http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=95297&d=22&m=4&y=2007&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom
Sunday, 22, April, 2007 (04, Rabi` al-Thani, 1428)
Attacks on Vice Cops 'on the Rise'
Arab News
JEDDAH, 22 April 2007 - Attacks by the public against officials of the
Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice are on the
rise, according to a report published by Al-Watan daily yesterday.
The newspaper report said that there were at least 21 violent incidents
last year when citizens physically attacked members of the commission, which
has over 5,000 workers.
The newspaper partly attributed the different views over the role of the
commission, commonly referred to as Motawae, to the changes undergone by
society since the body was founded several decades ago. Members of the public
who spoke to the daily said that some commission employees were interfering in
sensitive private matters.
"They sometimes suspect people of unethical behavior when they are in
fact acting in accordance with Islamic tenets, leading to embarrassing or
humiliating situations," the paper said.
The commission is charged, among other things, with the task of enforcing
the segregation of men and women, who are not related by blood or marriage.
The paper said attacks against the religious police included shootings
and stabbings. The government has rejected calls to disband the commission,
which has been subject to increased public criticism in recent years for
overzealous efforts to enforce the rules.
Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Ghaith, president of the commission, defended its
members and called for physical attacks to stop.
"I call on people to stop this and to defend the organization's members
who are only eager to preserve the security and honor of Muslims," Al-Watan
quoted him as saying.
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