Saudis mock religious police for detaining a cross-dressing pastry-shop mascot

By Hugh Naylor and Sheikha Aldosary
February 10 at 9:34 AM

RIYADH -- When it comes to promoting traditional values, Saudi Arabia’s religious police have a notorious reputation. They regularly rebuke and detain women for wearing makeup or for not properly veiling, which they consider a violation of the kingdom's conservative interpretation of Islam.

But when members of the force detained an apparent cross-dressing bakery mascot (yes, you heard us right) last week, even Saudis seemed taken aback by the bizarre events.

The incident has gone viral here after images were posted on social media and a statement was released by the religious police, called the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. As part of a promotional campaign, a well-known pastry shop in a southern suburb of the capital, Riyadh, had a man dress in a costume depicting an unveiled Muppet-like woman wearing ample makeup and a blue gown.

The costumed man, who could not be reached for comment, appeared in photographs posted on Twitter and Instagram to be greeting potential customers. But the attire exposed a little too much, apparently prompting a number of complaints. In Saudi Arabia, women generally must cover their hair and, in some areas of the country, faces.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/02/10/saudis-mock-religious-police-for-detaining-a-cross-dressing-pastry-shop-mascot/