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{{QualityScore|Lead=2|Structure=3|Content=3|Language= | {{QualityScore|Lead=2|Structure=3|Content=3|Language=3|References=2}}'''Mutaween''' (المطوعين ''muṭawiʿin'', literally meaning "volunteers")<ref>Hans Wehr - [http://www.amazon.com/Arabic-English-Dictionary-Modern-Written-Arabic/dp/0879500034/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1298902487&sr=1-1 The Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic] - Spoken Language Services, 1994, ISBN 0879500034, p. 670</ref> is commonly used as a term for [[Islam|Islamic]], government-authorized or recognized ''religious police''.<ref>or ''clerical police'' or ''public order police''</ref> In Islamic states in which the governments are either directly controlled by, or fall significantly under the influence of, Islamic clergy, the Mutaween enforce the state's interpretation of the [[Islamic Law|Shari'ah]]. Alternate names include; clerical police, hisbah groups, morality police, moral police, public order police, religious police, sex police, and virtue police. | ||
In contrast to the legislatively-restrained police forces of secular nations, the religious police have broad and arbitrary discretionary powers of surveillance, entry to property, detention and interrogation of suspects, and, in some places, summary judgment and application of punishment for perceived violations of Shari'ah. The religious police discipline both Muslims and non-Muslims in Islamic states. | In contrast to the legislatively-restrained police forces of secular nations, the religious police have broad and arbitrary discretionary powers of surveillance, entry to property, detention and interrogation of suspects, and, in some places, summary judgment and application of punishment for perceived violations of Shari'ah. The religious police discipline both Muslims and non-Muslims in Islamic states. | ||
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==Qur'anic Basis== | ==Qur'anic Basis== | ||
Islamists frequently refer to the commandment for "Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil" | Islamists frequently refer to the commandment for "Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil" as the basis of the Mutaween<ref>[http://english.bayynat.org.lb/Fatawa/s9p1.htm al-fatawa alwadeha/ Section Nine: Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil] - Bayynat</ref> | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran|9|71}}|And (as for) the believing men and the believing women, they are guardians of each other; they '''enjoin good and forbid evil''' and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, and obey Allah and His Messenger; (as for) these, Allah will show mercy to them; surely Allah is Mighty, Wise.}} | {{Quote|{{Quran|9|71}}|And (as for) the believing men and the believing women, they are guardians of each other; they '''enjoin good and forbid evil''' and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, and obey Allah and His Messenger; (as for) these, Allah will show mercy to them; surely Allah is Mighty, Wise.}} | ||
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==Religious Police in Islamic States== | ==Religious Police in Islamic States== | ||
===Afghanistan=== | ===Afghanistan=== | ||
The Islamic Emirate of | The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan imposed a strict version of Shari'ah enforced by the religious police. | ||
In a February 2007 speech at the American Enterprise Institute, George W. Bush said, "In 2001, Afghanistan was a totalitarian nightmare -- a land where girls could not go to school, where religious police roamed the streets, where women were publicly whipped, where there were summary executions in Kabul's soccer stadium."<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20070712024646/http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/02/20070215-1.html President Bush Discusses Progress in Afghanistan, Global War on Terror] - White House News, February 15, 2007</ref> | In a February 2007 speech at the American Enterprise Institute, George W. Bush said, "In 2001, Afghanistan was a totalitarian nightmare -- a land where girls could not go to school, where religious police roamed the streets, where women were publicly whipped, where there were summary executions in Kabul's soccer stadium."<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20070712024646/http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/02/20070215-1.html President Bush Discusses Progress in Afghanistan, Global War on Terror] - White House News, February 15, 2007</ref> | ||
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===Iran=== | ===Iran=== | ||
Since the Islamic Revolution, | 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<ref>[http://www.command-post.org/nk/2_archives/013550.html The Morality Police In Iran] - The Command Post, July 12, 2004</ref> or "moral corruption". The Islamic officials use words like Western and un-Islamic as their talking points to justify such arrests.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1098931.stm Iran crackdown on New Year revellers] - BBC News, January 3, 2001</ref><ref>Robert Tait - [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/apr/20/iran.roberttait Police in Tehran ordered to arrest women in 'un-Islamic' dress] - The Guardian, April 20, 2006</ref><ref>Robert Tait - [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/jul/14/iran.roberttait Iran's fashion police put on a show of chadors to stem west's cultural invasion] - The Guardian, July 14, 2006</ref> 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.<ref>Nasrin Alavi - [http://www.softskull.com/files/WeAreIran_SampleChapterLo.pdf We are Iran] - Portobello Books Ltd, 2006, ISBN 9781846270031</ref> | ||
Women are required by the country's Islamic law to cover their hair and wear long, loose clothing to "protect their modesty".<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSBLA66590320070716?pageNumber=1 Iran police step up crackdown on unIslamic dress] - Reuters, Jul 16, 2007</ref> | Women are required by the country's Islamic law to cover their hair and wear long, loose clothing to "protect their modesty".<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSBLA66590320070716?pageNumber=1 Iran police step up crackdown on unIslamic dress] - Reuters, Jul 16, 2007</ref> | ||
The government relied on "special units" (''yegan ha-ye vizhe''), to complement the existing morality police, called "Enjoining the Good and Prohibiting the Forbidden" (''Amr be Ma'ruf va Nahi az Monkar'') in an effort to combat "un-Islamic behavior" and social corruption among the young. These auxiliaries were to assist in enforcing the Islamic Republic's strict rules of moral behavior. Credible press reports indicated members of this morality force chased and beat persons in the streets for offenses such as listening to music or, in the case of women, wearing makeup or clothing regarded as insufficiently modest or being accompanied by unrelated men.<ref>Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor - [http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78852.htm Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2006 for Iran] - U.S. State Department, March 6, 2007</ref> | The government relied on "special units" (''yegan ha-ye vizhe''), to complement the existing morality police, called "Enjoining the Good and Prohibiting the Forbidden" (''Amr be Ma'ruf va Nahi az Monkar'') in an effort to combat "un-Islamic behavior" and "social corruption" among the young. These auxiliaries were to assist in enforcing the Islamic Republic's strict rules of moral behavior. Credible press reports indicated members of this morality force chased and beat persons in the streets for offenses such as listening to music or, in the case of women, wearing makeup or clothing regarded as insufficiently modest or being accompanied by unrelated men.<ref>Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor - [http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78852.htm Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2006 for Iran] - U.S. State Department, March 6, 2007</ref> | ||
The religious police | The religious police are not popular with Iranian teenagers and youths.<ref>[http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-635284816900506895&q Video of Iranian village youth explaining how Basijis arrested him while he was hanging out with his friends]</ref> | ||
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<ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/world/iran/ansar.htm Ansar-i Hizbullah: Followers of the Party of God] - GlobalSecurity</ref> 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 | 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<ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/world/iran/ansar.htm Ansar-i Hizbullah: Followers of the Party of God] - GlobalSecurity</ref> 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 go outside without the proper hijab. | ||
===Saudi Arabia=== | ===Saudi Arabia=== | ||
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===Other countries=== | ===Other countries=== | ||
There are morality police forces in other places, too. For example, they can be found in | There are morality police forces in other places, too. For example, they can be found in Indonesia,<ref>[http://www.indonesiamatters.com/1036/unislamic-behaviour/ UnIslamic Behaviour] - Indonesia Matters, December 27, 2006</ref> northern Nigeria, Malaysia,<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSSP27770920070706 Singer draws ire of religious police], ''Reuters'', Jul 6, 2007</ref> the Gaza Strip,<ref>Khaled Abu Toameh - [http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1246443716574 They accused me of laughing in public] - Jerusalem Post, July 4, 2009</ref><ref>Jonathan Spyer - [http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1254163537553&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull Analysis: The Islamic republic of Gaza] - Jerusalem Post, September 29, 2009</ref> and elsewhere. | ||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
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[[Category:Criticism of Islam]] | [[Category:Criticism of Islam]] | ||
[[Category:Human rights]] | [[Category:Human rights]] | ||
[[Category:Society and human nature]] | |||