Excerpts: "Moderate Islam".Immoral to employ women.18 April 2006

JORDAN TIMES 18 April '06"Conference on moderate Islam to unite int'l
scholars"
QUOTES FROM TEXT:
"Muslm thinkers and religious leaders ... hopes to establish an
international assembly promoting moderate Islam
"practical mechanisms to clarify the tainted image of Islam"
By Mahmoud Al Abed
AMMAN - A meeting of Muslim thinkers and religious leaders next week hopes
to establish an international assembly promoting moderate Islam, according
to a conference spokesperson.
The Moderation Assembly for Thought and Culture expects the event to yield
practical mechanisms to clarify the tainted image of Islam," according to a
statement issued by the Jordanian group.
. . .The international forum and its partners would carry the banner of
moderation in Islam and promote tolerance and democratic pluralism, in
addition to establishing distinctions between legitimate resistance and
terrorism.
Participants ...to endorse a plan to establish an international satellite
channel that promotes moderate Islam ... ... to "dry up the springs of
extremism and defend the name of Islam against unjust campaigns."
The three-day event, ... will bring together scholars of Islamic thought
and political Islam from Muslim countries, as well as from Muslim
communities in Europe and the rest of the world. . . .

+++ARAB NEWS (Saudi) 18 April '06:
"Eatery Owner Flees to Escape Lashing"Huda Al-Shayeb, Arab News -

QUOTE FROM TEXT:
"left the Kingdom in a bid to fight his sentence of 90 lashes for
employing two women in his restaurant"

"not allowed to take a lawyer with him when he was called to ... court"
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FULL TEXT:
QATIF, 18 April 2006 - Nabel Al-Ramadan, owner of "Ranoosh" restaurant here,
told Arab News in a phone interview that he has left the Kingdom in a bid to
fight his sentence of 90 lashes for employing two women in his restaurant
one and a half years ago. He left the Kingdom more than a week ago.
Al-Ramadan was accused of violating morality by employing women in his
restaurant on Aug. 10, 2004. He was sentenced only last month after about a
19-month court battle after he was reported for his breach.
"I appeal against the judgment because it is an insult to me as a human
being. In order to avoid this situation I preferred to travel before the
application of the sentence," said Al-Ramadan.
The two girls were wearing hijab while working, Al-Ramadan said, adding both
himself and the girls respected Islam and Saudi traditions, and didn't do
anything that contradicted Shariah.
The girls worked for four hours only on a single day before authorities
closed down the restaurant the same day.
But that still caused problems for Al-Ramadan, which started with him being
jailed briefly before being released. The case was reopened recently.
Al-Ramadan was not allowed to take a lawyer with him when he was called to
the Qatif court.
"I was informed that the court wanted me to attend the trial to investigate
the employment of two girls and was told that the hearing was to be on March
25," said the restaurant owner.
"I went to the court on March 22 just to receive the papers but the judge on
hearing that I was there asked to see me. He didn't give me a chance to hire
a lawyer and sentenced me to 90 lashes - spread over 30 lashes a time. The
judgment was announced after only a quarter of an hour."
Al-Ramadan preferred to leave the country quickly because he feared that the
swift decision against him could mean that it would be meted out quickly.
He did not ask for help from the National Society for Human Rights although
he had thought about it. However, he felt leaving the country was a better
option.
Al-Ramadan was initially jailed for a night for employing the two women and
his restaurant was closed for three days, but at that time he was only
accused of employing women who don't have medical records.
The restaurant owner said he was unapologetic about hiring the young ladies.
He said that he supports women's right to work, and that there is nothing
forbidden under Islam in this regard.
"I'm not the only man that thinks that women should be able to work," he
said. "Other people also think that this is the right situation. Some have
even tried to do it just as I did."
A similar incident happened in Qatif a couple of months ago when a woman who
worked in an optical shop to help women customers was stopped from working
as the news of her job spread.

Sue Lerner, Associate - IMRA