JIZAN, 21 March 2007 — In Saudi Arabia, the police can be called to intervene on a lot of family issues. For example, if a son disobeys his parents’ wishes to, say, stop chatting with girls on the phone and start going to mosque, the parents may call the police and have their son arrested. What happens then is usually a couple of days in a jail cell and a signature promising not to repeat the offense. Recently a father in this southern Saudi city called the cops after his son refused to go to high school, the daily Al-Riyadh reported recently. Jizan police Capt. Fares Saleh then accompanied the father in a heart-to-heart chat with the son, who was persuaded to take high school more seriously. Local police are now charged with monitoring this kid’s attendance. Well, that’s certainly one effective way to address the issue of truancy.
Man Exhumes Dead Father, Takes Bones
BAHA, 21 March 2007 — A man of undisclosed age has been committed to a mental institution after police arrested him in possession of his father’s bones, local papers reported. Police in this southern Saudi city, 280 km south of Jeddah, reported that the man had exhumed the bones of a his father who had died six years ago and took the bones home. Freaked out by the young man’s behavior, the family called the police and had the bones interned once again. The man has been diagnosed with mental problems, but you probably already figured that one out yourself.