The Religious Policeman

Saudi journalist Rabah Al-Quwayi, a reporter for the Arabic daily Okaz, likes to hang around in some internet forums, the sort of forum where you also meet those religious types with beards as long as their fists. Perhaps he should have remained anonymous.

Another threat was made on Al-Quwayi’s life last month. The threat was made on the well-known fundamentalist website, Al-Sahat. “They took a sentence that I had written earlier out of context. In a long article I wrote in a discussion of the Holy Qur’an and posted on the Internet, I said that ‘nothing should be taken for granted.’ The fundamentalists then concluded that I did not believe in the Holy Qur’an and so I should be killed.”

In the West, the "Porgy and Bess" musical has the words

"It ain't necessarily so,
It ain't necessarily so,
De t'ings dat yo' li'ble
To read in de Bible,
It ain't necessarily so."

However, in Saudi, we don't go in for such scriptural analysis. As you see, it could ruin your health.

More recently, he commented on the case of schoolteacher Muhammad Al-Harbi.

“I wrote that the only logical explanation for Al-Harbi’s case is that he is against terrorism and some religious people seem to support terrorism and so Al-Harbi, by disagreeing with them, is against religion. It is confusing,” Al-Quwayi explained.

Oh dear, we have a liberal in our midst. Time to send him a stronger message.



So his windscreen got broken. However they did leave a note of explanation.

“In the name of God, the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful: This time it is your car but next time it is you. Return to your religion and forsake heresy. This is the last warning.”

"In the name of God...." The opening words of The Noble Quran.

We are truly blessed to have the most devout and pious hooligans in the world.




(from the "Arab News")