The religious police, officially known as the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, patrols public spaces to enforce bans on alcohol, music, prayer time, store closures and the mixing of unrelated men and women. It also imposes strict modesty requirements on women’s dress. Waseem Obaidi
The religious police, officially known as the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, patrols public spaces to enforce bans on alcohol, music, prayer time, store closures and thShow more

Saudi Shura Council to vote on curbing autonomy of morality police



Saudi Arabia's Shura Council will vote on a proposal for the religious police to be absorbed into the ministry of Islamic affairs, local media reported, further curbing the force's authority.

The religious police, officially known as the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, patrols public spaces to enforce bans on alcohol, music, prayer time, store closures and the mixing of unrelated men and women. It also imposes strict modesty requirements on women’s dress.

Last year, amid a reform drive to diversify the Saudi economy and open up its society, the government increased curbs on the religious police, barring it from pursuing suspects or making arrests.

The English-language Saudi Gazette newspaper reported late on Sunday that the Shura Council is expected to vote on the proposal to end the commission's autonomous status, put forward by Atta Al Thibaiti and two other members, next week. King Salman's approval would be needed to implement such a measure.

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"The promotion of virtue and prevention of vice is an Islamic duty for every Muslim, and the Sharia tenets had never considered practicing to be under an independent organ or an autonomous entity," the report said, citing the proposal's supporters within the Council.

The Council members were quoted as saying the merger would also help ease the state's budget deficit by "avoiding duplication of efforts and cutting expenditure".

Hardline conservatives say the religious police are central to imposing the kingdom's austere form of Islam, while aggressive enforcement of strict morality rules has drawn criticism from more liberal Saudis.

The vice squad has come under fire online and in local media over several high-profile cases of car chases resulting in fatal accidents, prompting the commission’s president to ban such pursuits in 2012.

The commission stirred controversy again last year after video posted on social media showed members beating a young woman outside a Riyadh mall. The patrol had tried to force the woman to cover her face, local media reported.

The Saudi Gazette quoted Mr Al Thibaiti as saying the proposal to merge the two bodies had overcome initial opposition by the Council's committee on Islamic and judicial affairs. Members could not immediately be reached for comment.

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Friday: Giggs, Sho Madjozi and Masego  

Saturday: Nas, Lion Bbae, Roxanne Shante and DaniLeigh  

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The Sand Castle

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Rating: 2.5/5

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Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
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1. Japan - Played 3, Won 3, Points 14

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3. Scotland - Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1, Points 5

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Scotland v Russia – Wednesday, 11.15am

Ireland v Samoa – Saturday, 2.45pm

Japan v Scotland – Sunday, 2.45pm

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2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda

2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund

2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach

2015 DheepanJacques Audiard

2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan

2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux

2012 Amour, Michael Haneke

2011 The Tree of LifeTerrence Malick

2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul

2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke

2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet

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Rating: 1/5

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”