According to local media sources, the Saudi religious police, officially called the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of vice, will stop car chases that have led to fatal accidents in the past in an attempt to improve their image.
Religious police patrol the streets, enforcing gender segregation, modest dress, and the closing of shops in prayer time.
According to the religious police's spokesman, "We care a great deal to make the image of the commission a positive one that reflects the true image of Islam. There is no doubt that these [plans] portray a new vision for the commission."
In 2002, the commission was criticized for stopping schoolgirls from leaving a burning school building in Mecca and hindering the work of rescue workers because the girls were not wearing correct Islamic dress. Around 15 young girls died and 50 were injured.
According to Reuters, earlier this year, a video of the religious police attacking a family outside a shopping mall in Riyadh was posted on YouTube, getting more than 180,000 hits and generating strong criticism.
Religious police patrol the streets, enforcing gender segregation, modest dress, and the closing of shops in prayer time.
According to the religious police's spokesman, "We care a great deal to make the image of the commission a positive one that reflects the true image of Islam. There is no doubt that these [plans] portray a new vision for the commission."
In 2002, the commission was criticized for stopping schoolgirls from leaving a burning school building in Mecca and hindering the work of rescue workers because the girls were not wearing correct Islamic dress. Around 15 young girls died and 50 were injured.
According to Reuters, earlier this year, a video of the religious police attacking a family outside a shopping mall in Riyadh was posted on YouTube, getting more than 180,000 hits and generating strong criticism.
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