Reason.com - Free Minds and Free Markets
Reason logo Reason logo
  • Latest
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Subscribe
    • Crossword
  • Video
  • Podcasts
    • All Shows
    • The Reason Roundtable
    • The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie
    • The Soho Forum Debates
    • Just Asking Questions
    • The Best of Reason Magazine
    • Why We Can't Have Nice Things
  • Volokh
  • Newsletters
  • Donate
    • Donate Online
    • Donate Crypto
    • Ways To Give To Reason Foundation
    • Torchbearer Society
    • Planned Giving
  • Subscribe
    • Reason Plus Subscription
    • Print Subscription
    • Gift Subscriptions
    • Subscriber Support

Login Form

Create new account
Forgot password

Civil Liberties

Brickbat: Party Town

Charles Oliver | 2.15.2013 6:00 AM

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL
Media Contact & Reprint Requests
Large image on homepages | Kamtanoli375
(Kamtanoli375)
Courtesy of Kamtanoli375

Religious police in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, broke up a wedding party in a local mall and took the groom in for questioning. Officials told him such behavior was unacceptable.

Start your day with Reason. Get a daily brief of the most important stories and trends every weekday morning when you subscribe to Reason Roundup.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

NEXT: U.S. and Switzerland Sign Tax Deal Erasing Financial Privacy

Charles Oliver is a contributing editor at Reason.

Civil LibertiesWorldSaudi ArabiaReligion
Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL
Media Contact & Reprint Requests

Hide Comments (28)

Editor's Note: As of February 29, 2024, commenting privileges on reason.com posts are limited to Reason Plus subscribers. Past commenters are grandfathered in for a temporary period. Subscribe here to preserve your ability to comment. Your Reason Plus subscription also gives you an ad-free version of reason.com, along with full access to the digital edition and archives of Reason magazine. We request that comments be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment and ban commenters for any reason at any time. Comments may only be edited within 5 minutes of posting. Report abuses.

  1. Fist of Etiquette   12 years ago

    However, the celebrations drew the attention of members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, the public morality police, who broke up the event and took the groom in for questioning.

    Saudi Crockett and Tubbs on the job.

    1. AlmightyJB   12 years ago

      That idea gives Bloomberg a woody.

  2. PS   12 years ago

    In a local mall! Inconceivable!

  3. Counterfly Guard   12 years ago

    What is Saudi now, some kind of Banana Republic? I know partying is a hot topic over there, but all the wedding guy was trying to do was pick up some American apparel. Then the fun police go all Au Bon Pain on his ass. I don't give a yankee candle what kind of punishment they'd give me, put those cops in the body shop.

    1. Fist of Etiquette   12 years ago

      You make me sick. No Orange Julius reference?

      1. Counterfly Guard   12 years ago

        One time I was in an Orange Julius, and there was this old lady working there. She was like loading up one of the disgusting froth machines with whatever foul substance they run on. And she had this big clear plastic bag of probably 3-5 gallons of ochre sludge on her back and she was walking towards the machine from the back room.

        The bag starts slipping backwards and she reaches up to grab the other end, but this has some kind of fluid dynamic reaction. Her face starts a slow motion "oh shiiiiiitt....", and her reaching basically tips the bag more to the back, so the it falls on the floor and busts. She's off balance from losing the sack weight so immediately and she falls down too.

        I'm like waiting to pay a completely nonplussed younger worker at the cashier, and she's basically just blinking at me since her comrade fell. So I just left the fiver on the counter and walked out.

        I told this story one time to some friends while we were all drunk and they loffed and loffed and loffed.

        The end.

    2. db   12 years ago

      My Auntie Ann experienced a situation just like this recently. She was alleged to have stolen a waldenbook and they had her in for questioning to find out if she was hiding a victoria's secret. Luckily for her, she took it to food court and was able to produce a receipt which she had saved n her foot locker. Thank god for our right to a jury of our pier ones!

  4. db   12 years ago

    Did they have a permit for this gathering? Were sugary sodas being served? Smoking in public? Did they not purchase enough carbon offset credits to cover the environmental cost of the DJ's sound equipment?

    1. JeremyR   12 years ago

      Don't forget the bunny inspectors.

      http://bobmccarty.com/2011/05/.....magicians/

      Okay, probably not too likely , since magicians rarely appear at weddings, and there probably aren't many in Saudi Arabia (since magic is probably a no-no, too)

      1. LTC(ret) John   12 years ago

        If you had someone doing a magic trick, they get stoned to death for witchcraft/sorcery!

        1. Counterfly Guard   12 years ago

          It's Saudi, they don't do stoning.

          They'd just cut off his hat in the public square.

      2. AlmightyJB   12 years ago

        I've never heard of them going to Warty's house looking for hamster permits. Or John's house looking for pig permits. Also, is that the best picture Bob McCarty has of himself? He looks like a ghoul.

      3. SIV   12 years ago

        "I figure most people would just pick it up by the handle," Marty replied. It was at this point the inspector showed Marty the clause in her book that says verbal abuse of an inspector is a felony punishable by up to one year in prison.

        So is it a federal case because these small-time magicians ocasionally cross state-lines? COMMERZ CLAUSE!!1!

        Are there "dove police" and can no magician do the classic trick where you behead white and black doves and then "misinstall" the heads? I think changing public sentiments since the late 19th century may have reduced the popularity of that great effect.

    2. JW   12 years ago

      The NYC Commission for the Promotion of Privation and the Prevention of Indulgence is taking notes.

      1. LTC(ret) John   12 years ago

        I'd laugh if that didn't cut so close to the truth.

    3. AlmightyJB   12 years ago

      "There is no dignity in what you have done"

      To be fair the bride and groom were doing the retarted wedding couple "I like Big Butts" dance so they did have a point. THat's offensive in every country.

  5. Fatty Bolger   12 years ago

    Hey, did you see the article's picture? I could practically see an outline of the bride's face through her veil! What a slut!

    1. JW   12 years ago

      I'll be in my hijab.

  6. JW   12 years ago

    Paul al Blart: Mall Scold.

  7. JeremyR   12 years ago

    Hmmm, much less amusing is this story listed as "Popular" on the linked story:

    "Riyadh: A Saudi man working with the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice recently killed his daughter for converting to Christianity.

    According to sources close to the victim, the religious police member had cut the tongue of the girl and burned her to death following a heated debate on religion.

    The death of the girl sent shockwaves and websites where the victim used to write with various nick names have allocated special space to mourn her, while some others closed temporarily in protest. "

    1. db   12 years ago

      Sickening. This is "honor?"

      1. JW   12 years ago

        It will all be detailed in next month's Modern Arab magazine:

        -How to Tell if Your Daughter is a Whore
        -The Top 10 Signs That Your Neighbor is an Infdel
        -How to Reduce Your Swine Footprint
        -Stoning: This Year's Top Honor Killing Craze!
        -Top Celebrities Apostasies

    2. RBS   12 years ago

      I'm sure the Jezzies will be all over this one.

  8. Oso Politico   12 years ago

    Dhahran is the closed community of Saudi Aramco, where I lived for 15 years. There is no mall and the religious police do not come in. The news article probably refers to the nearby town of Al Khobar.

    1. CatoTheElder   12 years ago

      The mall is actually located in Khobar.

  9. Lost_In_Translation   12 years ago

    As a culture, SA is still trying to escape the dark ages. Iran is a paragon of modern civility in comparison.

    1. AlmightyJB   12 years ago

      It's funny (or not) how they look at it exactly opposite. They're the civilized one's and we're the barbarians.

  10. The Late P Brooks   12 years ago

    I told this story one time to some friends while we were all drunk and they loffed and loffed and loffed.

    The end.

    NEEDZ MOAR FACE GNAWING

Please log in to post comments

Mute this user?

  • Mute User
  • Cancel

Ban this user?

  • Ban User
  • Cancel

Un-ban this user?

  • Un-ban User
  • Cancel

Nuke this user?

  • Nuke User
  • Cancel

Un-nuke this user?

  • Un-nuke User
  • Cancel

Flag this comment?

  • Flag Comment
  • Cancel

Un-flag this comment?

  • Un-flag Comment
  • Cancel

Latest

69 Percent of Americans Say American Dream Is Not Dead

Autumn Billings | 7.4.2025 8:30 AM

With Environmental Regulatory Reform, California Gov. Gavin Newsom Finally Does Something Substantial

Steven Greenhut | 7.4.2025 7:30 AM

Celebrate Independence Day by Insulting a Politician

J.D. Tuccille | 7.4.2025 7:00 AM

Independence Day Reminds Us You Can Be American by Choice

Billy Binion | 7.4.2025 6:30 AM

Brickbat: Friends in High Places

Charles Oliver | 7.4.2025 4:00 AM

Recommended

  • About
  • Browse Topics
  • Events
  • Staff
  • Jobs
  • Donate
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Media
  • Shop
  • Amazon
Reason Facebook@reason on XReason InstagramReason TikTokReason YoutubeApple PodcastsReason on FlipboardReason RSS

© 2024 Reason Foundation | Accessibility | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

r

Do you care about free minds and free markets? Sign up to get the biggest stories from Reason in your inbox every afternoon.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

This modal will close in 10

Reason Plus

Special Offer!

  • Full digital edition access
  • No ads
  • Commenting privileges

Just $25 per year

Join Today!