Twitter is once again furious with Saudi Arabia’s Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.
This time, it’s because a member was filmed throwing a woman out of a female-only store. And it’s prompted a little more ire from the population than usual, with tweeters comparing the notorious committee to Daesh (ISIS).
The video in question, which was released earlier today, shows the interior of a make-up store in a mall – a space that, in Saudi, would generally be reserved for women. At the entrance an extremely angry man, apparently a member of the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Virtue, can be seen shouting at a young lady in the store.
The man, gesturing wildly, apparently tells her “you can’t be in here, it’s forbidden”. But it’s his behavior, not hers, that’s irked many among the Saudi population.
Soon after the video was released, the hashtag #CommitteeKickingPeopleOutFromMalls was trending on Twitter.
#الهييه_تطرد_الناس_من_السوق
— NOUF (@nouf_allli_) 17 September 2016
مو بس بالسوق حتى بالشارع ما خلوا مطارداتهم لمناكير البنات ! pic.twitter.com/nylSVjAtNi
Not only in malls but they also chase women in the streets for wearing nail polish
Many users didn’t hold back in their criticism of the Committee, which exists to uphold Saudi’s strict religious laws. Comparisons to Daesh were frequently made.
#الهييه_تطرد_الناس_من_السوق
— رسولٌ بلا دين (@llIlIIllIllI) 17 September 2016
جهاز داعشي كلنا ضده
فلتشاركوا أيها الأحرار في هذا الوسم #المطالبة_بترحيل_اعضاء_الهيئة_الى_الدولة_الاسلامية
The committee is a semi ISIS entity, we are all against it, please share the hashtag
#الهيئه_تطرد_الناس_من_السوق
— عادل (@3_adeI) 17 September 2016
العامل المشترك بينهم استحقار المرأةhttps://t.co/WBXPDU1Ae6
The similar factor between ISIS and the committee members that they both hate women
While comparisons to Daesh are relatively unusual, it’s hardly the first time the Committee has been subject to criticism. Earlier this year, Saudi’s morality police were slammed for arresting an underdressed shop mascot and dragging a woman in a mall. The outcry prompted the government to strip the Committee of its powers of arrest. Instead, members were told to encourage good behavior, in what many analysts regarded as an attempt to soften the group’s hardline reputation.
After today’s scandal, the Committee spokesperson has stated that the incident is being investigated.
So will Saudis submerge the powerful morality police with a wave of support for women’s rights?
المرأة متبرجة متمكيجة
تريد استفزاز المشايخ
ورفضت النصيحة
أتق الله
يا من تتحدث بغير علم#الهييه_تطرد_الناس_من_السوق
pic.twitter.com/VOQi4bpBf8
The woman was wearing makeup and provoked the committee members, she refused their advice, so don’t rush into conclusions
Perhaps not quite yet.
BS
