Ever since Valentine's Day became popular in Saudi Arabia, the authorities' attempts to suppress this harmless bit of romanticismhave been widely mocked both inside and outside the kingdom.

The strange effect of their annual crackdown (as I pointed out in 2010) was that bunches of roses, heart-shaped objects and other lovey-dovey paraphernalia could be purchased in Saudi Arabia at any time of the year except for a few days around February 14. 

This year, though, there are signs that the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (the religious police) may at last be seeing sense. According to the Saudi Gazette, the head of the commission has denied any plans to close flower shops this year.

Police in Jeddah have also said they won't be restricting flower sales or "interfering with the rights of others and annoying families". We shall see whether they stick to that.

I have often thought that when Saudi Arabia's revolution comes it will be social rather than political in character: the first target for the people's wrath will not be the king but the reactionary busybodies who prevent change. Thanks to the Arab Spring, they are being challenged as never before and find themselves increasingly on the defensive.

It's not just on Facebook and the blogosphere. It's happening now in the kingdom's mainstream media too. Here's an example from Saudi Gazette columnist Khaled Batarfi on Tuesday, blasting away at the interfering attitudes of these "social intruders":

The idea is that "your business is my business, but mine is not yours." Why? Because, I am more religious, conservative and patriotic than you are. I know what is going on, even in your head and heart. I am aware of the conspiracy of local and global liberals to destroy this society. Since I am the self-appointed guard of virtue, it is my holy duty to fight you and your fellow conspirators with all means, even if not holy.

“Together, with my fellow faithful, we will protect our society from your moral decadence, even by force. And don’t tell me you are free to live your rotten Western lifestyle here, we won’t allow it, not even in your own home. We are the representatives of God and the guardians of his religion, and we have the right to correct your habits and dictate your ways. If you don’t like it, you may leave and live where it suits you. This is the land of Islam and holy places, and there is no place for liberalism and liberals.”

So whether you are preaching your beliefs or keeping it to yourself, you can’t be free or safe. Your neighbor will criticize the women in your family for not covering their face and “mutawwas” will put you in jail for driving your female colleague home, and your friends will hammer you for allowing your wife to work in a mixed environment. 

Posted by Brian Whitaker, 14 February 2013.