Saudi shura council to vote on further curbing autonomy of morality police
Saudi Arabia’s shura council will vote on whether the religious police will be absorbed into the ministry of Islamic affairs, further curbing the force’s authority.
The religious police, who are officially known as the commission for the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice, patrol public spaces to enforce bans on alcohol, music and fraternising between men and women who are not related. Last year, amid a drive to diversify the Saudi economy and open up its society, the government increased curbs on the religious police, barring them from pursuing suspects or making arrests.
The English-language Saudi Gazette reported on Sunday that the shura council was expected to vote on the proposal to end the commission’s autonomous status, put forward by Atta Al Thibaiti and two other members, next week.
King Salman’s approval would be needed to implement such a measure.
“The promotion of virtue and prevention of vice is an Islamic duty for every Muslim, and the Sharia tenets had never considered it to be under an independent organ or an autonomous entity,” the report said.
The council members said that the merger would also help to ease the state’s budget deficit by “avoiding duplication of efforts and cutting expenditure”.
The religious police have come under fire over high-profile car chases resulting in fatal accidents, prompting the 2012 to ban on pursuits.
They stirred controversy last year after video posted on social media showed members beating a young woman outside a Riyadh mall.
The patrol had reportedly tried to force the woman to cover her face.
Mr Al Thibaiti said that the proposal had overcome opposition by the council’s committee on Islamic and judicial affairs.