February 5, 2008
Saudi Arabia : When Drinking Coffee Is Illegal
A married mother-of-three found herself on the wrong side of the Saudi vice police in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, when she was taken into custody for having coffee with a male business colleague at a local Starbucks.
From today's Arab News website: Yara, who has been married for 27 years, said she spent several hours in the women’s section of Riyadh’s Malaz Prison, was strip-searched, ordered to sign a confession that she was in a state of “khulwa” (a state of seclusion with an unrelated man) and for hours prevented from contacting her husband in Jeddah. According to the article, the man Yara met with, a Syrian national, was also taken into custody and remains in detention. Check out the full story here. 5 Comments
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I lived and worked in Saudi Arabia and know the situation there very well. But it is an absolute shame that this type of behaviour by 'commission' members are still allowed to happen. And so sad that they appear so ruthless and rude. I am so sorry for this Saudi woman.
as a Muslim I say these are thugs and they should be banned in Saudi Arabia.this woman is a financial Cunsultant she was meeting in a Public place which happened to be for family with a business partner.her husband is not objecting to these meetings who are these thugs and what kind of stupid Government policy that allows this.in Islam you can not accuse a Muslim or punish him for things like this without proof.her Husband knows about it and that should be the end of it.
It just goes to show how different cultures can be. Take for one, that the woman in question was married at the age of 13 (we're told she's 40 and has been married for 27 years). Here in the west that would be considered rape. She then has no rights whatsoever, other than what her husband allows for her, and even then she is arrested by the Saudi religious police. George Orwell would have absolutely loved Saudi Arabia.
I suppose there is an upside to the culture - if you're a man and happen to like very young girls. Over here it's called pediphilia and is frowned upon. While we hear how the true islam really respects women's rights, and how it is in reality very just, it's hard for many of us to reconcile situations like this. Are we wrong?
I have deep sympathy for Yara for the humiliation she and her family have suffered.
As a female living and working in Riyadh I have heard of many horrific stories of women & men taken by Mutawa to jail. Starbucks appears to be a common denominator in many of these stories. I believe the capital of KSA thinks of this city as a leader of mega business in the Kingdom. In my opinion the Mutawa are not those with progressive minds as seen with the expanding business world. This type of behaviour will certainly only curtail prospective business opportunties due to companies considerations for safety not only to the employees but the owners themselves.
This is the harsh implementation of Islamic law. Although Islam restricts mingling of men and women (who are not related) as it is common in the West like in bars, dance clubs etc., but there is absolutely no restriction if they meet for business, study and things like that. Especially when they are at public place like coffee shops or restaurants.
Also Islam strictly forbids that someone (or even police) keep looking and interrogating people for their relationships and intrude into people personal life as far as they are not doing any thing odd. I think this kind of Saudi laws should be changed to reflect the real picture of Islam. |
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