The other young man, who was not identified, was sentenced to 70 lashes. He said his son objected to the ruling and decided to appeal it because he claimed he was the victim, not the aggressor.
“The other young man came to my house in the company of another with the aim of making trouble. They described me as a ‘secularist,’ threatened to kill me and badmouthed me and my family. These are things which are not approved by the religion or customs,” Al-Ghamdi said.
He added that his son, angered by the intrusion, intervened and eventually a fight broke out.
“My son knows his rights and duties. If I was not the reason behind the fight, I will not have cared about the issue,” Al-Ghamdi said.
He did not confirm if his son would ask a lawyer to follow up the appeal, but said the case is clear.
The Haia chairman added that reports that he was not invited to many events of the commission, of which he is a leading figure, were true. “There was an event for the Haia in Alkhobar lately to which I was not invited. A similar scenario has repeated itself many times,” he said.
Al-Ghamdi criticized this alleged agenda of excluding him from such functions and said it was wrong to gag others.
“This is not a good thing to do, especially between colleagues. Dialogue and freedom of expression is a global method which should be respected,” he added.
He said it was natural for people to differ, but this should be done in a civilized manner. “It is not right to exclude people just because they do not have the same opinion as you. Differences should be settled by discussion and logical debate,” he added.