Saudi Arabia strips religious police of arresting power

[pocaracas]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/04/sa...18824.html

"Saudi Arabia has stripped its religious forces of their powers to arrest, urging them to act "kindly and gently" in enforcing Islamic rules.

Under changes approved by the Saudi cabinet on Wednesday, religious officers will no longer be allowed to detain people and instead must report violators to police or drug squad officers, the official Saudi Press Agency said.

Officers of the Haia force, also known as the Mutawaa, must "carry out the duties of encouraging virtue and forbidding vice by advising kindly and gently" under the new rules, it reported.

"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.
"

It's a start...

[robvalue]

That's a very good start! Bravo.

They've a long way to go, but I'm certainly not going to knock progress. Maybe a baby step towards a less religiously dominated country.

[Alex K]

I know no one expects the Inquisition, but this comes as a surprise.

[vorlon13]

Hell, where will this slouching towards liberalism end ?

Next thing you know they will administering a topical anesthetic before beheading someone.

[vorlon13]

I note the rapprochement between the US and Cuba has resulted in an increase in arrests of Cuban dissidents. I can't help but think the religious police having more time to report infractions (since they are spending less time beating violators) might result in an increase of arrests for offending Allah.

Damn, that Allah dude has fragile fragile feelings, don't he ?

[AFTT47]

This surprises the heck out of me, though it has been almost 25 years since I was there.

Unlike most people, I actually smile at the thought of Mutawaa. That's because one of the British Aerospace guys I knew beat the crap out of one of them. Knocked him out with one punch and then proceeded to pummel him on the ground. He was at the end of a 5-year contract there and had definitely had his fill of all things Saudi, lol.

[Chad32]

I note the rapprochement between the US and Cuba has resulted in an increase in arrests of Cuban dissidents.  I can't help but think the religious police having more time to report infractions (since they are spending less time beating violators) might result in an increase of arrests for offending Allah.

Damn, that Allah dude has fragile fragile feelings, don't he ?

It seems that the more power you have, the more offended you get when people disagree with you. so of course this applies to gods, who might make questioning them one of the biggest crimes there is.

[vorlon13]

Unlike Christopher Moltisanti, God can't do the retribution Himself.

[Minimalist]

"Saudi Arabia has stripped its religious forces of their powers to arrest, urging them to act "kindly and gently" in enforcing Islamic rules.

How do you kindly and gently chop off someone's head?

[vorlon13]

or stone them