Beaten to Death by the Religious Police
A Saudi man was beaten to death last Wednesday by the religious police in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The man’s name was Suleiman who was a twenty eight year old father to an eight year old child.
The incident happened in his home (family home) in front of his elderly father as the local newspapers mentioned, the religious police broke into their home in Riyadh breaking doors and windows, they assaulted him and beat him up, they took him and some of the people with him to their headquarters. The father watched them helplessly as they took his son drowning in his blood, little did he know that this was the last image he would have of his son alive! Suleiman passed away in the religious police headquarters in Riyadh.
It is said that the cause of the assault and ambush by the religious police is the selling of alcohol in their home which is illegal in Saudi Arabia.
The religious police are now under investigation for this incident, it has been known for them to break into people’s homes from time to time if they suspected a party of men and women together or alcohol involvement and we do hear many stories of them assaulting and beating up people… but there is a limit to everything.
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God this makes me sick to my stomach…
Ahhh yeah… and watch the world blame Islam, rather than corruption.
I bet people will blame Islam over it. Meanwhile, the family of the victim will get zilch from the finger-pointers. For some reason, it’s easier to hate a whole group than to feel compassion toward one victim. Go figure.
It’s not Islam itself. It’s about people desperate to maintain a system in which they (believe they) get the most power. Many people and groups in the Middle East have become obsessed with power without really caring about how to use it to improve lives. They struggle for power, not only over their own lives, but over the lives of others as well. But power is not a right. Empowerment is. Our problem is that some people just don’t get it … and don’t want to.
People don’t realize that when you blame Islam, you are JUSTIFYING the crimes that happen in the “name” of it. In the minds of these men, they have successfuly managed to manipulate others into believing that they are not criminals… that they are doing this for the sake of “religion” and not “murder” or injustice.
Our problem is this… the outside media is really what helps feed these hideous mentalities. The more people blame Islam; the more such criminals are able to get away with such murder.
Our problem is this… the outside media is really what helps feed these hideous mentalities.
IMO, the world is gonna get verrry interesting in the upcoming years and decades. We’re growing increasingly more involved in each other’s business (no longer limited by geographical boundaries) through technology with YouTube, blogs, videophones, etc. We’re spying on, and talking about each other, which can lead to greater accountability. Yet, that also means we spend more time indoors behind walls, typing away and pointing the fingers at each other on the internet. So we’re growing more involved with each other while having less in-person contact with each other. That’s gonna be either a recipe for some major dysfunction, some good prep work for a more harmonious world in the future, or both … like social fertilizer. Crap first, flowers next.
The great thing about technology is that we’re not just talking about each other, we’re talking directly TO each other, and with blogs like these, we’re talking WITH each other. Which in many ways destroys the image of the “other”… and introduces a whole new concept of dialogue and understanding.
But please don’t forget that many, many people are using these things for the opposite reason. Look at blogs like LGF, Michelle Malkin, Jihad Watch, Jew Watch, MEMRI, etc, these all inspire and feed hatred, which only widens the gap between “us” and “them.”
It’s blogs like these that hold the hope and inspiration for moving forward. And we don’t just focus on us and them either… our MAIN focus is ourselves, we have a lot of problems that we need to sort out. We need to strengthen inter-Arab relations as well as understand our communities – Kurds, Arab Jews, Arab Christians and Baha’is, etc. The primary aim here is to learn about ourselves and each other.
To go back on topic.. if our youth start believing that the above story is an accurate and common practice of Islam, we have much to fear for our future. We need to find ways to get our ideas to the public, and fast. While the internet is great remember that most people here don’t have access to it. This is why we were thinking of also publishing a newsletter or a book with our compiled articles and discussions.
I think that’s a good idea, but how will you get it out to the youth you particularly want to engage — the ones who already are being subjected to the propaganda that Islam is about domination not peace?
Graffiti, music, documentary, media articles, TV, etc. We’ve already had TV and media appearances here, as representatives of this site, which I think really helps.
whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty??
And to beat someone like that in which ultimately they die… that was brute force. Monsters do that.
They are called the Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice to me they are the Committee for the propagation of Vice and prevention of virtue!
all it takes to join is grow a beard, shorten your beard and recite the quran! Most Ex-cons after they leave the prison join.
I will tell a story about someone who was an alcoholic and had a drug habit. After he lost his job and had no money. He was on the streets and ofcourse he could not shave and the beard grew. One day he was stopped by the religious police and they thought he was a man of piety and recruited him. He had now a salary and was supporting his habit. This someone was telling the story to a friend while drinking alcohol!!
Another story: one guy was in bahrain and went to the bar. he sow a Mutawwa sitting having drink after drink. He looked familar and he figured out later was that same mutawwa, was the chief in one of the centers of the
Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.
They should be disbanded. We should be not harrassed in the streets and in our homes.
Tragically the main suppliers and sellers of alcohol in our country are people from the royal family! Do they get raided?!? I dont thinkso!
Wow, sounds great.
Esra’a, I believe the book is an excellent idea as I mentioned before and I think it can reach a large number of people.
As Wafa mentioned that these group of people mostly are either highschool drop outs or ex-cons who found a job that empowers them without the need for any credentials or much qualifications.
I would like to remove what ever authority these so called holy men of virtue have. They cause more harm than good.
I was in one of the major streets in down town Riyadh a while ago (Tahlia st.) when I heard the sound of squeeking tires, on the other side of the street I was able to see a GMC (religious police) and three young boys in a sports car.
The religious police stepped down from his GMC and threw a glass bottle on the other car. The boys made a turn to avoid them, the man got into his GMC reversed about 30 meters in a one way street in such a speed to catch up and made the turn. They disapeared.. the only thing I could hear was squeaking tires! I prayed for the boys..
I don’t know what these boys did, but the fact that these so called men of virtue were willing to harm other cars and pedestrians just pissed me off!
I truely despise them.
“People don’t realize that when you blame Islam, you are JUSTIFYING the crimes that happen in the “name†of it.”
That’s my problem with people like Robert Spencer. They think they’re helping but all they’re doing is making our job harder since they reinforce the “fact” that Islam belongs to people like Bin Laden.
In order to believe, I need to be able to disbelieve.
Too bad these retards don’t get it.
What a collection of enlightened commentary… I agree with both Esra and Drima, and think that the world would be a much better place if people would adopt the motto “In order to believe. I need to be able to disbelieve.” Certainly as societies go, it appears that in order for societies to be safe and treat believers with respect, societies should treat disbelievers with that same respect.
i hate saudi arabia..it’s a very idiot society!
Saudi Arabia is good country please dont use these words. I’m Pakistani came here when I was 1 year back in 1992. Religious Poilce (Motavee) were crossing there limits back in few months. So, they got lesson. No more such incident will happen in KSA because religious police is now finished. Back in 1999, it was very difficult to go to park, shooping centers and other public places without family but now things are getting better.
Well, aside from being VERY NERVOUS hearing about an alchohol seller being beaten to death by the cops, this story seems to be more about police brutality than Islam. Abuse of authority is all too common, and being able to back it up with the absolutist trump of religion makes unaccountability even easier. The worst thing about this besides the act itself is how it degrades the respectable police out there, the people who don uniforms actually trying to keep the peace and make a difference.
Rasha
Can I ask one question.
why does ignore the benefit of religious police?
Why always remember them as a stupid people?
We should be honest and fair.
Thank you.
Sorry Rasah
It was two questions.
sorry for mistake.
hhhhhh