Job Discussion Forums

[huntjuliehunt]

Do they ever have friendly conversation or smiles with foreigners, do they leave them alone mostly, do they look for ways to harrass them, or what?
I want to know what to do about prayer times. If I'm in a coffee shop or restaurant, or mall, do I just go and sit outside and that's considered respectful? Can I walk around outside, leisurely? If not, can I walk outside trying to get myself home?
If I'm not close to home, I don't want to be trapped outside and harrassed, so please inform me on what to do during the prayer times.
When are the prayer times anyway?

[007]

[Cleopatra]

These days, the mutaween mostly keep a low profile, and in any cases they have never been much in evidence in cities like Jeddah or Al Khobar.

[globalnomad2]

I'm not convinced by claims that the muttaween are less visible nowadays. Some colleagues of mine set up our university booth at an education fair in Damman a couple of weeks ago and the muttaween went around intimidating everybody and confiscating things like gold chains from local students. Same old story--religious insanity.

When I was in Saudi it was extremely common for not only the real muttaween but also the self-appointed ones to harass foreigners. It happened to us in Jeddah all the time, although more commonly by the self-appointed ones.

The US embassy often sent circulars describing beatings of westerners in the streets by mutaween in Riyadh. That was 15 years ago, so I'm sure all the apologists in this thread will claim this never happens nowadays and has never happened.

[Stephen Jones]

They screamed at a load of Canadian women in abayas and closed down a Canadian educational institutions stall and the Canadian embassy stall in an exhibition in Jeddah a couple of days ago.

[Van Norden]

In my 4 years in KSA I've had just one encounter with a muttawa. I popped out to do some shopping without realising the shorts I was wearing didn't cover my knees (funny, this bothers them, but my gut sticking out my t-shirt is completely acceptable.)

I don't know if this guy was a real muttawa or not (he didn't show me his badge) but he pointed at my shorts and said "A bit longer please." Well, no one talks to me like that. I went right up to him, my nose centimetres from his, and said "Who the *beep* are you to dictate what I wear?! Go *beep* yourself beardy wierdy!"

A small audience gathered round. To my surprise they started clapping. One man came up to me and, clasping my hand, said "Thank you. It's about time someone stood up to these infernal busy bodies." I became something of a folk hero in that neighborhood after this performance.

That's a true story, all except for my volley of expletives and the rapturous response I got from the crowd. In fact, I just nodded my head sheepishly and said something like "OK." I know which side my bread is buttered on. I view the muttawas in the same way as Halliburton must view Saddam Hussein. Dig?

Anyone else have a good muttawa story?

[globalnomad2]

Indeed ah do, suh. Well--semi-good. A big brawny lecturer named Jim and his wife were shopping at Safestway in Jeddah during the approximately 8 1/2 seconds when the store was actually open between prayer times. Jim was in another aisle while the wife was closing in on the checkout counter when some bearded nitwit, a self-appointed muttawah, disapproved of visible hair on her head. He yelled at her and soon began to shove while yelling. This was a big mistake...because...here comes Big Jim! "'EYYY! That's my wife you're got your hands on, you f****** dumb sonofa*****! Why you *^&%$%..."and so on, and Jim's next move was an attempt to send the guy flying through the wall....but you know how people usually restrain fighters in the kingdom (which I admit is not a bad thing).

Some things never change in the relationship between man and woman, and one of those things is...you do not push around another man's wife. I don't care what kind of half-baked flea-bitten country I'm in either...that's the rule.

My wife got her belly stroked in a supermarket once, by a teenage halfwit, when she was pregnant, but that wasn't a muttawah, just an idiot. They find pregnancy pretty sexy there. Ah, good woman--make 12 babies!

[dmb]

[TABING]

I've had mutawas in my classes in both the UAE and Saudi. Now while some were rabidly anti anything not Muslim (like putting up posters around the school warning other students that it was "haram" to wish us infidels a Merry Christmas), the majority of the ones that I encountered were usually nice and friendly. Of course this was in educational institutions and maybe they are a different type than the dirty thobed rabble that wander the souk looking for vice.

[Cleopatra]

[Queen of Sheba]

[Van Norden]

That's right Queenie. Hence my ambivalent feelings toward the muttawas: I'm miserable because of them, but I wouldn't be here without them.

[Queen of Sheba]

[cmp45]

I am amazed at the double standards with men and women's appropriate dress in public. There are lots of men walking around wearing tight T-shirts and tight jeans and heh nobody seems to make a fuss about that...or do they? Do you think the Mutawa harass men for wearing tight clothing? I think not, if so they would be too busy to bother harrassing the women. Have any men been approached and told that your jeans are too tight man! well maybe not on this forum LOL That would be embarrassing to say the least, but what about all these youngsters?

[Cleopatra]