Concerning the enforcement of morals
“They operate like the Mafia,” said Rabbi Allan Nadler, director of the Jewish studies program at Drew University in Madison, N.J.
**
And in Israel — from the same report, although perhaps more widely known? I’ve certainly seen mentions…
In Israel, there have been similar concerns. Though no modesty committee was overtly involved, there has been anger over ultra-Orthodox zealots who spit on and insulted an 8-year-old girl for walking to school through their neighborhood in a dress they considered immodest.
**
Meanwhile, the Saudis seem to be decreasing the scope of their official equivalent, according to Saudi limits powers of the notorious religious police [Al Arabiya, 30 January 2013]:
Saudi Arabia has set new limitations on the powers of its notorious religious police, charged with ensuring compliance with Islamic morality but often accused of abuses, its chief said on Tuesday.
The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice “once had much expanded powers, but with the new system… some of these powers, such as interrogating suspects and pressing charges,” will be restricted to the police and public prosecution, Shaikh Abdul Latif Abdel Aziz Al Shaikh told AFP.
The religious police may still arrest those carrying out “flagrant offences such as harassing women, consuming alcohol and drugs, blackmail and the practice of witchcraft,” Shaikh said of the new law approved by the cabinet.
and:
Relatively moderate Al Shaikh, appointed last year, has raised hopes that a more lenient force will ease draconian social constraints in deeply conservative Islamic country.
Two weeks into his post, Al Shaikh banned volunteers from serving in the commission, which enforces the kingdom’s strict Islamic rules.
H/t John Burgess at Crossroads Arabia.
**
All these articles are worth reading in full, and you’ll be enriched by reading them together, comparatively — food for thought!
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Alex Carlill:
January 31st, 2013 at 12:02 am
to my mind the London piece isn’t very credible – I live in Whitechapel, which is home to one of the biggest Muslim populations in the city, & I’ve never come across much of the behavior she alleges. the “Muslim patrol” incident happened here, but only 3 people were involved & they were immediately condemned by the local mosque – the biggest in London. I’ve never seen any signs forbidding the consumption of alcohol or come across any off-licenses that don’t sell it. finally it’s worth noting that as a recent report (http://www.ethnicity.ac.uk/census/869_CCSR_Bulletin_More_segregation_or_more_mixing_v7NW.pdf) found, ethnic segregation (at least in strictly demographic terms) is decreasing.
Alex Carlill:
January 31st, 2013 at 12:05 am
the idea that immigrants, Muslims especially, are cutting themselves off from British culture is one that the right-wing media has been trying to push for over a decade now, presumably because it allows them to criticize non-white populations while denying racism.
Charles Cameron:
January 31st, 2013 at 2:37 am
Hi Alex:
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I try to keep a look-out for undercurrents — stories told as well as facts nailed down — so I’m somewhat concerned at such a narrative appearing in the Telegraph even if the ground realities don’t warrant it. For one thing, stories of that kind can have easily an echo-chamber effect and become self-fulfilling.
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Having said that, your report from Whitechapel is very encouraging. Thanks for posting…
larrydunbar:
February 2nd, 2013 at 11:37 pm
” I’ve never seen any signs forbidding the consumption of alcohol”
*
If you haven’t, then it could be that you live on the other side of the wire between mosques, and so you’re not really the one to be commenting on this.
*
Perhaps you need to communicate more with your neighbors.
Charles Cameron:
February 4th, 2013 at 6:28 pm
Here are a couple of relevant paragraphs from an interesting piece titled *‘Muslim Patrol’ as provocation strategy?* from David Ucko at Kings of War blog today:
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QUOTE: Maybe the young men in the videos earnestly believed that they were helping to create ‘Muslim zones’ or maybe they just wanted to harass a few locals — but why videotape this effort and post it to Youtube? Now, many idiots post videos of their crimes online – why is something of an eternal mystery – but I suspect there may be something deeper at play here. There is little evidence to support this hypothesis, but is it possible that these videos were meant as the opening gambit of the age-old provocation strategy, a tried and tested insurgent method to polarize societies and gain popular support?
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In its traditional context, the provocation strategy involves the use of violence by aspiring insurgents to goad state authorities into an overreaction. That overreaction adversely affects relevant populations (targeted because they are thought to sympathize with or shelter the likely perpetrators). Attacked by the state, this population becomes increasingly alienated and starts to look for alternate sources of protection, power and legitimacy. The insurgents then step in, with an empowering message whose anti-state tenor and call to action will now begin to resonate. :UNQUOTE
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Source: http://kingsofwar.org.uk/2013/02/muslim-patrol-as-provocation-strategy/