13 May 2009

JEDDAH: Ahmad Al-Ghamdi, the head of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice in Makkah region, is generally supportive of the Shoura Council’s call to include women as members of the commission. He said there was need for a “body that can penetrate women’s groups such as those in the education and business fields.”

“There is no other monitoring body that does this job (except the commission). I believe the presence of women, after educating them and teaching them the necessary procedures, would produce positive results,” he added.

The Shoura Council recently approved the inclusion of women members in the commission. The approval not only upset certain groups in the Kingdom but also sparked heated debates in Saudi society. Both women and men were quick to point out what they saw as the inherent contradiction in the move and they were vocal in their arguments against the recommendation.

The primary argument they presented was that the commission would go against itself by including women as members. The commission in general opposes women working and also considers the presence of women in public places as “khulwa” (unrelated men and women being together). How then could women serve as members of the commission? they asked.

The blatant inconsistency was pounced upon by Amina Kashgari, a Saudi columnist in Al-Watan newspaper. She asked: “Would it be necessary for a female commission member to have a legal guardian with her?”

Kashgari also raised the point that the commission is instrumental in opposing women working in the government sector and, more recently, it has also opposed women selling lingerie in shops.

She said that approving the Shoura’s recommendation was one thing but that its implementation could be catastrophic. It would give commission members an opportunity to go into women’s only groups and private ceremonies and would raise many questions about individual freedom. “If this recommendation is implemented, it will prove an obstacle for development and reform that the various (government) bodies in the country are working for,” added Kashgari.

A'azib Al-Misbil, the head of the Islamic, Judicial and Human Rights Affairs Committee in the Shoura Council, said such a recommendation cannot be implemented. "I, as head of the committee, voted against the recommendation, because the commission's work should be only fieldwork," Misbil said, adding that the council had approved the recommendation.

According to him, the recommendation to include women as commission members was made by three committee members, and was not a primary recommendation. Nonetheless, the council adopted it. Al-Misbil said the commission denied any plans to establish a women's section when asked about it in the Shoura Council.

The head of the Social, Family and Youth Affairs Committee of the Shoura Council, Talal Al-Bakri, also warned at the council session on Monday about approving the recommendation. Despite his objection, the recommendation was approved. Al-Bakri said that commission members would fall into the same trap they accuse people of concerning khulwa. Al-Bakri added that such a recommendation could not be implemented unless women were allowed to drive in the Kingdom.

Rights activist Suhaila Zain Al-Abidin said it would be a "disaster" if "conservative ignorant women" began going into women's sections and setting off "catastrophic incidents". She said Islam certainly allowed women to promote virtue; indeed, it is considered one of their rights. This is clearly stated in the Qur'an. But she raised her concern about the "selection of women."

"I fear they would be like those in the mosques of Makkah and Madinah. They are conservative and accuse others of being nonbelievers," she said, adding women commission members must know the Shariah and must be moderate and treat all with respect and consideration.

Zain Al-Abidin said that before approving the recommendation, there should be firm procedures and regulations put in place in order to prevent women from infringing public privacy and rights.

Ahmad Al-Ghamdi was cautious in his approval of the move. He said the recommendation would not be implemented unless it was approved by the ministerial council. Al-Ghamdi said when he backed the move, he realized that society needed "awareness and guidance" and not the commission itself. He added that every new idea needed "complete procedures and administrative comprehension."

The Shoura Council also approved an increase of 20 percent in the salaries of commission members who do fieldwork. Al-Ghamdi justified the pay hike, saying that the commission members' fieldwork was exhaustive and tiring. "There is a difference (in workload) between these commission members (who do field work) and others who only do administrative work."

Zain Al-Abidin, on the other hand, said that the pay hike might result in more unwelcome field inspections by the commission.