Okaz I do not know why the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Haia) in Riyadh has chosen to train their members how to treat and deal with women and has forgotten about men. The truth is that most fights that take place every now and then between members of the Haia, who do not know how to properly communicate with members of the public, and members of the public involve men. Why the Haia has overlooked this fact and decided to focus on the treatment of women instead is something I do not understand. Common sense says that Haia members should be trained how to politely treat both genders without focusing on one gender at the expense of the other. Most of the incidents that have taken place over the past few months would not have happened in the first place if members of the Haia had received the necessary communication skills. Unfortunately, many Haia members end up having altercations with members of the public with tragic results. It is hard to justify why only women are being targeted by the Haia training program. Yes, women need is to be treated humanely and honorably, but men also deserve to be treated in this way. This is the right of both genders. The news story indicated that the training program would help trainees understand the nature of women, the psychological and social factors affecting them, the Shariah rulings and provisions on the treatment of women, and the proper methods for dealing with them. I have no clue what "the nature of women" means. However, I hope that trainees will not be led to misunderstand the meaning of this word. I hope the word "nature" does not mean that women are viewed in the same way that they have been viewed throughout history. In other words, women should not be depicted as emotional human beings who can be calmed down easily or as gullible persons who are easily deceived, frightened and ignorant; they should not be depicted in any way that does not reflect their true character. When people say women should be treated in a way that befits their nature, that statement is too general. They assume that all women have the same nature and that if they were to understand this then they would be able to deal with women properly. This is completely wrong. Women do not have the same nature and there are great differences among them. What works with one woman does not necessarily work with another.
