Does ths mean not shoving little girls back into a burning building because they ran out not covered all up?
Saudi Arabia Calls for 'Kinder, Gentler' Religious Police
FILE - Members of Saudi Arabia's Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, or religious police, also known as Haia or Mutawaa, attend a training course in Riyadh September 1, 2007.
Esha Sarai
April 13, 2016 12:30 PM
Saudi Arabia announced Wednesday that its frequently criticized religious police force no longer has the authority to arrest citizens, and must now strive to "kindly and gently" enforce Islamic rules.
The new guidelines for the Haia force, also known as the Mutawaa, were approved by the Cabinet and published Tuesday, mandating that only police and drug squad officers have the jurisdiction to make arrests.
"Neither the heads nor members of the Haia are to stop or arrest or chase people or ask for their IDs or follow them - that is considered the jurisdiction of the police or the drug unit," the regulations say.
Formally known as the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, Haia members enforce the country's strict interpretation of Islam, by, for example, ensuring that women are covered from head to toe in public, that they are not mingling with unrelated men, and that all shops are closed during the five daily prayers.
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Saudi Arabia Calls for 'Kinder, Gentler' Religious Police?
Saudi Arabia Calls for 'Kinder, Gentler' Religious Police
FILE - Members of Saudi Arabia's Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, or religious police, also known as Haia or Mutawaa, attend a training course in Riyadh September 1, 2007.
Esha Sarai
April 13, 2016 12:30 PM
Saudi Arabia announced Wednesday that its frequently criticized religious police force no longer has the authority to arrest citizens, and must now strive to "kindly and gently" enforce Islamic rules.
The new guidelines for the Haia force, also known as the Mutawaa, were approved by the Cabinet and published Tuesday, mandating that only police and drug squad officers have the jurisdiction to make arrests.
"Neither the heads nor members of the Haia are to stop or arrest or chase people or ask for their IDs or follow them - that is considered the jurisdiction of the police or the drug unit," the regulations say.
Formally known as the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, Haia members enforce the country's strict interpretation of Islam, by, for example, ensuring that women are covered from head to toe in public, that they are not mingling with unrelated men, and that all shops are closed during the five daily prayers.
Continue reading at:
Saudi Arabia Calls for 'Kinder, Gentler' Religious Police?
