Mutaween: Difference between revisions

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	==Islamic Republic of Iran==		==Islamic Republic of Iran==
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	Image: HomaDarabi.jpg\|Dr. ] after 140-lashes, for writing an articles in 1984 demanding freedom for Iranian women		Image: HomaDarabi.jpg\|Dr. ] after 140-lashes, for writing an articles in 1984 demanding freedom for Iranian women
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	The religious police is extremely disliked by some Iranian teenagers and youths.{{Fact\|date=February 2007}} .		The religious police is extremely disliked by some Iranian teenagers and youths.{{Fact\|date=February 2007}} .

			In Iran, now all government-affilated people like the police of the ], the ] of the ] and ] work in tandem to curb un-Islamic demeanor. For example, any of them has the legal authority to question and take into custody people who, inter alia, flirt or women without the proper hijab.

			However, the Islamic Republic of Iran allows women to attend educational institutions, drive, and work. Therefore, the Islamic laws are not as severe as they were in the Islamic State of Afghanistan.

	==Saudi Arabia==		==Saudi Arabia==

Revision as of 04:26, 16 February 2007

The Mutaween (مطوعين in Arabic) (variant English spellings: mutawwain, muttawa, mutawallees, mutawa’ah, mutawi’; better use mutawwa' since the w is stressed by tashdîd in Arabic script and the ' represents the Arabic letter 'ain) are the government -authorized or -recognized religious police (or clerical police or public order police) who enforce the literalistic interpretation of Islam based on sharia within Islamist theocracies (in which the governments are either directly controlled by, or fall significantly under the influence of, Islamic clergy).

In contrast to the legislatively-restrained police forces of secular democracies, Islamist religious police have broad and arbitrary discretionary powers of surveillance and entry to property, detention and interrogation of suspects, and, in some places, summary judgment and execution of punishment for perceived violations of Sharia. While nominally tasked with disciplining Muslims, religious police are less tolerant with non-Muslims.

Term origin

"Mutawwa'în" (plural; sing. mutawwa') originally referred solely to Saudi Arabia's infrastructure of proselytization and enforcement of Wahhabist tenets; but the phonetic romanization "mutaween" has gained increasing use as an umbrella term indicating any religious-policing organization in an Islamic nation with at least some government recognition or deference, ranging from official state bureaucracies to unabashed terrorist enforcers aligned to powerful local clerics (e.g., the Komité and more militant Basij and Pasejis all simultaneously exist in Iran). Recently (2005), "mutaween" has appeared to describe the enforcement of Sharia by autonomous groups within Muslim enclaves located inside secular nations, and has also entered the lexicon of blogosphere slang as a sarcastic pejorative describing politicized, non-Islamic religious groups.

Islamic State of Afghanistan

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2007)

The Islamic State of Afghanistan imposed a strict version of the sharia with a religious police in full swing during their rule. For example, female teacher who tried to teach were beaten and girls were prevented from going to school.

In a February 2007 speech at the American Enterprise Institute, George W. Bush said,Template:QuoteScholar

Islamic Republic of Iran

Dr. Homa Darabi after 140-lashes, for writing an articles in 1984 demanding freedom for Iranian women Dr. Homa Darabi after 140-lashes, for writing an articles in 1984 demanding freedom for Iranian women
Flogging of a young Iranian for attending a party Flogging of a young Iranian for attending a party

Since the Islamic Revolution, Iran has had a religious police that punishes offenders relentlessly. Jamal Karimi-Rad, in 2006, has vowed to work with other governmental organizations and continue the prosecution of "social vice" or "moral corruption". The Islamic officials use words like "Western" and "un-Islamic" as their talking points to justify such arrests. The Islamic government's obsession with the people's behavior and dress even reached a point when it would employ female religious police who "with a razor took off the lipstick from the lips" of other female citizens.

The religious police is extremely disliked by some Iranian teenagers and youths. Video of Iranian village youth explaining how Basijis arrested him while he was hanging out with his friends.

In Iran, now all government-affilated people like the police of the interior ministry, the Basij of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards and Ansar e Hezbollah work in tandem to curb un-Islamic demeanor. For example, any of them has the legal authority to question and take into custody people who, inter alia, flirt or women without the proper hijab.

However, the Islamic Republic of Iran allows women to attend educational institutions, drive, and work. Therefore, the Islamic laws are not as severe as they were in the Islamic State of Afghanistan.

Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Arabian Mutaween are tasked with enforcing Sharia as defined by the government; purportedly the Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice "comprises more than 3,500 officers in addition to thousands of volunteers...often accompanied by a police escort" who have the power to arrest unrelated males and females caught socializing, enforce Islamic dress-codes, prayer schedules, and Muslim dietary laws prohibiting the consumption or sale of alcoholic beverages and pork, and seize banned consumer products and media regarded as "un-Islamic" (such as CDs/DVDs of various Western musical groups, television shows and film). Additionally, they actively prevent the practice or proselytizing of other religions within Saudi Arabia, where such is banned.,

Most recently, the police have issued a decree banning the sale of the pets, seen as a sign of Western influence.

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

An 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 were not 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.

There is also widespread criticism of flogging as a means of punishment.

References and notes

"A Catholic Indian priest had just celebrated mass in a private house April 5, 2006, when seven religious policemen (muttawa) broke into the house. The Saudi religious police are well known for their ruthlessness; they often torture believers of other religions who are arrested. AsiaNews sources said there were around 400,000 Indian Catholics in Saudi Arabia who were denied pastoral care. Catholic foreigners in the country number at least one million: none of them can participate in mass while they are in Saudi Arabia. Catechism for their children – nearly 100,000 – is banned." AsiaNews, April 10, 2006
"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
Website of Saudi Mutaween Template:Ar icon
"Egyptian Coptic Christians allege police torture"

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