Saudi religious police probe attack on Afghan woman in Makkah

A Saudi religious police officer is being investigated after he reportedly attacked an Afghan woman in a Makkah park earlier this week, local media reported.

The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice officer was on a field tour prior to the evening prayer when he reportedly beat the 27-year-old on her head, which caused bleeding from her forehead, Saudi Arabia-based al-Watan newspaper reported Friday.

The girl’s parents filed a police report on the incident and the girl was transferred to a hospital in the city where she will stay for one week, according to the newspaper which says it has a copy of the woman’s medical report.

The officer denied the allegations, claiming that he merely reminded her of the prayer time verbally and that her physical injuries were caused after she fell from one of the rides.

An investigation committee from the Commission discovered that that the officer suffered from “extreme rage,” which causes him and his colleagues some embarrassment in the field, said the newspaper.

After some mediation, the girl and her father, who works at a restaurant in the neighborhood, have retracted their complaint to the police. However, the Commission will continue the investigation.

The offending officer will either be moved to another area, or be completely taken off duty in the field, a spokesman for the Commission said, according to al-Watan.