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Arabia
Virtue Commission: Religious Police Required to Wear Nametags
2005-12-13
Authorities said yesterday that the case of a man and his wife who were allegedly beaten by members of the religious police is still under investigation, Arab News has learned. They also emphasized the requirement that members of the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice to wear identifying badges.
"Bodges? We don' need no steenkin' bodges"
According to reports, the undercover officers, who were driving an unmarked white sedan, thought the couple were not married and followed them home to arrest them. The man filed a report to the Riyadh Police Department two days ago saying that he was approached by two men in a white car that grabbed him and assaulted him as he got out of his car near his home. He said that the car the two men were riding in was a private one, and not the well-recognized GMC Suburban with the logo of the religious police on it.
"The Suburban was in the shop, so we used Habib's car. It's got a killer stereo system..."
He also said that he asked his wife to quickly run inside their building for her own protection, but that the men ran after her grabbing her abaya before she finally managed to get into one of the neighbors’ apartment after screaming for help. The man who filed a case at the police station is filing assault and abuse of authority charges against the religious police.

Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Ghaith, the head of the commission, said yesterday that all field members that work for the commission should wear their official nametags when on duty to enable the public to identify them. “We as members of the commission must abide by the regulations and directives set by the leaders of the country because we are accountable to them and the public,” Sheikh Al-Ghaith said. “We have rights. Citizens have rights. Residents have rights. And everyone should respect that rights.”
Everyone has rights. Some people's rights are more respected than others.
He said that sometimes people exaggerate stories about members of the commission, which are later proven to be false. Al-Ghaith did not deny however that there were shortcomings from some of the commission’s members. “The members of the commission are humans.
"Some are subhumans, in fact..."
"They are like anybody else who make mistakes,” he said. He said that if it was proved that a member of the commission was involved in any wrongdoing he would be punished at once. Al-Ghaith also said that by visibly displaying their nametags, members could differentiate themselves from other pious people who offer advice in public areas, but are not authorized to go beyond that. He said wearing a uniform by the members of the commission was not being considered because the official nametag would suffice.
"Oh sure - we're pious! But we have badges, so we can beat the crap out of you too."
Posted by:Pappy

#12  My tangers got fingled

braggert.
Posted by: Frank G   2005-12-13 17:40  

#11  I knew that. My tangers got fingled.
Posted by: Seafarious   2005-12-13 17:35  

#10  Seafarious,

Mississippi, not Virginia.
Posted by: Eric Jablow   2005-12-13 15:47  

#9  I've been following that one, Sea. Where is Jesse, Al, anyone else? The ACLU? It appears that after the shooting the police found , this was in their initial report, no drugs. 24 hours later the report noted a bag of marjaweenie. This is a true travesty. Glen Reynolds has a lot on this case.
Posted by: Deacon Blues   2005-12-13 14:38  

#8  Radley Balko has been following the case of a man who is on death row in Virginia for shooting and killing a cop who mistakenly broke into his apartment while on a raid searching for a different man.
Posted by: Seafarious   2005-12-13 12:37  

#7  Moose, your friend got screwed.

This is a major problem with police in this country. They seem to think that they can force their way into a private dwelling without a warrant and the victim cannot defend himself.

How many felonies do you think occur because someone just claims to be a police officer?

Your friend should not have been even charged with anything.
Posted by: AlanC   2005-12-13 12:14  

#6  Everyone please welcome Pappy to Rantburg's moderating team. He's bringing some much needed West Coast hip-hop flair, and may even be replacing me since I keep getting sent to see Muffler Man today. As you can see he mods in a up-to-the-minute stylish pearl gray.
Posted by: seafarious   2005-12-13 11:32  

#5  these religious police should have to wear identifiable uniforms. They band together tough, but no doubt would whimper like little girls if caught alone. The unis would make it much easier, and show how little support they actually have among the populace when they're caught alone and beaten to pulps.
Posted by: Frank G   2005-12-13 10:59  

#4  now who's the grey mod?
Posted by: Frank G   2005-12-13 10:56  

#3  I am reminded of an interesting tale of some years ago.

A large and brutish friend of mind, who lived in a bad part of town, got a knock on his door from two FBI agents who were seeking to serve a warrant on his next-door neighbor. When he opened his door, the two tried to force their way inside.

He was a golden-gloves runner up in the State before he had studied karate for years from a very skilled Sifu.

Well, after all was said and done, my friend was standing before a confused and distraught judge, who was more than prepared to throw the book at him for putting two FBI agents into the hospital for several months.

The ironic part was so ironic, that the judge again asked the same questions of the agents as had been asked by the prosecutor.

"Are you *sure* that you hadn't identified yourselves when you pushed through the door???"

"Well, no, you honor", they both said. "We had our wallets kind of half-open and I had just said, 'F...', and that's all I got out."

Thus forced into a corner by two very honest FBI agents, the judge could not convict my friend of a felony. But he did find him guilty of a misdemeanor, for which he was sentenced not, as is traditional, "for a year less a day", but in his case, "for a year less an hour."

All told, there are several good points to that story.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2005-12-13 09:22  

#2  Hi! My name is Mahmoud! I'll be your assailant this evening!
Posted by: BH   2005-12-13 00:24  

#1  He said that if it was proved that a member of the commission was involved in any wrongdoing he would be punished at once.

would you care to cite some instances Sheikhy Ibrahim Al-Ghaithy?

thought so.

just one more tale you couldn't make up about the holy strip crips.
Posted by: Red Dog   2005-12-13 00:16  

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