50 Lashes: Saudi Arabian Woman Who Called Morality Police Liars Sees Sentence Upheld


There are 50 lashes for a Saudi Arabian woman ahead, according to a judge who has upheld a sentence dished out to her. The woman reportedly cursed at the morality police and called them liars, and she now will receive both a month in prison and the lashes.

According to Reuters, the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue, typically called the morality police, has been in place in Saudi Arabia since 1926. They monitor the streets and other public places and enforce strict dress codes and store closures for prayers. It seems that this case of the 50 lashes for the Saudi woman came after the businesswoman got into an argument with the morality police. This is just the latest in a growing number of incidents where the morality police are criticized for their actions.

Saudi Religious Police gather to confer with regular police.

An appeals court has upheld the Saudi’s 50 lashes and prison sentence, which was initially put into place by a Jeddah district court. Reports indicate that the incident came about when the morality police entered the woman’s cafe to check on things, and some employees allegedly ran away due to immigration issues. The woman argued with the morality police, and now she faces harsh consequences.

Many headlines have come about this year over the Saudi’s 50 lashes punishment, which has come up frequently. As the New York Times noted in July, an Iranian journalist named Marzieh Rasouli was taken into custody to begin a two-year sentence, along with receiving 50 lashes. She allegedly participated in street protests in 2009 and put out anti-government “propaganda.”

Earlier this year, a teacher in Dammam was sentenced to 30 days in jail and 50 lashes for allegedly handing a male student a piece of paper with a flirty message on it. Gulf News reports that the male teacher was reported to the administrators and the sentencing was hailed by many as actually being too lenient. Reports indicate that the teacher also loses his salary for three months and will be moved to an administrative position.

Another recent incident regarding 50 lashes in Saudi Arabia making headlines involved a sports journalist. Mohammad Shanwan Al-Inizi was prohibited from using Twitter for three months and he was sentenced to 50 lashes and three months in jail for allegedly defaming two Saudi soccer club presidents on the social media site, as noted by Arab News. Another man, as previously reported by the Inquisitr, received 80 lashes for criticizing a singer via Twitter.

Will this unnamed woman find a way to avoid the jail time and 50 lashes in Saudi Arabia? Will her speaking up make an impact on how the morality police conduct business in the area? Many will be watching to see what happens next.

[Image via speroforum.com]

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