“Firstly, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Humayen, general president of the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice is relieved from his position and secondly Sheikh Abdullatif bin Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman Al-Asheikh is appointed as the general president of the commission with the rank of minister,” the royal decree said.
An expert in Islamic jurisprudence and prolific writer, Sheikh Abdullatif is noted for his moderate stand on contemporary issues.
The sheikh is of the view that hard-line approach in the issue of ikhtilat (mixing in public places or in the presence of others in a dignified manner) is unjustified.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awstat newspaper in June 2010, Al-Asheikh said gender mixing was permissible under certain conditions. He also favored a ban on marriage of minor girls and demanded that believers should adhere to the decisions of rulers seeking welfare of citizens. He also backed the employment of saleswomen in women’s lingerie shops.
In the interview, Al-Asheikh made it clear that according to authentic sayings of the Prophet (peace be upon him) what is forbidden is khulwah (a man and woman meeting in seclusion) and not ikhtilat.  “The wisdom behind the ban on khulwah or undesirable gender mixing is to avoid creating situations that might lead to sin,” he said in the interview.
A holder of doctoral degree in Islamic sciences from the Imam Muhammad Islamic University, Al-Asheikh took his bachelor's degree from the College of Shariah in Riyadh in 1974 and did his master's in comparative jurisprudence in 1984.
His former positions include director general of investigations at the General Presidency, second assistant secretary general at the Council of Senior Religious Scholars and special adviser at the Riyadh governorate.