By PZ MYERS - PHARYNGULA
Added: Tue, 18 May 2010 03:42:35 UTC

Original link

In 2002, 15 young girls burned to death in a school fire because firemen were not allowed by their religion to enter and rescue females who might not be covered head-to-toe in concealing clothing. In fact, religious police had actively hindered the escape of the girls, with reports that they were hitting them and pushing them back into the building, because they were trying to run out without putting their head coverings on first.

Now, in 2010, the religious ministry has given orders to the religious police to allow even male rescue workers to enter girls' schools in an emergency.

Wow. So it only took them 8 years to figure out that maybe lives are more important than modesty.

___________________________________________________________

Raiko also sent in a link to a German publication and a translation

I have not found this information in English yet, but within German
newspapers, this same snippet from the "Saudi Gazette" keeps popping up
everywhere

(Here for example:
http://www.focus.de/panorama/welt/religion-saudi-arabien-feuerwehr-darf-maedchen-retten_aid_508887.htm)

Translated text:

---

Saudi-Arabia: Fireworkers may rescue girls

From now on, Fireworkers in Saudi-Arabia may also rescue girls. Eight
years after a fire broke out in a girl school in Mekka, the ministry
for education of the strongly muslim country has drawn the
consequences from a scandal that cost the lives of 15 female students.


The newspaper "Saudi Gazette" reported on Monday that the ministry has
given the school leader and the safety personnel "clear orders" that
rescue personnel need to be allowed to go into the girl school in case
of an emergency.

In any other country in the world this would be self-evident. But in
the pilgrim city Mekka, guards of the islamic religion police had
hindered school girls in 2002 from leaving the burning school
building. The reason: The girls did not wear headdresses and no long
clothes. Eye-witness had reported at the time that the religion police
had even been hitting the school girls. Workers from the office for
the advancement of virtue and prevention of vice are still watching
the girl school of the islamic kingdom today. They take care that
nobody violates the state-decreed separation of the genders. Because
no man or boy may enter the school premises and the girls are taught
only by female teachers, they usually take off their headscarves and
black robes at the entrance.

TAGGED: HUMAN RIGHTS, MORALITY, RELIGION