On 11th March 2002 the Mutawwa was accused of causing the deaths of 15 Saudi girls in a school in Mecca, following a serious fire in the school. The Mutawwa forbade the firefighters and parents from entering to save the girls because they were not wearing the abaya (a long black over-garment) and therefore were not covered enough. At the same time they forbade the girls from leaving the school for the same reason. Following numerous controversies, an independent investigation commission was created by the Interior minister, prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz, and the case was archived with a sentence which absolved the Mutawwa completely from any responsibility. Nevertheless the main concern of the Mutawwa is that of guarding the “danger” of promiscuity (ikhtilat or khulwa) between men and women in the street and in shopping centres reserved especially for families, just as the Mutawwa “reminds” its followers of their duty of going to Mosque after the call of the muezzin.

Under the accusation of khulwa with an unknown woman, the Mutawwa arrested a young Saudi, Hmad al-Balawi in Tabuk in May 2007. After having been beaten during the brief arrest, the detained was found dead in his cell. The extraordinary case led to the arrest of five members of the Mutawwa for checks. The Saudi judge ordained that it was not a case of khulwa, but despite this, the episode came to a close with the complete absolution of the members of the Mutawwa, without even hearing the eye witness accounts which the relatives of the deceased protested for. Following the al-Balawi incident, the president of the Commission for the promotion of virtue and prevention of vices Ibrahim al-Gheit announced the birth of a new legal management called “orders and directives” in Riyadh on 10th June 2007. The new management should deal with guarding the behaviour of the members of the Mutawawa and running internal investigations.

The constitution of the new legal office represents all in all a small step forward considering how slow the Saudi monarchy summits are in promoting new reforms. It should be noted however, that there is a continual increase in the awareness, among Saudis themselves, in the need for change, even if only gradual, in the legal, political and social order. And in this process, the role of a few brave journalists, exiled dissidents and enlightened Ulema has been, without a doubt, essential.

Translation by Sonia Ter Hovanessian