Public Attacks On Saudi Religious Police Up

Saudi Arabia, one of the world's most conservative societies, has seen an increase in attacks by members of the public.

Saudi Arabia, one of the world's most conservative societies, has seen an increase in attacks by members of the public against its religious police, a newspaper reported on Saturday.

Al-Watan daily recorded 21 violent incidents during 2006 where Saudis had physically attacked some of the 5,000 members of the police officially known as the Organisation for the Promotion of Morals and Prevention of Vice. It did not give a figure for previous years.

The attacks included shootings and stabbings, added the paper, known for its editorial opposition to the body charged with upholding a tight code of public morality.

The newspaper suggested the attacks reflected general disaffection with the special police force, whose members have wide powers to patrol the streets and shopping malls and question individuals. They drive around in distinctive black sports utility vehicles.

Saudi Arabia imposes an austere form of Sunni Islam which prevents unrelated men and women from mixing, bans women from driving and demands that women wear a headscarf and a cloak.

The Interior Ministry has rejected calls to disband the group, which has been subject to increased public criticism in recent years for over-zealous efforts to enforce these rules.

The body's head, Sheikh Ibrahim al-Ghaith, defended its members and called for physical attacks to stop.

"I call for people to stop this and to defend the organisation's members who are only eager to preserve the security and honour of Muslims," the paper quoted him as saying.