The Hai'a has denied reports that its members have engaged in preventing women from working in lingerie shops. Sheikh Ahmad Al-Ghamdi, Makkah chief of the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, or Hai'a, said the organization's role concerning infractions was observational only. “Our personnel make inspection tours of the shops to monitor violations,” Al-Ghamdi said. “If we come across any act harmful to the public, we report it to the Ministry of Labor, as it is under their jurisdiction. Our role is merely limited to writing reports and submitting them to the ministry.” The refutal comes after a group of women working in lingerie shops in Makkah protested against measures taken by members of the Hai'a who forced them to sign undertakings to stop working in the shops as they failed to comply with labor ministry standards. Qusi Al-Felali, Director of the Labor Office in Jeddah, said there were rules derived from Shariah law governing work in the shops, which strictly prohibit any mingling of the sexes. “Some business owners find it difficult to implement all the rules, so they are put into practice gradually,” Al-Felali said. “Large shopping malls strictly abide by the rules,” he added.
