The Saudi religious police (the mutaween) descended on a group of Canadian women at an education exhibition in Jeddah and closed their booth.

RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi organizers of an education exhibition in the conservative kingdom closed a Canadian booth because it was staffed by women, Canada’s embassy in Riyadh said on Monday.

They said organizers had said that women would be allowed to staff the booth promoting Canadian universities at a Middle East Education and Training Exhibition in the city of Jeddah last week.

“The closure of our booth was an unjustified, unprofessional act that damages the image of Saudi Arabia internationally,” a statement issued over the weekend said. “Prior to the event, we specifically inquired whether women staff would be permitted at the Exhibition and were told by the organizers, the Al Harithy Company, that they would.”

The organizers could not be reached for comment.

And the theocops weren’t even nice about it. It must have been a real thrill for them to scare and intimidate the infidel women.

George Chrysomilides, president of the Canadian Education Network, said there hasn’t been an incident like this in the 10 years Canada has attended the event, and he plans to get to the bottom of it.

“From what I hear … the religious police were very rude. They shouted at them in a way that was disrespectful and they shut down the booth, the Canadian embassy booth as well as the LaSalle College booth,” Mr. Chrysomilides said in an interview yesterday.