This is an article I found on AOL news. It describes how a 75 year old woman in Saudi Arabia was sentenced to four months in jail and forty lashes for asking two men to deliver her five loaves of bread.
Granted I understand Islamic beliefs are much different than Catholic and other beliefs but this seems extremely harsh. She is a recent widow and only asked for a loaf of bread. According to the article women are not allowed to mingle with men that are not immediate family. The "religious police" as they call it convicted her and she is not currently carrying out her sentence because of appeals.
I believe the "religious police" are an outrageous idea. Even Saudi's are complaining that they have been overstepping their boundaries more and more.
This is just another example of the differences between Middle Eastern culture and American culture, even so I don't see how you can defend such action and punishment, even if you are from that region.
I agree that the concept of a "religious police" is extreme and very scary. It is extremely unfortunate that people's daily lives are constantly monitored and held to a moral standard in which they may not necessarily believe. However, religious freedom in Saudi Arabia is virtually non-existent. All Saudi Arabian citizens are required to be Muslim and there is no protection of individuals' right to practice their chosen religion. I am fairly certain that there have even been allegations of forced conversions by the government. When examining cases similar to this in which quality of life is compromised in favor of religious practice, the priorities of the government become pretty obvious.
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