Sabria S. Jawhar
ALLEGED violations and abuse of authority by some members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice are making headlines in Saudi Arabia these days.
Even as readers drew their breath on learning about the death of a young man in the Commission’s center in Riyadh came news of another such death in Tabuk and pictures of a student who, according to his father, was beaten up by Commission members in Najran – all within a period of just 10 days.
Last week, though, as murder investigations got underway against some Commission members on the charge of forced entry into a house and beating to death of a Saudi citizen, Commission officials appealed to the public not to jump to conclusions and asked the media to be fair and balanced in their coverage. Yet, some of them fell into the very same trap they were warning against by defending their colleagues even before the result of the investigation came out.
Media focus on the ways of some the Commission members came almost at the same time as the release of a report by the Saudi National Human Rights Association (NHRA) on the human rights situation in the Kingdom. The report highlights the importance of reviewing the authority given to the Commission since it sees some overlap with the authority given to other government’s establishments. Nevertheless, we are not here to criticize or evaluate the Commission’s authority as this should be left to specialists and based on facts and numbers.
Our discussion here will be limited to the reasons behind the recent rise of violence in Saudi society from the domestic level to a schools, prisons and now the very Commission that is supposed to be guarding the door of Islamic teaching.
Violence between some members of the Commission and citizens is not something new. The media has been reporting such cases of violence but none of them has reached the level of death in custody.
In the days ahead, we will know whether the Commission members are guilty or innocent. The question that will remain though is, what led the advocates of religion to violence in their own establishment? Aren’t they supposed to be advising people in a manner as to attract them to the religion? Aren’t they trained enough to deal with violence and avoid it when it uncontrollably erupts? What about those so-called freelancers? Are they trained enough to be able to verify the truth and make sure that a suspected vice is indeed taking place before reporting it to the Commission’s center?
Last year, the Saudi leadership issued a decree announced by Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of Interior, that said suspects apprehended by the Commission must be handed over to the regular police for questioning and subsequent trial in a court of law – Islamic law.
The decree underlined that last point on jurisdiction, saying the Commission’s role will end with the arrest. Another decree was also issued that prohibits the Commission members from using cars other than the official ones with the logo.
Based on these facts, is the hiring of freelancers a legal act? What are the limitations of their authority? Isn’t it a sort of interference in people’s private life? What is Islam’s point of view concerning spying by freelancers posing as ordinary citizens like you and me?
Have we got so familiar with the daily scenes of blood and violence in the media that we have become immune to them? Does alcohol trading or any other morality crime justify an act of cruelty or human rights violation?
These questions are not aimed at undermining the Commission’s role or doubting the good intention of its members. It is just a call for a national strategic plan to fighting increasing violence in our society and to establish social studies centers to research into not only this disturbing phenomenon but also the ideal actions that should be taken to establish a healthy and strong relationship between the religious establishments and the community. This relationship should be based on mutual respect, not fear and intimidation.
I believe that the time has come to revise the way religion is used in our government and non-government establishments. The use of religion for interference and imposing guardianship on people should be immediately and officially stopped before things get out of control. Religion is a holy relationship between a person and his God. It should not be imposed by force.
Monday, June 11, 2007
What after the Saudi Human Rights Report
IT’S not news to say that Saudi Arabia is a Muslim country that bases its constitution on the Islamic Shariah. It governs every single aspect of daily life in Saudi Arabia. It also sets out the system of government and rights of citizens.
Shariah has always guaranteed integration of human rights in every time and place. However, people in Saudi Arabia still cannot understand the idea that Islam is the same but its followers and its practice have been changing with time.
They still cannot believe that human rights might be violated in a country that bases its basic law on Islamic regulations. Thus, they have always been reluctant to take any steps towards issuing regulations that protect those rights and set penalties against their violators.
On Sunday, however, the Saudi National Human Rights Association (NHRA) published its report about the situation of human rights in the country. The report was the first since the establishment of the newly formed government-affiliated association.
Reading the report one cannot help but admire the noticeable transparency and the accuracy of the information given, especially if we compare it to those published by foreign organizations. To Saudis, those reports are, in most of cases, biased and superficial. They focus on controversial topics that Muslims deem non-negotiable. This fact and others have always created a strong negative and defensive reaction in Saudi society. It has also led to rejection of the reports regardless of their significance as an indicator of the way the world look at us.
But this should not necessarily be the case with the NHRA report as it is conducted and published by a Saudi government association. This gives the report more credibility and acceptance among Saudis.
It covers almost all areas where human rights might possibly be or are violated in the country. For instance, The Saudi judicial system has been recently criticized for not meeting the increasing demands of the rapid social change in the Kingdom. Complains are escalating about the reluctance to establish a family court that would help in solve the problem of delay in finalizing cases related to divorce and child custody.
Women’s situation inside the Saudi court has also been criticized and characterized as being biased. In most court proceedings, such as those involving divorce and family law, women are asked to deputize male relatives to speak on their behalf, which affects the verdict. No one better represents the woman than herself.
The report tackles issues emphasizing the importance of having an independent judicial system as well as protecting judges from pressure and interference. At the same time, it stresses the necessity of holding judges accountable for falling short in carrying out their duties.
The rights of the minorities in the country and the importance of finding out speedy solutions for their complains is also part of the report’s focus. The high percentage of unemployment, the outcome of education in its present form and discrimination against women covered a respectable part of the report.
The inappropriateness of the sponsorship system that governs citizen-expatriate relationship is also criticized. In fact, the report calls for abolishing that system, characterizing it as a violation of human rights.
It also calls for reviewing the authority given to the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. It states that such authority should be accurately reviewed and rewritten in a way that prevents possible abuse.
Generally speaking, the report is objective and touches the pain and sufferings of Saudi society. It reflects the transparency and patriotism of those who worked on collecting and reporting the facts. But since the association is only a supervising body that has no executive authority, the report will remain in word only, which will end up in locked drawers unless officials in the government bodies concerned use it as guideline for reform and change.
There should be a committee working under the umbrella of the Cabinet to follow up such reports and make sure that human rights violations are stopped or at least addressed. This committee should be given the authority to issue penalties against the government departments or ministries that do not act to prevent violations. It should report directly to the King so as to guarantee its independence.
Shariah has always guaranteed integration of human rights in every time and place. However, people in Saudi Arabia still cannot understand the idea that Islam is the same but its followers and its practice have been changing with time.
They still cannot believe that human rights might be violated in a country that bases its basic law on Islamic regulations. Thus, they have always been reluctant to take any steps towards issuing regulations that protect those rights and set penalties against their violators.
On Sunday, however, the Saudi National Human Rights Association (NHRA) published its report about the situation of human rights in the country. The report was the first since the establishment of the newly formed government-affiliated association.
Reading the report one cannot help but admire the noticeable transparency and the accuracy of the information given, especially if we compare it to those published by foreign organizations. To Saudis, those reports are, in most of cases, biased and superficial. They focus on controversial topics that Muslims deem non-negotiable. This fact and others have always created a strong negative and defensive reaction in Saudi society. It has also led to rejection of the reports regardless of their significance as an indicator of the way the world look at us.
But this should not necessarily be the case with the NHRA report as it is conducted and published by a Saudi government association. This gives the report more credibility and acceptance among Saudis.
It covers almost all areas where human rights might possibly be or are violated in the country. For instance, The Saudi judicial system has been recently criticized for not meeting the increasing demands of the rapid social change in the Kingdom. Complains are escalating about the reluctance to establish a family court that would help in solve the problem of delay in finalizing cases related to divorce and child custody.
Women’s situation inside the Saudi court has also been criticized and characterized as being biased. In most court proceedings, such as those involving divorce and family law, women are asked to deputize male relatives to speak on their behalf, which affects the verdict. No one better represents the woman than herself.
The report tackles issues emphasizing the importance of having an independent judicial system as well as protecting judges from pressure and interference. At the same time, it stresses the necessity of holding judges accountable for falling short in carrying out their duties.
The rights of the minorities in the country and the importance of finding out speedy solutions for their complains is also part of the report’s focus. The high percentage of unemployment, the outcome of education in its present form and discrimination against women covered a respectable part of the report.
The inappropriateness of the sponsorship system that governs citizen-expatriate relationship is also criticized. In fact, the report calls for abolishing that system, characterizing it as a violation of human rights.
It also calls for reviewing the authority given to the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. It states that such authority should be accurately reviewed and rewritten in a way that prevents possible abuse.
Generally speaking, the report is objective and touches the pain and sufferings of Saudi society. It reflects the transparency and patriotism of those who worked on collecting and reporting the facts. But since the association is only a supervising body that has no executive authority, the report will remain in word only, which will end up in locked drawers unless officials in the government bodies concerned use it as guideline for reform and change.
There should be a committee working under the umbrella of the Cabinet to follow up such reports and make sure that human rights violations are stopped or at least addressed. This committee should be given the authority to issue penalties against the government departments or ministries that do not act to prevent violations. It should report directly to the King so as to guarantee its independence.
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