Over at Naeem’s blog, brother Naeem has an excellent post about the Mutawaa “Choosing Form over substance.” The implementation of the so-called religious police in the Magic Kingdom is not what Islam has prescribed but rather its more in line with a Fascist state. Those who advocate the implementation of the religious police should ponder the fact that so many Saudis actually have the opposite reaction to the state sanctioned sanctions. Islam lies in the heart not in the stick. The following excerpt from the post is a very enlightening.
And even if the Mutawwa were to succeed in covering every woman and forcing every man to pray, then what? Would that magically transform Saudi society into an Islamic utopia? All this obsession with the outer forms while ignoring the internal states is pure folly and doomed to failure.
The Prophet (saw) was sent with the primary mission to perfect akhlaq (moral character, etiquettes) – a lofty goal that can never be accomplished with superficial tactics of forcing people to pray and cover. The proper way is to focus on the hearts and attract people to the balanced teachings of our beloved Prophet (saw).
Bidaah vs. Innovation 