Mutaween

Template:Totally disputed The Mutaween (مطوعين in Arabic) or mutawwain are Islamic religious police, also referred to as clerical police, are official bureaucrats/police forces that exist in some Islamist countries. They consist of Islamic clerics, in the employ of the state, authorized to enforce sharia – Islamic law. Although Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Nigeria are the only nations where the mutaween exist as an official arm of the state (they previously also existed in Afghanistan under the Taliban), other Islamist countries have de facto mutaween who are not employed by the state.

Egypt and Yemen use state-employed clerics, under the auspices of their normal police forces, to enforce state-sponsored interpretations of Islam, mostly by policing religious material found at mosques, but they have no power of arrest. [1]. In addition, they have almost no influence over the public unlike the Saudi mutaween. In Egypt especially, the Muslim Brotherhood is opposed by the government and so the clerics' power is specifically limited. Some African nations, such as Nigeria, have tribal groups that have varying degrees of connection to the government.

In addition, some Muslim local (village) governments form groups (again with varying degrees of true legal authority) to enforce sharia.

Duties of the mutaween

The duties of the mutaween consist of enforcing sharia as defined by the government and rooting out "un-Islamic" activities. They have the power to arrest any unrelated males and females caught socializing. They also have the power to ban and seize consumer products and media as "un-Islamic", such as Barbie dolls and CDs/DVDs of various Western musical groups, television shows, and movies. The mutaween may also be involved in enforcing Muslim dietary laws prohibiting the comsumption or sale of alcoholic beverages and pork.

Another additional duty is to prevent the proselytizing by other religions within the boundaries of their authority. While in most cases it is resolved with admonishment or protest, in more extreme cases deportation or even arrest will occur. [2] This has caused clashes between mutaween and missionaries of other faiths, most notably Christians and Hindus.

Generally, in Western eyes members of this authority shall appear as monstrous suppressors, for whom formal laws are more important than human life, who encourage snitchers, who denies basical human rights and so on. Most probably, this Western view is true, and might be shared by the vast majority of Muslims. Comparisons are frequently drawn between the mutaween and other organizations who enforced religious and/or political dogma, such as the Gestapo, Stasi, KGB, and the inquisition.

Mutaween in Saudi Arabia

In Saudi Arabia, the mutaween are known as the "Authority for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice". The Saudi mutaween originated from the Wahhabi sect of Islam. There are 3,500 officers assisted by thousands of volunteers, [3] who are assigned to a direct chain of command from King Abdullah and separate from ordinary police, though they are often found patrolling with police escorts. The primary duty of the Saudi mutaween is to ensure that a strict interpretation of Islamic social customs remain the norm among the Saudi population.

The Saudi mutaween recently launched a website where people can anonymously report tips about "un-Islamic" activities within that country.

Criticism of Saudi mutaween

A notorious incident attributed to the Saudi mutaween occurred on March 11, 2002 when they prevented schoolgirls from escaping a burning school in Mecca, because the girls weren't wearing headscarves and abayas (black robes). Fifteen girls died and 50 were injured as a result. There was widespread public criticism afterwards, both internationally and within Saudi Arabia itself. [4]

Additionally, the Saudi media has been critical of the use of flogging as a means of punishment. [5]

References

• "Saudi police 'stopped' fire rescue" BBC, March 15, 2002
• The Saudi Media Debates Flogging by the Saudi Religious Police Middle East Media Research Institute, January 19, 2004
• Saudis Arrest Christians For Spreading 'Poison' NY Sun, May 2, 2005
• Inside Saudi Arabia
• "Saudi minister rebukes religious police", BBC, November 4, 2002

Saudi mutaween

• http://www.hesbah.com/ Website of the Saudi mutaween.
• Report "un-Islamic" activities to the mutaween
• Confiscated Valentine's Day materials
• Confiscated Barbie dolls
• Confiscated perfume packaged in immodest bottles
• Confiscated un-Islamic children's toys
• Confiscated video games and movies
• Confiscated doormat