Time to modernize virtue commission

نيسان ـ

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TALAL ALHARBI

arabnews

Saudi Arabia is unique among the Muslim countries in what is called the religious police who are entrusted with the task of maintaining morality in accordance with the teachings of Qur’an. This department is called the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice or Haia.

This police have been in the field almost since 1925, but its traditional practices remained unchanged. Although, it has made some achievements in fighting narcotics and liquor smuggling and manufacturing, its members came under heavy criticism for not complying with the law.

To begin with, I want to say that I am one of the staunch supporters of Haia because it is an integral part of public life in the Kingdom. But that does not mean we should turn a blind eye and stop highlighting its mistakes or weaknesses. Being a supporter of Haia, I wish to see it improve and constructive criticism is important for the growth of an individual and an organization.

However, some people have exploited unfortunate isolated incidents to attack even the noble purpose behind the creation of this commission.

Before going into details, I want to point out that the role of the commission is supervisory, and that there are 18 police stations only in Riyadh against 48 centers for the commission. The reason for this large number is that people prefer to go to the commission to resolve some of their problems rather than going to the police.

One of my expatriate friends told me once that there is an empty space near his house, which some young men had turned into cricket playground due to which residents couldn’t park their cars or send their children out to play. My friend said that he had called the police many times but in vain, till one of his neighbors advised him to lodge a complaint with the commission, and when he did, the commission sent regular patrols to stop this nuisance, at least during prayer hours.

On the other hand, there are some abhorrent and unruly behaviors, especially when they are based on unreal tangible evidences. I personally have watched commission members interfering in some cases without any justification. For example, what justifies that the commission men approach a couple sitting in a park, a café or in a mall lobby and ask the man what is his relation with that woman and what proof he has? This behavior has become the norm. Legally, every man is innocent until it is proved he is guilty. Here the commission men are reversing this rule. This is unacceptable and is against the Islamic law and even our traditions.

It is provocative to be sitting in a public place with your wife, daughter or sister, and suddenly somebody comes to you and asks; who is this woman? If you say that she is your wife, he would ask for official papers. Just suppose that to one’s bad luck, he happens to be in this situation without these papers. What happens then? He would be in a labyrinth and only God knows how and when he will come out of it.

On the other hand, it is also a violation of people’s privacy. This is why some people react angrily and sometimes scuffle with the Haia men and get into trouble.

In addition to the negative social impact, these unwanted behaviors are among the reasons for regression of tourism in the Kingdom. This is not an accusation but a fact supported by figures. We are on the verge of economic liberalization that will be accompanied by many changes.

Therefore, leaving the situation as it is will make things worse. In the past, I called for an awareness campaign to publicize role of the commission to non-Saudis who plan to come to the Kingdom. But this time, I withdraw my suggestion because no one would accept infringement on his personal privacy. In fact, the pressure is skyrocketing, and even our youth are running away from it because we do not trust them.

What we need most is to have control over these people in implementation of the June 2007 government decision to create a “department of rules and regulations” to ensure the activities of commission members comply with the law.

We want the commission develop and update its practices and contribute to the progress of the society, its safety and purity, and to cope with the spirit of the 21st century. This is just a whisper, and I hope somebody would hear it.