MADINAH: Police and members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice have begun a campaign of apprehending youths who are indecently dressed in public, Al-Watan newspaper reported.
The campaign follows a directive issued in this regard by the Ministry of Interior.
The directive was issued to curb a prevalence of morally wrong habits among the youth that do not comply with Islamic law and local customs.
According to the directive, second-time offenders risk having their cases referred to the General Prosecution and Investigation Commission for legal action.
Col. Muhsin Al-Raddadi, official spokesman for Madinah police, said the Interior Ministry’s directive is aimed at curbing indecent clothing and behavior.
Ali Al-Seef, head of the Summary Court in Alkhobar, and Adnan Al-Dulaigan, a judge at the General Court in Dammam, agreed that the punishment would differ from one judge to another. Punishment could include jail time and lashes.
The two judges also agreed that the judicial system refuses to accept the testimony of witnesses who are dressed indecently.
The Interior Ministry’s directive calls on commission members and police officers to arrest violators, advise them and make them sign letters promising not to reoffend.
The directives was issued particularly to curb the prevalence of the low-waist jeans worn by youths.
The directive also called for speedy implementation of rules to prevent the prevalence of bad behavior among the youth.
Police sources say that all who have been arrested so far have been Saudi teenagers. The percentage of expatriates arrested has been very low.
