American Bedu

Since the Muttawa are employed by the Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, I am becoming convinced that as a result, many of them are in fact obsessed with S-E-X.  Think about it, their job is to go out strolling in pairs and looking for couples who do not look as if they “fit right” together so they can be challenged to show their papers proving their relationship or looking for women whose abayas may be perceived as too short or showing too much hair in spite of wearing a hijjab.  They also are tolerated for thinking of activities that could be perceived as provocative and attracting attention of the opposite sex such as an individual walking a dog (or cat) in the hopes of meeting others…. Gee, I always heard that a man with a baby was a good “babe” magnet as well…. The muttawa better keep an eye out for them too.  The man may actually be in the market for a second wife and using his child as bait, huh?

Seriously, how many of you know of happy or positive muttawa stories?  When has the muttawa been a help and not a hindrance?  What is the typical background of a muttawa?  What kind of training do they need to complete before being a certified muttawa?  And can you imagine if some computer-literate muttawa were turned loose on the internet?  Heaven forbid, the networks would be shut down!

Filed under: abbya, islam, religion, Saudi Arabia, Saudi culture, Women Issues | 73 Comments »