A member of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia) verbally abused the chief of the organization, Sheikh Abdullatif Al-Asheikh, at a mosque on Sunday, according to a local newspaper. Turki Al-Shulail, spokesman of the Haia, said the incident happened shortly after the noon prayer in the mosque at the Haia headquarters in Riyadh.
“A Haia staff member approached the sheikh and started talking to him in an impolite manner using derogatory words even though the sheikh gently asked him to calm down. However, the man continued his impudent manner of speaking and upset the worshippers, until some security officers led him out of the mosque,” the daily quoted Al-Shulail as saying.
Meanwhile, the organization said a Haia man was hurt while trying to arrest a man for allegedly insulting a woman. The man is in custody and an investigation is underway.
According to sources, the Haia chief contacted the victim to check on his health.
Mohammed Alsharimi, deputy spokesman of the Haia in Riyadh, said the member broke some of his fingers while attempting to arrest the citizen on Saturday evening.
Alsharimi said the citizen has a criminal record. The injured member received treatment and is in good condition, he said.
There have been 25 cases of assault on Haia members in 2013 and 2014.