Saudi Arabia’s religious police lose powers of arrest

Saudi Arabia has barred its religious police from pursuing suspects or making arrests, curbing the powers of an institution whose aggressive enforcement of the Islamic kingdom’s strict morality rules has drawn criticism from more liberal Saudis.

The force, which hardline clerics say is central to imposing Saudi Arabia’s austere form of Sunni Islam, patrol public spaces to enforce bans on alcohol, music, prayer time store closures, and the mixing of unrelated men and women.

It also imposes strict modesty requirements on women’s dress.