AL-JOUF, 29 September 2003 — The Kingdom’s religious police have arrested 16 expatriate workers after raiding a house in Sakaka, the capital of the northern Al-Jouf region, for allegedly practicing sufism, Al-Madinah reported yesterday.
The paper said officials of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice entered the house at about 11 p.m. after receiving a tip-off. The officials seized a large number of videocassettes, magazines and other publications which the expatriates were using to spread sufism.
Al-Madinah said it learned that the religious police had arrested the leader of the group and confiscated a picture of him which his supporters venerated. The group has lived in the area for several years and has been in the habit of distributing sufi writings among the expatriate community. The commission’s officials have handed the group over to security authorities for further action.
In Alkharma, the commission’s officials also raided an expatriate house which was used as a place to produce and distribute pornographic films.
Commission sources told Al-Jazirah daily that the officials raided the house in the Nuzha district of Alkharma after observing illegal activities.
The raid was carried out under the leadership of Obaid Al-Osaimi and Ali Al-Subaie on Friday evening and the commission arrested all members of the group. They also confiscated videocassettes, computer discs, television and video sets and other equipment used in the production of pornographic films.
