JEDDAH, 5 October 2003 — Sheikh Ibrahim ibn Abdullah Al-Ghaith, president of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, has admitted that his officials have held married couples for questioning when they were found in “suspicious circumstances”.
However, he pointed out that such detentions had rarely taken place. “This happens only if a man and woman are found in a suspicious place or when they behave in public as they do in private,” he told Al-Jazirah Arabic newspaper.
The religious police chief denied the allegation that his organization was engaged more in preventing vice than promoting virtue. “It’s the opposite which is true. The aspects of our mission — the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice — are complementary to one another. One cannot engage in virtuous deeds if surrounded by what is forbidden,” he pointed out.
Referring to accusations that commission officials were violating the privacy of individuals, Sheikh Al-Ghaith said his organization had always tried to preserve the privacy of individuals. However, he said violating the privacy of people engaged in forbidden acts was necessary in order to protect society from crimes.
He highlighted the significance of the commission’s mission. “The Prophet (peace be upon him) said that if anybody sees anything abominable, we must try to remove it by hand; if not, you must speak against it; if not you must hate it at least because it is the weakest of iman (faith).”
Sheikh Al-Ghaith said the commission took disciplinary action against officials who made mistakes in their duties. “They are like officials of any other government department. There is a royal decree to discipline civil servants,” he said, refuting claims that there was no system for disciplining commission officials.
At the same time, the president emphasized that his organization would not allow anybody to attack its staff without substantial reason. “We will do the maximum to protect the rights of our employees. At the same time our door is open to receive complaints and observations.”
Sheikh Al-Ghaith acknowledged that his officials might have made mistakes. “They are human beings and so make mistakes. We are not saying this just to condone what they do. We do hold them accountable for their mistakes in accordance with the law,” he added.
He called on the media to verify facts before writing articles critical of the commission. “There is a great deal of exaggeration in reports. Most of it is baseless,” he said. “We will not allow anybody to spread lies and made-up stories about us.”
The commission’s officials establish good contacts with members of society, including academics, university professors, writers and imams, he said. “Of course we expect our men to do more in this respect,” he added.
