Saudi crackdown on colourful gowns

Saudi Arabia has launched a crackdown against ornamented female gowns, confiscating thousands of the dresses in a surprise raid on markets in Riyadh by the Gulf Kingdom’s most feared Islamic law-enforcement group.

Members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice stormed several markets in the capital this week and seized a large quantity of garnished gowns on the grounds they are no longer allowed in the country. One shop said all its nearly 7,100 gowns were impounded.

Reporting the raids, the online Arabic language daily Wojooh said all the gowns were black embroidered with golden threads and other colours, adding that scores of shops in various markets were raided without prior notice.

“Those who sell such gowns were arrested for one day and were made write statements pledging not to sell these gowns in the future,” the paper said. “In case they repeat the offence, they will be deported from the country.”

Quoted by the paper, a dealer said members of the Commission raided his shop and seized around 7,100 gowns worth nearly SR2.13 million. They also detained all his workers for one day and forced them to write statements.

“We were treated very badly by these officials….I had to pay a lot of money to get my workers out on bail just to return to an empty shop…some of the confiscated gowns are not even embroidered by any colour,” a dealer said.

The paper quoted Commission spokesman Turki Shaleel as saying those members raided the markets on orders from the Commission, adding they had instructions to seize any gown or similar items that do not meet the specifications outlined by the Commission and provided to dealers.

“We have warned them many times but some of them are not abiding by the rules…we have told them not to make or sell any gowns that are emblazoned or garnished with different colours,” he said.

He said such rules have been issued by the so-called Committee for the Following up of Anti-religion Acts at the Ministry of Interior.

But the paper quoted an official at the Ministry of Interior as saying:”I have never heard about this committee at the Ministry.”

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