After repeated assurances, Saudi Arabia has announced legislation that reduces the authority of the controversial Islamist police.
Officials said the Saudi Cabinet has approved legislation that would limit the power of the religious police, formally the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.
The religious police prevent women from driving, require them to be covered from head to foot in black, ban public entertainment and force all businesses, from supermarkets to petrol stations, to close for prayers five times a day.
The new law was approved on Jan. 28 after numerous official statements that the commission would not have the power of arrest or criminal investigation. [WorldTribune.com] Read more
