RIYADH (Web Desk) – Saudi Arabia has arrested fifty young men for having haircuts or wearing necklaces and other adornments that it considers un-Islamic.
According to Saudi news website Sabq, the suspects were detained during a Ramazan crackdown in the city of Makkah.
“They were handed over to the department of criminal investigations,” said Sabq, which accompanied investigators during their visits to shopping areas in the city.
Officers noticed “a number of offences like strange haircuts, chains that are hung upon the chest or arms, head wraps and short clothes and immodest ones for both men and women.”
The law enforcement team, which included women, advised citizens against “habits and traditions that are against religious teachings.”
Women in Saudi Arabia dress from head to toe in black and are not allowed to drive or mingle with unrelated men.
But more than half of Saudi citizens are under the age of 25, an Internet-savvy generation that spends much of its life online away from official strictures.
One of the kingdoms most powerful figures, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 30, is leading the Vision 2030 reform drive to diversify the economy and also bring social change.
