How Far They've Fallen

Remember Saudi Arabia's deadly anti-witchcraft squad, the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vices? After being responsible for a series of brutal executions of accused magical practitioners, the Saudi government reined in the organization last October. They likely did so because the religiously motivated prosecutions looked a little too much like classic witch hunts and they were getting a lot of bad publicity. That's a good thing for any Saudi in danger of being targeted, but at the same time this is just pathetic.

At least three men attending an annual culture festival in Saudi Arabia were kicked out of the country after religious police officers deemed them "too handsome" to stay. The men, delegates from the United Arab Emirates, were minding their own business at the Jenadrivah Heritage & Cultural Festival in Riyadh when members of the mutaween suddenly "stormed" the pavilion and removed the men by force.

"A festival official said the three Emiratis were taken out on the grounds they are too handsome and that the Commission [for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vices] members feared female visitors could fall for them," the Arabic-language newspaper Elaph reported this week. The Emirati delegates were subsequently deported back to their home country.

I mean, seriously? This is a group that used to inspire fear by beheading suspected witches, and now they're busy chasing good-looking people out of the country instead. That's like a former President of the United States speaking at a shopping mall opening. Apparently, instead of the formerly dreaded anti-witchcraft squad the Commission for the for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vices is now little more than the eminently mockable sex appeal police. I suppose that means they can still chase after witches, but only if they happen to be attractive ones.