Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi

 

When Sheikh Abdullatif Al-Asheikh took over as head of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Haia), he launched a new watchword for the Haia: “Promotion of virtue and prevention of vice without doing any vice.” People were upbeat about this on the assumption that it represented the true spirit of the promotion of virtue and the prevention of vice advocated by the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).



However, in the real world, things were quite different. There were numerous accidents caused by members of the Haia. People at the helm of the Haia have succeeded one another. But this has not brought about any substantial positive changes in the outlook of the public toward this organization. The appointment of Asheikh was a signal showing that the Haia was embracing a path of reform especially when considering the fact that he is well-known for his moderate stance.



Asheikh took a number of initiatives aimed at bringing about positive changes in the conduct of some Haia members through a series of measures such as banning deadly car chases, restricting field duty to Haia’s officials, and holding training courses for field staff with a focus on having Haia staff behave gently and wisely with members of the public. 



However, despite all of the actions taken by the new Haia chief and all the efforts made, the desired outcome is still elusive. Many Haia members continue their old approach by repeating abuses and car chases, and by dealing harshly with members of society. This has led to the occurrence of fatal accidents as a result of deadly car chases and to dealing with others with mistrust.



There are several examples of this, such as the death of a man in Tabuk, which is suspected to have occurred as a result of his being tortured at a Haia center. In a deadly car chase involving a family in Baljurashi, the husband died and the wife lost one of her hands while their children sustained multiple injuries. Two brothers were killed in a similar chase in Riyadh on National Day.



The latest of such incidents also took place in Riyadh recently. Some members of the Haia harassed and attacked a British man and his Saudi wife while they were shopping at a mall in the capital city. Saudi media, especially social networking sites and members of the public took up this issue in earnest. This forced the Haia chief to establish a high level panel to carry out an extensive and immediate probe into the incident.



Within a few days,  the Haia issued an official statement in which it stated that the investigation into the incident had proved that the four-member group that attacked the British man were members of the Haia and that the man who jumped on the Briton, as seen in video footage, was the chief of the Haia team. It was also found that the three other Haia members had failed to implement the directives of the Riyadh Haia chief in handling issues of this type. It was also revealed that the Haia members tried to mislead the investigation committee and lied while giving testimony.



The probe committee came to the conclusion that the Haia team committed violations by objecting to the British man using a checkout counter for families at the supermarket despite the fact that his wife was present.



Even if there are violations, it is the prerogative of the mall management to take action. The investigation showed that the Haia members had failed to communicate with their shift supervisor. This runs contrary to the rule that states that Haia men must take instructions from the head of the Haia center before taking any action against anyone in the field, according to the statement.



It was also revealed in the probe that the Haia members manhandled the couple instead of handling the case in a professional and gentle way in line with the procedures laid out by the Haia for dealing with such cases. The panel noted that the British man and his wife are well-known, and as such there is no justification for the highhandedness of the team members.



“The Haia members aggravated the situation when they chased the Briton and his wife to their car and attempted to stop them,” the statement said while describing it as an isolated incident. “This incident does not represent the true nature of the  Haia and its officials who are exerting great efforts day and night in serving both citizens and expatriates through enlightening them or stopping them if they are making violations.



The Haia has formally apologized to the British man and his wife. The members of the team involved in the incident have been transferred outside Riyadh and have been assigned to administrative jobs.



There is no doubt that the Haia statement was brave and bold and aims at treating the expatriate victim fairly. The Haia’s formal apology to the British man and his wife will help soothe their feelings over the assault and the disgrace they suffered at the hands of the Haia staff. Although the Haia team members tried to evade their responsibility by resorting to lies and deception, they were exposed by the investigation panel with the support of substantial evidence.



However, there is one unconvincing aspect of the Haia statement and that is  the punishment given to the offenders. They were treated with leniency by giving them a punishment which is not commensurate with the gravity of the offense committed. Their transfer to a post outside Riyadh would be acceptable if they had committed a slight error. Similarly, assigning them administrative jobs instead of field work also cannot be considered adequate punishment for such a serious offense.



In any case, this is only the punishment for offending the rights of the general public. As for the offense to the private rights of those involved, this will be decided by the judiciary if the victim is not ready to waive his rights. It was said that the British man was under pressure to reach a compromise on the issue. He should not do so because the penalty for an offender would be an exemplary lesson for others in an organization whose offenses have harmed not only itself but the country as a whole.

 

 — Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi is a former Saudi diplomat who specializes in Southeast Asian affairs. He can be reached at algham@hotmail.com