Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — Princess Nora Bint Abdulrahman University has rejected a request by the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Haia) to open an office on campus, Al-Hayat newspaper reported on Sunday. The university's administration said there was no way such a request could be approved as the university is run completely by female staff and faculty members, according to an anonymous source. Earlier this month, a Haia vehicle tried to enter the university after the commission received a tip-off that a young man had sneaked inside to meet a student. However, security guards did not let the Haia members through. A picture showing the guards stopping Haia members from getting through the university went viral on Twitter. Faisal Al-Deraihim, lawyer and legal consultant, told Al-Hayat the Haia could not by any means force the university to grant it permission to run on-campus offices. He said: “This won't happen unless the university itself has allowed it. “The other option the Haia has is to get permission from the Ministry of Higher Education and the Council of Ministers.” The largest women-only university, which has female metro drivers, has been facing a barrage of criticism from hardliners ever since its inception a few years ago. The latest of this criticism came recently when pictures showing girls running in an on-campus marathon were posted on Twitter.
