The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (the Hai'a), is to set up a unified call and complaint center. Citizens who want to bring an incident of suspected vice to the attention of the Hai'a will be able to report the matter to the center. Sheikh Dr. Abdullatif Bin Abdulaziz Aal Al-Sheikh, the new Hai'a chief, urged citizens not to take matters into their own hands. “The Hai'a is the only authority authorized to take action against violators. No one else should become involved. Otherwise, it does more harm than good, and affects our image,” he said. He made the announcement during a meeting with senior staff of the Hai'a at his office on Tuesday, where he reminded them of the importance of their task. “King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, is keen to promote virtue in society and provide all services to citizens,” he said. He called upon Hai'a members to shoulder their responsibility and reiterated the need for wisdom and farsightedness when performing their duties. Al-Sheikh also emphasized giving special training to Hai'a members so that they can do their job in line within the provisions of Shariah. He promised to issue booklets to the Hi'a staff containing Shariah guidelines to help for them set a virtuous example for the public. Meanwhile, several people have praised Al-Sheikh's decision to end cooperation with freelancers or volunteers. Wala Al-Sharani, a university student, said: “Some Hai'a members criticize the uncovering of the face while we youth look at it as personal freedom. If we try to explain our opinion, they react immediately and start using loud, abusive language. By doing so, they forget that Almighty Allah in His Book stressed the importance of guiding people with wisdom and eloquent preaching, as well as discussing with them in ways that are best. “They insist that we must obey them. The problem starts if you utter a single word or try to express your opinion. This shows that there is a lack of understanding on their part of the rights guaranteed by Shariah. Being women, we need an awareness body that is run by women in the Hai'a. They are more capable of addressing their own gender,” she said. “We do need the help of the Commission in many cases, especially those involving blackmail, harassment and the like,” she added. Saud Al-Saqar spoke about the criteria used for selecting Hai'a staff. “It is not necessary that Hai'a members be religious. Criteria, such as the ability to deal with difficult situations, diplomacy, farsightedness and decency should be considered while selecting those who want to join the Hai'a,” he said. “The problem occurs when the Hai'a selects overenthusiastic young men. It should be borne in mind that these young men lack experience in dealing with people. Most problems occur because of this,” Al-Saqar said. __
