Okaz I admit I am fed up with talking about the excesses of the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (the Haia). Undoubtedly, there are many like me who are also fed up with such talk. Perhaps even the Haia itself is, after its officials have realized that they have to be ready to apologize constantly for the actions of some of their staff. We are fed up with talking about violations by Haia members at a time when we face many, more important issues, such as the future of the nation, the security of the citizen and the capabilities of the Ummah. This is at a time when our soldiers are bravely defending our borders in the south and our army is getting ready to defend our borders in the north. This is at a time when we are holding fast to our national unity and our people's cohesion. We will not let go of these so that there is no loophole left for the Satan to sneak through and spoil relations among us. This is at a time when the terrorist groups are posing a serious threat to us to the extent that even our mosques are not safe from them. We feel that an international conspiracy is being hatched against the region's peoples. We are not far from the schemes they are plotting from afar. About 70 percent from a sample of Haia members who sat for their entrance exams failed to pass. Yet, some commission members do not miss an opportunity to make us the laughing stock for those around us, such as when they confiscate a child's doll. Each time they drag a girl in from a market or mall, or disfigure whoever tries to expose some of their evils we loose a bit more dignity. They have no qualms about taking pictures of people and spreading them around, and they often claim to have arrested the perpetrator of an alleged crime. Amid all these challenges we are experiencing and the dire need for the cohesion of our internal front, we can understand people who are warning us of the danger such actions by Haia staff poses to our national security. We also understand to what extent some are fed up with the actions of Haia members, leading them to demand the abolition of the commission all together. Abolishing the Haia would be less harmful than other options, and would be a way to remove an institution that may lead to infringements of citizens' security in a country that places security at the top of its priorities. This country deals firmly with whoever contravenes this security.
