What is the deal with religious police?

My only comment is -Long may you keep it that way !!

democi wrote:

How risky is it to go out with a girl that's not my sister/mom/aunt?

That Girl can be your wife and it is Not at all Risky !!!

trevorcox wrote:

My only comment is -Long may you keep it that way !!

hmmm You know what !!?  I have been living in Jeddah since birth and I had never seen them in my life and I was almost in denial of their existance in Jeddah.Till last week .I was hanging out at a caffee  with my (Female Frinds Thank God), and just like that out of the blue they walked in and dragged a couple right before my eyes. Im telling u it wasnt a good scene at all. The weird thing is that I see couples everywhere and everyday and  usually our religious police we call them ALhyah btw dont just burst in like that!! lol funny thing is the same place got crowded with more couples after they Hayah had left:D..
anyways u gotta be carefull Democi..
tc:)

Nobody will ask you about her. a lot of saudis go out with their girlfreinds. And about the couple SweetLina talked about ,, i'm sure there was something about them. SweetLina doesn't know what they might have done and where they were before they came to the caffee. there must have been something behind the scene.
Generally, it could be risky in some other parts of the country, but it's not the case here in jeddah. They will never bother you as long as you keep in your mind that you are in a puplic place : ) e.i. DO NOT KISS

Its very unfortunate that media failed to publish the positive side of Hayah. I lived my whole ife in Jeddah and i am telling you that i have seen Hayah here "were" seen changing their style by approaching shabab in friendly way, challenging them for a bowling game, distributing religious stuff to the guys listening to music.....recently they also allowed single male inside the malls, but once again i start to hear the scenes shared by SweetLine....
i have also heard that they have done amendments in the rules  about Hayah cannot directly tackle anyone unless reported or accompanied with authorities....
Hayah are also organizing religious and social events in the soceity which nobody points out....

Well Ehtisham I wish I could say the same thing.It's pretty confusing you hear stuff and then you see the exact opposite.
off course there are good examples of them , I just happend not to see them yet..
If I hadnt seen that myself I wouldnt have shared it here and im assuring everyone here there wasnt any authority story there..they went around the tables and checked IDs and took away who werent relatives and it was very brutal.It felt like the old days again..Im not against what they do its just they way they do it..
I also heard about the positive change you r talking about and I really would love to see it take place everywhere...

Touchy subject!
Sweetlina at least you say it as it is! Wake up man! My 14 year old went out with her girlfriends only to be harassed by the "religious" police to get into their vehicle. Thank God she remembered what her parents taught her, never get into a strangers car! We were in J eddah for two weeks when this happened! Asses! Victimization! There is no excuse for it! Her friends kept telling her not to get in, wh knows what they would have done to her. They should try it with a few of the wealthy families daughters there, oh wait they wouldn't because victimization is their game!

SweetLina wrote:

....I was hanging out at a caffee  with my (Female Frinds Thank God), and just like that out of the blue they walked in and dragged a couple right before my eyes. Im telling u it wasnt a good scene at all...)

Sweetlina, this is your initial story...and quite misleading...thanks atleast that you light up the scene... :

SweetLina wrote:

...they went around the tables and checked IDs and took away who werent relatives and it was very brutal...

We know that is is prohibited for non-related people of opposite gender to mingle especially in public places in Saudi Arabia...might have been 'brutal' if there's a bit of commotion,or resistance from the parties involved...
...and yes, there are commendable people (Haiah or mutawa) members who are involved in charitable works, educating people about Islam, and other social activities.
But we do have to be careful of those people who are pretending to be hayah, like what dsmalberger's kid might have encountered...

first may allah protect you all from all problems like that .
i dont have any comment . i have seen stuff and heard even more . in either cases you have to be extra care in these kind of stuff and (insha allah) things will work smoothly .

Dear Expat.com Folks!
Quite interesting subject...My opinion is we should abide by the rules of the Kingdom whether we like it or not. If we feel it strict etc, We all have the right to go back to our home countries...
Regards!

Hi I've watched this with interest - but presidconsult I'm afraid I take serious offence at your comment....

I respect this country, its people, its religion and I really enjoy living here. I follow the rules that are laid out for me - I don't drive, I wear an abaya, I don't go out in public with men I'm not related to (unless my husband or sons are also there), I don't show undue amounts of affection in public etc..... but as I am not muslim and I am not required to wear a head scarf....... I take offence when the religious police decide to yell abuse at me to put one on... the same for any other similar things..... not to mention enticing young girls into cars...how scary is that - I'm so glad and thankful dsmalberger that your daughter and her friends had the sense not to get in! If I am legitimately doing something wrong - by all means tell me, in a polite way, thats what I'm doing and I'll correct my behaviour, willingly, happily even.

The people commenting here are not complaining about the things that are LEGITIMATELY required of us, we agreed to them when we willingly moved here - otherwise we would be living at home or in the UAE/Oman! We are not complaining that the religious police exist - or that they have a job to do in upholding virtue, morals and public behaviour.

BUT, about being treated unfairly / yelled at/ abused or about the attitude of the men that use religion as an excuse to do these things; About the fact that they only yell at me until they realise that I'm "white"  or pick on particular people/ethnicities/age groups that they see as 'easy targets'  or the people that always seem to think that the man is blameless/right and the woman has somehow "caused" his bad, appalling behaviour  - (because, of course, we can get inside their heads and control their brain and make them behave like this, they have no control over themselves or their actions, right -sic) - those things - we certainly complain about that!

So don't suggest/tell me to go home, just because I, and others, don't choose to "put up or shut up" about the rude, obnoxious, obscene, anti-islam, even perhaps illegal behaviours of certain members of the religious police, or those who impersonate them.

well said dragonladyoz:top:

Could we please calm down here?

Thanks,
Harmonie.

Wow harmony are you living in a bubble?

hi guys just to share also my experience regarding some members or should i say some people in this Kingdom...
-once i was yelled at also by a passerby in his car he said,,cover your head this is Saudi Arabia,, who doesnt know that?? he was driving with a young child in the car,,what does he teach the child,,
-the other day another 1 yelled at me because i was using my pone during prayer time,,my head was covered,, he was with the wife,,he was expecting me not to talk on the pone, but instead of stopping and praying he was busy intimidating  me,,he was not even mutawa.
-every day if i decide to walk alone to the nearest shop im subjected to being followed by cars,,doing all kinds of things to lure me,,is it because of my colour?are we regarded as prostitutes?seriously i dnt understand this..
-there are also silly boys who drive bicycles if you are not careful thy will grab o bag and run away,,it happened twice with my friends..
SO I WOULD LIKE TO TELL THE SPEAKER WHO SAID WE SHOULD GO HOME IF WE DNT ABIDE TO THE LAWS,,WE DO ABIDE TO THE LAWS BUT WE MUST NOT BE INTIMIDATED,AND HARRASED,,BY EVERY TOM,DICK AND HARRY BECAUSE WE DONT BELONG HERE,,,

dragonladyoz wrote:

Hi I've watched this with interest - but presidconsult I'm afraid I take serious offence at your comment....

I respect this country, its people, its religion and I really enjoy living here. I follow the rules that are laid out for me - I don't drive, I wear an abaya, I don't go out in public with men I'm not related to (unless my husband or sons are also there), I don't show undue amounts of affection in public etc..... but as I am not muslim and I am not required to wear a head scarf....... I take offence when the religious police decide to yell abuse at me to put one on... the same for any other similar things..... not to mention enticing young girls into cars...how scary is that - I'm so glad and thankful dsmalberger that your daughter and her friends had the sense not to get in! If I am legitimately doing something wrong - by all means tell me, in a polite way, thats what I'm doing and I'll correct my behaviour, willingly, happily even.

The people commenting here are not complaining about the things that are LEGITIMATELY required of us, we agreed to them when we willingly moved here - otherwise we would be living at home or in the UAE/Oman! We are not complaining that the religious police exist - or that they have a job to do in upholding virtue, morals and public behaviour.

BUT, about being treated unfairly / yelled at/ abused or about the attitude of the men that use religion as an excuse to do these things; About the fact that they only yell at me until they realise that I'm "white"  or pick on particular people/ethnicities/age groups that they see as 'easy targets'  or the people that always seem to think that the man is blameless/right and the woman has somehow "caused" his bad, appalling behaviour  - (because, of course, we can get inside their heads and control their brain and make them behave like this, they have no control over themselves or their actions, right -sic) - those things - we certainly complain about that!

So don't suggest/tell me to go home, just because I, and others, don't choose to "put up or shut up" about the rude, obnoxious, obscene, anti-islam, even perhaps illegal behaviours of certain members of the religious police, or those who impersonate them.

zaza123 wrote:

SO I WOULD LIKE TO TELL THE SPEAKER WHO SAID WE SHOULD GO HOME IF WE DNT ABIDE TO THE LAWS,,WE DO ABIDE TO THE LAWS BUT WE MUST NOT BE INTIMIDATED,AND HARRASED,,BY EVERY TOM,DICK AND HARRY BECAUSE WE DONT BELONG HERE,,,

Well said but I have to disagree with 'we don't belong here.' Many of us were invited here by the Saudi government because they want to make use of our skills.  In this respect, we are helping them.

i do agree ALLIECAT but it looks like SOME are not aware of the fact that we didnt just come here,,we are employed by their govt,because we are skilled.

I've never had a problem with any Saudi--they've always been friendly and kind to me, even strangers in the mall.  As for the mutawa, they harrass Saudis even  more than they harrass expats!  I consider them to be the equivalent of 'schoolyard bullies' and certainly not representative of the Saudi people.

dragonladyoz wrote:

Hi I've watched this with interest - but presidconsult I'm afraid I take serious offence at your comment....

I respect this country, its people, its religion and I really enjoy living here. I follow the rules that are laid out for me - I don't drive, I wear an abaya, I don't go out in public with men I'm not related to (unless my husband or sons are also there), I don't show undue amounts of affection in public etc..... but as I am not muslim and I am not required to wear a head scarf....... I take offence when the religious police decide to yell abuse at me to put one on... the same for any other similar things..... not to mention enticing young girls into cars...how scary is that - I'm so glad and thankful dsmalberger that your daughter and her friends had the sense not to get in! If I am legitimately doing something wrong - by all means tell me, in a polite way, thats what I'm doing and I'll correct my behaviour, willingly, happily even.

The people commenting here are not complaining about the things that are LEGITIMATELY required of us, we agreed to them when we willingly moved here - otherwise we would be living at home or in the UAE/Oman! We are not complaining that the religious police exist - or that they have a job to do in upholding virtue, morals and public behaviour.

BUT, about being treated unfairly / yelled at/ abused or about the attitude of the men that use religion as an excuse to do these things; About the fact that they only yell at me until they realise that I'm "white"  or pick on particular people/ethnicities/age groups that they see as 'easy targets'  or the people that always seem to think that the man is blameless/right and the woman has somehow "caused" his bad, appalling behaviour  - (because, of course, we can get inside their heads and control their brain and make them behave like this, they have no control over themselves or their actions, right -sic) - those things - we certainly complain about that!

So don't suggest/tell me to go home, just because I, and others, don't choose to "put up or shut up" about the rude, obnoxious, obscene, anti-islam, even perhaps illegal behaviours of certain members of the religious police, or those who impersonate them.

couldrnt argue with that , i agree but this the way it is , its easier to avoied them than you know fight or claime honest , also nowadays at least they have changed their ways of treating abit hopefuly to the best . . .

no one will distrub or stop u without anyreason in jeddah.

True danish luv - have not ever had a problem in Jeddah - but that's not necessarily the case when you travel to other parts of the country!

ya dont sure about other cities,