[FatimaAsSideqah]

As Salaam Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu

Prosecutors in Saudi Arabia have begun investigating 57 young men who were arrested on Thursday for flirting with girls at shopping centres in Mecca.
The men are accused of wearing indecent clothes, playing loud music and dancing in order to attract the attention of girls, the Saudi Gazette reported.

They were arrested following a request of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.

The mutaween enforce Saudi Arabia's conservative brand of Islam, Wahha bism.

Earlier in the month, the authorities enforced a ban on the sale of red roses and other symbols used in many countries to mark Valentine's Day.

The ban is partly because of the connection with a "pagan Christian holiday", and also because the festival itself is seen as encouraging relations between the sexes outside marriage, punishable by law in the kingdom.

The Prosecution and Investigation Commission said it had received reports of such "bad" behaviour by 57 young men at a number of shopping centres in the holy city of Mecca, the Saudi Gazette said.

The guardians of some of the men defended their actions, however, saying they would regularly get together at the weekend to have fun without ever violating laws governing the segregation of the sexes, it added.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7260314.stm

Allah Hafiz
Sister Fatima

 

[adeeb]

oh God... is that the behaviour of saudi men...

masha Allah...

So become saudi arabian is not better than others...as long as emaan is still in your heart...

 

[MartyrX]

How old were these men?

 

[FatimaAsSideqah]

How old were these men?

As Salaam Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu

The article didn't say anything about age of young men. I think they might be 20s to 30s.

 

[MartyrX]

As Salaam Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu

The article didn't say anything about age of young men. I think they might be 20s to 30s.

If so that's way too old to be behaving like that. I could almost forgive teenagers for being like that, but adults should know better.

 

[Isambard]

Another marvel of carefully thought government spending on the Saudi's part

 

[Malaikah]

Another marvel of carefully thought government spending on the Saudi's part

Yes, indeed.

Good on them.

 

[snakelegs]

good on them! i hope they continue to go after men that harass women.

 

[Trumble]

Exactly who is supposed to have been 'harassed'?

We obviously have a major cultural difference here.. if I lived in a country with authorities who thought they had the right to decide whether I could flirt or not I'd be joining the guys planning the Revolution. I value my freedom too much - and I'm hardly a libertarian type normally. Even the name ("Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice") is like something out of '1984'.

 

[Ebtisweetsam]

Well its a good thing they are catching these sleazy guys before it increases and leads to something worse. eace:

 

[Tania]

I never ever saw any type of men dancing in the shopping centers I wonder if its not their dress guilty :embarrass

 

[AvarAllahNoor]

Haha! - I can see why this may be going a tad too far, but If they don't appear to be cracking down on 'flirting' It may lead to more & more people openly flirting, which may lead to more obscene things. Does seem a little weird I guess when we live in countries that wouldn't bat an eyelid on such cases. Hey-Ho it is SA afterall....

 

[Pygoscelis]

Exactly who is supposed to have been 'harassed'?

We obviously have a major cultural difference here.. if I lived in a country with authorities who thought they had the right to decide whether I could flirt or not I'd be joining the guys planning the Revolution. I value my freedom too much - and I'm hardly a libertarian type normally. Even the name ("Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice") is like something out of '1984'.

Totally. The thought police will be next. Oh wait...

 

[Intisar]

There's no way to win with you guys.

Hey, let me use the logic that y'all so often like to reiterate on this forum during every waking hour. It ain't your country, so it shouldn't matter whether their laws seem ridiculous or not. This shouldn't affect you like Western laws affect Muslims because y'all don't live there.

 

[Isambard]

There's no way to win with you guys.

Hey, let me use the logic that y'all so often like to reiterate on this forum during every waking hour. It ain't your country, so it shouldn't matter whether their laws seem ridiculous or not. This shouldn't affect you like Western laws affect Muslims because y'all don't live there.

So I guess I should quote you next time we have another thread about how "western" laws discriminate agaisnt muslims right?^o)

 

[Intisar]

So I guess I should quote you next time we have another thread about how "western" laws discriminate agaisnt muslims right?^o)

If you only understood the message that I was trying to convey. Why do I even bother?

 

[Cognescenti]

There's no way to win with you guys.

Hey, let me use the logic that y'all so often like to reiterate on this forum during every waking hour. It ain't your country, so it shouldn't matter whether their laws seem ridiculous or not. This shouldn't affect you like Western laws affect Muslims because y'all don't live there.

That seems reasonable...as long as a Muslim has an "opt out" clause when things differ from his view of Islam. But he really doesn't does he?

Of course, if these were Saudi Royal family members they could just go to Beverly Hills or Greece or Dubai and "let off a little steam".


Where I come from, "flirting" requires the participation of at least two individuals. It seems these chaps cannot really be accused of anything more than "attmepted flirting", which would seem a lesser offence.

 

[Isambard]

If you only understood the message that I was trying to convey. Why do I even bother?

That hypocracy is your policy? I think you conveyed that clearly

*France bans hijabs in school institutions*

Muslim community: "They are discriminating agaisnt muslims!. How can they do this?!"

*Danish newspaper prints lewd cartoons*

Muslim community: "OMG! HOW DARE THEY! TAKE TO THE STREETS!"

*Queen knights Rushdie*

Muslim community: "How dare they knight him! Doesnt the queen know he offended us?! How can she think she has a right to knight anyone she wishes in her country?!"

*Saudi Arabia makes all sorta of boneheaded gov't policies*

Non-muslims: "The Saudi gov't is pants-on-head retarded...."
Muslims on LI: "Its our country. What right do you have to say what we do with it or in it?"

 

[Cognescenti]

If you only understood the message that I was trying to convey. Why do I even bother?

I think I understood as well. This is a Muslim website and I am a Moderator :thankyou:

 

[wilberhum]

I think I understood as well. This is a Muslim website and I am a Moderator :thankyou:

That is what I understood also.