The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia) has rejected a local newspaper report claiming it had ordered a bookstore to remove the work of two prominent authors from its shelves.
Abdulrahman Al-Jabiri, spokesman for the Haia in Makkah, said the commission did not issue the order for a local branch of Jarir Bookstore to remove the books of Salman Al-Oda and Tareq Al-Suwaidan.
"This news is false and the Haia has communicated with the person responsible at the branch, Hassen Al-Ghamdi, to check what happened."
Al-Jabiri said Al-Ghamdi wrote to the Haia saying he had not received any orders from the commission to remove the books of the two authors. Al-Ghamdi had also conveyed this message to a Ministry of Information official, during a phone call he received from the official.
Al-Jabiri slammed the newspaper for publishing an article without verifying the facts with the Haia. He said the commission is entitled to take action against the newspaper for the false report.
Haia denies removing books
