Makkah newspaper

I GUESS all my thoughts and views are not sins, especially when it comes to the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia). I believe that the Haia, in its present form, is merely for avoiding blame, because neither it exists in the real form to carry out its mission effectively nor it is absent to say it has gone in the oblivion.

One may suggest that the ideal solution to this situation is to close down the organization and end its era of moral policing. This is somewhat a radical view. I think the best solution would be to widen its powers, expanding its scope of work in new areas.

I would like to propose that the Haia should handle issues other than morality. There are many other important areas where the organization can play a significant role by keeping them in order and preventing corruption.

In my opinion the Haia should be restructured bringing about changes in both form and substance. It should be like any other government department where any qualified Saudi jobseeker would be accepted without looking at his shape, like military sectors.

I would like to go further and call for the establishment of an institute to train officials to be employed by the Haia in order to carry out its mission in the best form without affecting the reputation of this great religious establishment.

When I talk about expanding the Haia’s scope of work to new areas, I mean protection of environment, preservation of public property, prevention of fraud and monitoring of markets. It should be given powers to detect all cases of fraud, and prevent damage to public property, environment, parks or any other matter that would have a negative impact on public life. The Haia should be linked with competent authorities to monitor and prevent such irregularities.

There is nothing wrong in changing the commission’s present structure and mission as it is not a sacred entity that cannot be touched. I believe that the Haia mission of preventing evil should not be limited to morality, despite its importance, or the adoption of a single religious opinion, incriminating individuals who do not accept that opinion.

I hope the Haia would become a more powerful organization if it is given the authority to monitor violations that damage environment such as throwing of garbage in public gardens and streets and fraudulent practices in markets. The presence of Haia officials should frighten those who harm environment or tarnish the image of parks by writing dirty words on its walls.

I know that some people will not like the proposal to transform the commission from a sacred entity into an effective government agency that works in every field where it has a role to pay in promoting virtue and preventing vice, making its doors open to all qualified citizens to work.

A person may be accused of heresy for demanding change in the structure of the commission to improve its image and reputation. But this would not happen in other government departments such as the General Authority of Civil Aviation and the Shoura (Consultative) Council, which would not consider demand for structural change as blasphemous.