Mauritanian mufti Ahmed Wald Habib al-Rahman recently demanded from President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz and other high-ranking officials the creation of a Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, commonly known as religious police, so that they can enforce sharia law in the country.

While delivering a speech at the Grand Mosque in central Nouakchott, Rahman said that such an implementation would help the country’s citizens respect God’s law and in turn bring an end to the suffering of all Muslim people. Rahman believes that the problems faced by Mauritania stem from “repulsive hearts that have emerged due to prevailing cowardice and rivalry.” He also said that the only way to overcome these problems is the implementation of the sharia law and the setting up of a religious police force.

Rahman’s demands are believed to have been prompted by the growing number of cases related to violence, including rape, sexual harassment and abduction.

While the government is yet to respond to Rahman’s demands, Mauritania already abides by laws that are heavily influenced by Islam and derived from sharia. In fact, the country also houses armed Islamist groups that have often been linked with al-Qaeda in the Sahara region. Rahman said that since Mauritania is an Islamic Republic, the predominant lack of respect for God’s law has led to the suffering of Muslims. Referring to sharia as the solution, he called for harmony, communication and cooperation across the country.

This is not the first time that such a demand has been made by a religious bigot in Mauritania. In 2011, a group of Salafists had asked for the setting up of “guardians of public morality.”

Photo Credits: God Reports