I am not the only person who has criticized the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice on a number of issues, such as adding young members who lack full knowledge of Islam into their ranks, or that some members have a tendency to resort to physical altercations or turn their issues into something personal.

But I commend the commission’s recent action to install surveillance cameras in shopping malls. Many people who criticized the commission’s actions in the past approve of this measure to clamp down on sexual harassment perpetuated by young men.

Some say the commission is trying to strengthen its presence and power in malls by taking away personal freedoms. But are these cameras any different from security cameras aimed at preventing theft? Why do some consider cameras for monitoring sexual harassment a bad idea?

In Islam, protecting a person’s dignity is very important. So which is more important: monitoring against shoplifting or guarding against the theft of a woman’s dignity?

Fairness demands that we look at this issue with logic and reason. I am sure the commission is not going to use these cameras to blackmail shoppers or violate their freedoms. There are many women who in the Arabic press call for installing cameras in streets and shopping places to put an end to sexual harassment.