Woman shopper ejected from mall for ‘not wearing gloves’
RELIGIOUS POLICE ALSO SAY SHE WAS SITTING TOO CLOSE TO A MAN
Saudi Arabia’s Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, the religious police, says that it has launched an investigation into a clip showing one of its members ordering a female shopper not to enter a shop and to go home instead.
The clip went viral amid claims the commission member, tasked with ensuring shoppers and shopkeepers comply with strict regulations, was upset the woman was not wearing gloves and that she looked “indecent”.
However, a source close to the commission said the member was alarmed to see the woman sitting inside the shop close to the male shopkeeper.
“There was only one small table separating them and their position prompted the commission member to intervene and to ask her to finish her shopping and leave the shopping area in the northern area of Hael,” the source said, local news site Al Marsad reported on Monday.
Bloggers divided
The woman reportedly did not respond and took her time leaving the shop.
“We are looking into what happened and we will take the necessary measures,” Fahd Al Amer, the spokesperson for the commission in Hael, said.
The 29-second clip became a sensation on Saudi social networks. The commission member was seen expressing shock over the way the woman was sitting cross-legged inside the shop and insisting she leave.
Bloggers were divided over the attitudes by both parties.
An Arabic hashtag was created on Twitter under the title ‘Commission member kicks out shopper for not wearing gloves’, allowing online users to post their comments that encompassed a wide spectrum of views.
One Twitter user, Fahd Al Butairi, posted a tweet under the hashtag, saying: “if she had worn gloves, the problem could have been solved”. The tweet was accompanied by a picture of boxing gloves, and was retweeted more than a thousand times.
Those who supported the commission member said the woman had put herself in the terrible position by behaving improperly.
“These women who are alone in the malls brushing shoulders with men from various nationalities had better comply with the instructions,” Tahaweel posted.
However, those who sided with the woman said that commission members needed to make sure they knew how to treat people and to avoid humiliating them.
The commission has launched a programme to train 17,600 members on field and office work.