MAKKAH, 12 March 2007 — The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice concluded in Makkah yesterday a two-day meeting that was presided over by Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Ghaith, head of the commission, and attended by managers of the commission’s branches across the Kingdom.
The meeting was held to review the commission’s nationwide performance and to discuss new ideas and share visions. The meeting also discussed the various administrative and field obstacles that the commission faces.
In a press conference held afterward, Al-Ghaith said the commission’s work is open for all to see. He added that the commission was not afraid to have its work reviewed. “We have received representatives from the National Society for Human Rights and we showed them our work and answered all their questions,” he said.
When asked about allegations that commission members abuse arrested people, Al-Ghaith said that the commission could not picture that a man who is selling liquor or drugs or harassing women would allow himself to be arrested easily.
“I cannot picture these people to love the commission. They hate commission members simply because they have arrested them and stopped them from harming society. It is normal that criminals hate the commission because we have stopped them from doing what they like the most,” he said, adding that commission members are patient and in most cases of assault, charges are dropped.
Al-Ghaith said that the commission is working on bringing together different viewpoints. He added that Islam urges Muslims to be good to others and that is the main objective of the commission.
Al-Ghaith said the commission would employ women if there is an immediate need for their services.
Responding to a question about why the commission is not answering allegations raised against it in the media, Al-Ghaith said that the commission reads what is written in newspapers and looks at the advantages and disadvantages of replying. If it is in the best interest of the commission to respond, then the commission will.
Al-Ghaith confessed that the commission strove to stop the broadcast of the episode of Tash Ma Tash that featured the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. “The episode made fun of commission members. The episode made its way to the Internet and that is the responsibility of those that leaked it,” he said.
Al-Ghaith said that the commission and the Information Ministry cooperated together at the Riyadh Book Fair. He added that the commission arranged for the withdrawal of some books that do not comply with Islamic teaching. He admitted that certain banned books were available and said “some books were sold and those books were banned by the Information Ministry.”
The Riyadh Book Fair, which is an international event held once a year, displayed over 200,000 books from 600 publishers from across the world. Many of the books displayed at the book fair were hitherto prohibited by Saudi customs from entering the Kingdom.
