RIYADH, 12 March 2007 — A member of the public wearing a bisht (the dark cloak worn over the thobe by Saudi officials) arrived at the Riyadh International Book Fair last week seeking to enforce his own views of what is permissible and impermissible in Islam.

According to Riyadh police, the man tried to convince people that he was a member of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.

“We can confirm that the man was indeed arrested last week,” said police spokesman Maj. Sami Al-Shuwairekh. “The investigation is not over and he will be dealt with according to the law,” he added.

Al-Shuwairekh told Arab News that the man was a security officer working in a government department under the Interior Ministry. The police spokesman did not divulge the man’s rank and neither did he specify the exact government body he worked for.

“The result of the investigation will be announced once it is completed,” he said, adding that the man had taken a vacation from his work in his hometown of Wadi Al-Dawasir and had arrived in Riyadh shortly after the book fair began.

Al-Shuwairekh added that when the organizers of the event asked for the man’s credentials, the man was unable to provide any and merely said it was his duty “to prohibit the spread of vice.”

The book fair organizers later contacted police who arrested the man. It is unclear what the procedures are in such cases and whether the man will be produced in court.

The announcement of the arrest comes days after a senior official from the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice proposed the idea of enforcing a uniform for all field members.

The issue was discussed in the Shoura Council last year. While some members argued that it would deter fraudsters and impersonators, others said the current procedure of having a nametag would suffice. The council voted against the proposal.

Speaking to journalists last week in Madinah, Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Ghaith, the commission’s president, said the proposal of enforcing a uniform was still under study.

Commission members currently display nametags on their thobes when in public. Although this is an official requirement, many members fail to show their nametags causing confusion and doubt in public.

Commission Member Attacked

A member of the commission was beaten unconscious by a gang of 20 in front of a shopping mall in Dammam. Police officers managed to arrest seven members of the gang and are still looking for the rest.

According to police, the commission member was assaulted for “merely doing his job”. He was taken to hospital for treatment.