Saudi police beat us up, say British Shia pilgrims

[seriousstan]

Source: the independent.

The eight men were among a group of 35 British and American nationals on a two-week visit to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina when they were arrested. They say the religious police, a powerful force in the Sunni kingdom, waded in after an argument developed between the group and a Sunni worshipper at a shrine. The men, now back in this country, claim the police repeatedly struck them with chair legs, sticks and heavy hand-held radios.

Amir Taki, a 23-year-old civil servant from London, said: "We were arrested at just after two in the morning. The attack on us was totally unprovoked. We were dragged off to the police station and then beaten up quite savagely. They were saying they would kill us and feed us to the dogs and no one would ever know.

"They were calling us infidels. When we said we were British and American citizens and wanted to speak to our embassies the beating got even worse.

"One of those arrested is a 16-year-old boy. He has an English mother and when the police found out, he was given special treatment with the blows.



Read more: http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article2853826.ece

[Stella_Artois]

1. Welcome to the Islamic Paradise of Saudi Arabia

The extremist radicals in the UK and elswhere say they want to establish Sharia in western countries. I wonder if this is want they want to see.

[LadyAziz]

5. Did you see the documentary on CNN

about Extremism in the UK? That was terrify, those people are insane and creepy. If they don't like the gov't they should move and implement their Sharia in SA. Where they'll fit in w/ the other crazies.

[Timex]

2. Saudi Police = Sunni Extremists

When they hurt a Shia, they gain ultimate satisfaction.

[ohio2007]

3. they should be lucky they weren't thrown in jail like this Nigerian

Man jailed for taking woman to hospital
MICHAEL THEODOULOU

A NIGERIAN convert to Islam who took his sick neighbour to hospital has been jailed in Saudi Arabia because he was not related to the elderly woman.

Ibrahim Mohammad Lawal was convicted of immoral behaviour by religious police who enforce the state's strict code banning women from mixing with men other than relatives.

His "charitable act... has landed him 50 days and counting behind bars", Arab News, an English language daily, said.


snip

In one case last month, a court acquitted three religious policemen of the death of a man in their custody. The victim, a retired border patrol guard in his fifties, was arrested in the city of Tabuk for being alone with a woman who was not a relative.

Another case involves the death of a 28-year-old man, Salman Al-Huraisy, who was allegedly beaten in the custody of the religious police after they raided his Riyadh home, where they suspected he had alcohol.

Human Rights Watch, a New York-based pressure group, said government officials had tried to "whitewash" the investigation into his death.

snip

http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1233702007&format=send

[LadyAziz]

4. SICK

This is the country who is one of our closest ally.:eyes: I wonder if the women is black or white? And :wtf: is a religious police force? I wonder if they walk around w/ a Quran in hand. SA may have holy Islamic sites but those who run it are not very religious. I mean alcohol, groupies, drugs you name it. It all happens behind closed doors of course. And yet they put all these restrictions on their citizens. Also what's so bad about letting women drive?

Extremists must really feel at home in SA. :puke: