!** · May 12, 2007, 05:54 PM

Well the most interesting thing this story highlights is that a women is pursuing these people through the courts system. It suggests to me that the ideas of civil liberty are spreading through the saudi population and in particular the feminine section of it and they are starting to realise they don't have to put up with this crap.

Ever the eternal optomist I am but it could just be.

Peter

**Noble Savage** · May 12, 2007, 05:57 PM

Originally Posted by Seneca

Well the most interesting thing this story highlights is that a women is pursuing these people through the courts system. It suggests to me that the ideas of civil liberty are spreading through the saudi population and in particular the feminine section of it and they are starting to realise they don't have to put up with this crap.

Ever the eternal optomist I am but it could just be.

Peter

Yeah I agree,is this courage to take on a powerful political tool a sudden new development or has this been building up for a while ,and will it continue?

**Chaigidel** · May 12, 2007, 05:55 PM

yeah agreed it seems like a good sign that she was able to complain at all.

**Denny Crane!** · May 12, 2007, 05:58 PM

Originally Posted by Chaigidel

yeah agreed it seems like a good sign that she was able to complain at all.

Indeed having a second avenue with which to pursue their foe despite being arbitrarily turned down points to both a worrying thing "the moral police cannot be judged" but ultimately hopeful that the theologically biased are not totally authoritarian.

To be honest even if the case is thrown out the fact that the challenge has been made is a good thing, the fact that it has been pursued twice speaks volumes.

Peter

**God-Emperor of Mankind** · May 12, 2007, 06:03 PM

A brave woman, I salute her.
She will probably be put to death for complain but she will die a martyr in my eyes.

**Niles Crane** · May 12, 2007, 06:01 PM

Is MoralMan the Chief of Police in Saudi Arabia?

**sephodwyrm** · May 12, 2007, 06:19 PM

I support the brave people willing to stand up against this non-sense.
Who runs the moral police anyway?

**jankren** · May 12, 2007, 06:55 PM

Originally Posted by Shyam Popat

Moralman.

Are you guys talkin' about our fellow TWC member MoralMan or someone else?

ALLAH U AKBAR!!!! This woman has guts. Finally someone is standing up to the oppressive Saudi Regime.

Salaam bro's and may the stupid 'Moral Police' be abolished,
Adnan

I heard Iran has similar thing too, dont they?

**MasterAdnin** · May 12, 2007, 06:54 PM

ALLAH U AKBAR!!!! This woman has guts. Finally someone is standing up to the oppressive Saudi Regime.

Salaam bro's and may the stupid 'Moral Police' be abolished,
Adnan

**Thanatos** · May 12, 2007, 07:24 PM

Originally Posted by MasterAdnin

ALLAH U AKBAR!!!! This woman has guts. Finally someone is standing up to the oppressive Saudi Regime.

Salaam bro's and may the stupid 'Moral Police' be abolished,
Adnan

Problem is, they still have that state-sponsored Wahhabism thing going.

**boofhead** · May 13, 2007, 01:09 AM

Good on that lady, but she will probably be targetted by these holier-than-thou smug bastards for the rest of her life.

I have seen on TV these guys walking around (in several countries) beating women with sticks and other things. It is disgraceful, and tells me that even the menfolk in these countries are brainwashed religious misoginists, for what other man would allow his mother, sister or daughter to be struck violently in public?

If the average Australian man's mother (OMG) was struck with a stick by a man in the street - his lifespan would be very short indeed.

**~~enoch~~** · May 13, 2007, 01:16 AM

The woman's family is bringing the case before a civil court in Riyadh on Sunday after an Islamic court rejected the complaint, ruling that "a member of the religious police cannot be judged".

didn't Henry II have similiar problems with corrupt clergy and rigged religious courts.....

**~~Yosemite~~** · May 18, 2007, 07:56 AM

Whatwhatwhat.

It's forbidden for women in Saoudi arabia to drive cars?

And moral police is joke. How one can make his "self" better when he feels opressed or something like that by somekind of "moral police".

In the end, the dude will only avoid bad deeds in public just because of the police, not because he wants to be good with people.