The sources said the proposal would require the approval of Interior
Minister Said Bin Ali and Prime Minister Salam Fayad. They said the biggest
concern was that Western donors, particularly the European Union and the
United States, would object to the Islamization program.
The PA proposal was studied during the Muslim fast month of Ramadan,
which ended in September, Middle East Newsline reported. The sources said several
security chiefs have sought to recruit Muslim clerics to lecture on Islamic
principles and the need to obey the PA.
The sources said the proposal was drafted amid a sharp decline in
discipline in the police and security forces. They said the problem was
acute in the U.S.-trained Presidential Guard, responsible for the protection
of Abbas.
The discipline problem was said to stem from the replacement of hundreds
of commanders over the last two years. The officers, most of them who had
reached retirement age, have been replaced by men in their 30s and 40s,
often
younger than their troops.
"This has not worked well," the source said.
So far, PA officers have drafted a guidebook based on a publication
used by the security forces in Saudi Arabia. The guidebook outlined
such principles as respect for religion, civilians and discipline.
The model for the Islamization proposal has been the rival Hamas regime
in the Gaza
Strip. Hamas's military and security forces have undergone extensive Islamic
indoctrination to ensure loyalty, discipline and professionalism.
The sources said the decline in discipline has been exacerbated by poor
morale in many units of the security forces. They said PA officers were
disappointed by poor salaries and benefits, including the refusal to acquire
loans for homes.
"Right now, the only benefit that most of these people get is cheaper
rates on cellphones," another source said. "This is not enough for those with
families."
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