Saudi religious police chief cries:

Weeping during a meeting with his juniors, the head of Saudi Arabia’s feared religious police warned members against using violence against citizens and urged them to smile whenever possible.

Sheikh Abdul Latif al Shaikh, director of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, said he had been instructed by King Abdullah to treat people nicely when he was named to the post a few months ago.

Al Shaikh’s call follows widespread public criticism against the Commission over the use of violence by its members against people while enforcing Islamic law in the largest Arab economy and world’s dominant oil power.

He acknowledged that some Commission police men commit mistakes but added:”We are human beings not angels…those who say we do not make mistakes are wrong…we make mistakes and we apologize.”

“I call on all members to break the barrier of fear and hostility with the citizens and to set up a good relationship with nationals and expatriates…smile should be the slogan of all Commission members, who should try to advise offenders and prevent them from committing sins without the need to resort to violence.”

During the meeting with Commission office heads in Riyadh, he said any member who hurts citizens “would have no room in the Commission.”

“We should not boast about using repression against the people we should always be tolerant…I have heard about a member who boasted that he arrested 15 women in one day….I wonder how he did this….did he have a bus?......to be honest, I am not pleased by the arrest of any one because I will be happy only when a case is tackled on the spot.”

The Arabic language daily Aleqtisadiah, which reported Al Shaikh’s comments, said he could not stop crying when he recalled his meeting with King Abdullah.

“The Monarch told me that I would take over a significant security body….he asked me to use tolerance and mercy with the citizens and avoid hurting them…but he stressed that religion is a red line which must not be violated.”

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