JEDDAH: Members of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) in Makkah have defended their stance on religious freedoms in Saudi Arabia, in the face of questions raised by visiting members of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). The NSHR members emphasized that the branch has not received any complaints so far from Saudis and non-Saudis about the freedom of religion in the Kingdom. The members also asked the USCIRF to state their position on the pressures faced by Muslims in the West, especially veiled Muslim women and other malpractices such as cartoons which ridicule the Prophet (peace be upon him). About the Najran prisoner, Hadi Aal Mataif, the NSHR supervisor Dr. Hussein Al-Shareef, said the organization had visited the prisoner, compiled a report about his condition and sent it to officials. “We are still looking forward to the issue being resolved urgently.” The visiting members raised a number of questions during their visit to the branch on Sunday in Makkah. They also wanted to know the NSHR's position on the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, the Hai'a. In response, Al-Shareef, Dr. Bahija Ezzi and the lawyer Ahmad Mazhr said that the procedure was clear in terms of complaints against the Hai'a. If a complaint is received, the NSHR approaches the head of the Hai'a in the region. If they do not get a reply, then a letter is sent to the emirate in the region. If there is still no response, then the issue will be raised with higher authorities. The NSHR officials said that the Hai'a leader has shown great understanding on issues in the region. This could be attributed to the fact that the region is culturally diverse and that the Hai'a staff receive training to do their jobs. They stressed that the role of the Hai'a is to monitor ethical violations and hand over violators at the nearest police station.
