Mutawwa'iin

The Mutawwa'iin, or the religious police, are a very visible presence during the Hajj since they are the only ones who do not wear the traditional Hajj clothing the Ihram, which consists of two plain pieces of unstitched cloth. They are in charge of maintaining order throughout the Hajj as well as enforcing the law of the land, which is derived from the Koran. These fairly conservative laws have often been at odds with Western visitors. One of the laws is that women beyond childhood are not allowed to publicly associate with other adult males unless they are related. If the Mutawwa'iin can not be satisfied with correct documentation the woman can be charged with prostitution. This along with other fairly conservative laws have created many embarrassing incidents for Western travelers.