Camel-Herding Drunk Sentenced to 300 Lashes

DAMMAM, 4 July 2006 — An eighty-something Saudi man was arrested while crossing into the Eastern Province from Bahrain carrying several bottles of firewater, the daily Al-Watan reported yesterday. The old man confessed that he was a serious alcoholic, and that his greatest joy was to herd camels in the desert while drunk. He was sentenced to six months in jail and 300 lashes. According to the report, prisoners said they admired the old man for his open, unapologetic approach to his bootlegging boldness.