By Hakim Shatir | Riyadh
Saudi Arabia isn't exactly the right place to be getting all cozy and comfortable and lovey dovey in public. It is absolutely not the place to be hugging random people in the streets.
That is what this young man discovered much to his chagrin. Impressed and inspired by a viral YouTube video, Abdulrahman al-Khayyal decided to go and pass out 'free hugs' to everyone he met on the street in Riyadh, the capital city. So, carrying a placard, he and a friend stepped out into the streets to spread the love. A three-minute video of the two on the streets of Riyadh went viral soon after they were arrested.
Prior to launching his cuddling campaign, he had announced on twitter that he was going to offer free hugs in Tahliya, one of the main shopping streets of Riyadh.
However, the two men were arrested by members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice for violating local laws and engaging in "exotic practices".
The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice is charged with enforcing the government's Sharia law. Also known as the Mutaween, the commission had come under heavy criticism in 2002 after they had prevented girls from escaping a burning school because they were not wearing headscarves and abayas. Fifteen girls had died and more than 50 were injured in the blaze.
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