Frederick's of Riyadh

Frederick's of Riyadh - By MAUREEN DOWD - The New York Times:

"The New York Times' Maureen Dowd has been visiting Riyadh, and an encounter with the Saudi Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice prompts an uncharacteristically good column. Accompanied by Crown Prince Abdullah's adviser Adel al-Jubeir (a pleasant enough fellow, in our experience), she's confronted in a Riyadh mall by the wacko religious police:

Suddenly, four men bore down on us, two in white robes, one in a brown policeman's uniform and one in a floor-length brown A-line skirt (not a good look). They pointed to my neck and hips, and the embarrassed diplomat explained that I had been busted by the vice squad.

"They say they can see the outline of your body," [al-Jubeir] translated. "They say they welcome you to the mall, which is a sign of our modernity, but that we are also proud of our tradition and faith, and you must respect that." . . .

I figured they'd shrink away upon learning that Mr. Jubeir's boss was Crown Prince Abdullah. But they didn't. I thought I'd catch a break because I'm an American Catholic, not a Muslim. I didn't. Apparently, the mutawwa are not on board with the Saudis' multimillion-dollar charm offensive to persuade America that the kingdom is not a hotbed of hostile religious zealots.

Mr. Jubeir asked whether I'd "placate" the mutawwa by putting on an abaya from a nearby shop. . . . I was loath to get shrouded up again to walk a few yards.

After the men argued for 15 minutes, I fretted that I was in one of those movies where an American makes one mistake in a repressive country and ends up rotting in a dungeon. I missed John Ashcroft desperately. The Saudis, after all, have been fighting with the U.N. Committee Against Torture so they can keep using flogging and amputation of limbs as disciplinary measures.

Finally, the mutawwa agreed to let me go, appeased by the promise that I would soon be leaving Saudi Arabia."