MAKKAH, 26 February 2008 — The General Court of Makkah sentenced a famous local professor to eight months in jail and 180 lashes for being in a state of khulwa — a state of seclusion — with an unrelated woman.

Abdullah Al-Sanusi, the lawyer representing the professor, said that members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice had fabricated the case against his client to take revenge against him. He said a number of commission members were his client’s students and that the professor had fallen into an argument with them, during a lesson, on the importance of being kind to others.

Al-Sanusi said that some of the commission members had also failed in their final exams and had, therefore, developed enmity toward the professor.

The lawyer said that his client had received a phone call from a girl asking to meet him to discuss a problem, which she said could not be discussed over the phone.

The professor agreed to meet her at a coffee shop on condition that she brings her brother as a legal guardian. When the professor arrived at the coffee shop, he was surprised to find the girl alone. When asked about her brother, the girl said he had not come.

Soon a number of commission members surrounded the professor accusing him of being alone with the girl. The professor was handcuffed and handed into police custody.

The case was then passed to the Board of Investigation and General Prosecution, which did not press any charges, saying it had not seen any evidence of khulwa since the meeting took place in a public place.

During a later conversation, which was recorded by the professor, the girl admitted that the commission had sent her.

After having the case sent back by the prosecution, commission officials, on the advice of their chief, passed the case to the General Court in Makkah, where a judge sentenced the professor to jail and lashes, said Al-Sanusi, adding that the commission officials’ action was a violation of the law as they had proceeded with the case even after the BIGP had found his client innocent.

Al-Sanusi hopes the Court of Grievances will revoke the verdict, adding that there was solid evidence to prove that commission members sent the girl.

“Moreover, the meeting took place in a public place set aside for families. As a result, the question of khulwa never arose,” he said, hoping the National Society for Human Rights will intervene to protect his client’s rights.

Ahmad Kasim Al-Ghamdi, head of the commission’s branch in Makkah, denied suggestions that his officials had conspired against the professor.

“They are honorable people and would not create such a trap for any kind of personal revenge,” he said.

“The commission’s role is only to track down the guilty but investigations and trials are the responsibility of other agencies,” he added.