Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Saudi Arabia)

The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (abbreviated CPVPV ; هيئه الأمر بالمعروف و النهي عن المنكر in Arabic and formerly called the Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Elimination of Sin or CAVES ) is the English name of the Saudi Arabian government bureaucracy employing "religious police" or mutaween (مطوعين romanized in English) to enforce Sharia Law within that Islamic nation. (See Mutaween for a list of variant spellings and an extended description of Islamic religious police.) Its approximately 3,500 members, and many more volunteers, patrol the streets enforcing dress codes , strict separation of men and women , salah prayer by Muslims during prayer times, and other behavior it believes to be commanded by Islam.

The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (abbreviated CPVPV ; ), also informally referred to as Hai’a , is the Saudi Arabian government agency employing "religious police" or Mutaween ( ), to enforce Sharia Law within that Islamic nation. The number of police is estimated at 3,500-4,000. Members patrol the streets enforcing dress codes , strict separation of men and women , salat prayer by Muslims during prayer times, and other behavior it believes to be commanded by Islam. They are known for having full beards (sometimes henna-dyed) and for wearing their headscarves ( ghutrah or shemagh ) loose without an agal —they often wear a besht as well—and for often coming from Saudi Arabia's lower classes. They are empowered to detain and berate offenders and shut down businesses. Prior to the reforms of 2007 they were armed with thin wooden canes to strike miscreants. Their resentment of the rich, combined with their freedom of action, results in a dangerous combination and adds to the hardline religious social atmosphere sanctioned by Wahhabi doctine, which is spread by clerics in the mosques and teachers in the schools, and which guides the verdicts handed down by Wahhabi `justice` in the courts.

Law enforcement agency The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice ( ), abbreviated CPVPV and colloquially termed hai’a (committee), is a Saudi government religious authority charged with implementing the Islamic doctrine of hisbah . It traces its modern origin to a revival of the pre-modern official function of muhtasib (market inspector) by the first Saudi state (1745–1818). The committee was established in 1976 in its current form, with the main goal of supervising markets and public morality. It has been assisted by volunteers, and often described as Islamic religious police . It has been called mutawa , mutaween and by other similar names in English-language sources, with various translations. In the early 2010s, the committee was estimated to have 3,500-4,000 officers on the streets, assisted by thousands of volunteers, with an additional 10,000 administrative personnel. Committee officers and volunteers have been known to patrol public places, with volunteers focusing on enforcing strict rules of hijab , segregation between the sexes , and daily prayer attendance. Officers were authorized to pursue, detain and interrogate suspected violators prior to the 2016 reforms . Islam in Saudi Arabia .

Government agency in Saudi Arabia For the Pakistani militant group, see Haji Namdar Group . Law enforcement agency The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice ( , abbreviated CPVPV and colloquially termed hai’a (committee), and mutawa , mutaween and by other similar names and translations in English-language sources) is a government religious authority in Saudi Arabia that is charged with implementing the Islamic doctrine of hisbah in the country. Established in 1940, the body gained extensive powers in the 1980s and continued to function as a semi-independent civilian law enforcement agency for almost 35 years until 2016, when societal reforms driven by then-deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman led to limiting some its authority through a royal decree by King Salman bin Abdulaziz , including the rights of pursuing, questioning, detaining and interrogating suspects. Tracing its modern origin to a revival of the pre-modern official function of muhtasib (market inspector) by the first Saudi state (1727–1818), it was established in its best known form in 1976, with the main goal of supervising markets and public morality, and was often described as Islamic religious police . By the early 2010s, the committee was estimated to have 3,500–4,000 officers on the streets, assisted by thousands of volunteers, with an additional 10,000 administrative personnel. Its head held the rank of cabinet minister and reported directly to the king. Committee officers and volunteers patrolled public places, with volunteers focusing on enforcing strict rules of hijab , segregation between the sexes , and daily prayer attendance; but also non-Islamic products/activities such as the sale of dogs and cats, Barbie dolls, Pokémon , and Valentine's Day gifts. Officers were authorized to pursue, detain and interrogate suspected violators. The power of the CPVPV was drastically reduced with the 2016 reforms of Mohammed bin Salman , and it was banned "from pursuing, questioning, asking for identification, arresting and detaining anyone suspected of a crime". Islam in Saudi Arabia .

Government agency in Saudi Arabia For the Pakistani militant group, see Haji Namdar Group . Law enforcement agency The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice ( Arabic : هيئة الأمر بالمعروف والنهي عن المنكر , romanized : hayʾa al-ʾamr bil-maʿrūf wan-nahī ʿan al-munkar , abbreviated CPVPV , colloquially termed hai’a (committee), and known as the mutawa ( Arabic : مطوع ) and by other similar names and translations in English-language sources) is a government religious authority in Saudi Arabia that is charged with implementing the Islamic doctrine of hisbah in the country. Established in 1940, the body gained extensive powers in the 1980s and continued to function as a semi-independent civilian law enforcement agency for almost 35 years until 2016, when societal reforms driven by then-deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman led to limiting some of its authority through a royal decree by King Salman bin Abdulaziz , including the rights of pursuing, questioning, detaining, and interrogating suspects. Tracing its modern origin to a revival of the pre-modern official function of muhtasib (market inspector) by the first Saudi state (1727–1818), it was established in its best known form in 1976, with the main goal of supervising markets and public morality, and was often described as Islamic religious police . By the early 2010s, the committee was estimated to have 3,500–4,000 officers on the streets, assisted by thousands of volunteers, with an additional 10,000 administrative personnel. Its head held the rank of cabinet minister and reported directly to the king. Committee officers and volunteers patrolled public places, with volunteers focusing on enforcing strict rules of hijab , sex segregation , and daily prayer attendance; but also non-Islamic products/activities such as the sale of dogs and cats, Barbie dolls, Pokémon , and Valentine's Day gifts. Islam in Saudi Arabia .