Saudi religious police to learn English

Saudi Arabia’s feared religious police will have to undergo intensive English lesson courses as part of plans to allow its members to better communicate with non-Arab expatriates, a Saudi newspaper reported on Monday.

The courses will be mandatory for all “patrol members” of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, Aleqitisadiah said.

It quoted the Commission’s director general Sheikh Abdul Lateef Al Shaikh as saying the move is in line with a cabinet decision to upgrade the Commission’s performance and its role in the local community.

“These courses will be launched soon and they are designed to enable our men to better communicate with foreigners who cannot speak Arabic,” he said.

In recent comments, Al Shaikh spoke of plans to hire women in the Commission for the first time but said they would not be allowed to mix with male employees.

Oil-rich Saudi Arabia, one of the most conservative Moslem nations, has a population of around 28 million, including nearly eight million expatriates. A large number of the foreigners are from south Asia and other non-Arab countries.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.