JEDDAH: The organizers of a local business forum for women entrepreneurs have rejected accusations that they are trying to introduce a Westernized and un-Islamic mode of doing business in the Kingdom. Sheikh Saleh Bin Abdullah Kamel, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) and Maha Fetahi, President of the Khadija Bint Khowailid Forum, said that the forum is being organized and financed by loyal Saudi businessmen and not by any foreign party who wants to westernize Saudi society. The opening of the event is on Sunday night, with the sessions starting Monday. They were addressing the media at a press conference held on Saturday at the JCCI headquarters. They said the Khadija Bint Khowailid Center (KBKC) respects Islamic teachings which grant women the right to practice business. Their response came after complaints were lodged about the JCCI's alleged secrecy regarding the names of the sponsors. Kamel and Fetahi said that the KBKC would not violate any Islamic values of modesty, and was in fact following the religion's dictates. “The current strict segregation almost everywhere in the country between genders is a result of local traditions and does not reflect the tolerance of Islam,” said Kamel. “We are aware that some people are accusing us of adopting a westernized project but we shall not respond to them,” he said. “We all know that Islam requires every one, men and women, to lower their gaze; and not to put partitions everywhere,” he said. He also added that even though a Fatwa was issued recently banning women working as cashiers, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah Bin Muhammad Aal Al-Sheikh, chairman of the Council of Senior Ulema, said three days later that not all Fatwas are necessarily correct. In response to a question on women working as sales persons in lingerie shops, Lama Al-Sulaiman, vice chairwoman of the JCCI and former president of the KBKC, said the law should be changed and made more flexible. She said the law as it currently stands would make women work in “prison-like” conditions inside a shop. This is because the law does not allow any men to enter the shop and requires the front to be tinted so no-one can see inside. Businessmen have stopped investing in such shops because the stringent conditions mean they cannot enter the shop to provide training for their women employees. She said that the KBKC has been negotiating with officials to modify the law. Dr. Basma Omear, head of the KBKC, said that four Saudi ministers are participating in the forum. The three-day forum is being organized under the patronage of Princess Adela Bint Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, according to reports. The forum will have five sessions mainly focusing on the key role of women in the economic development process. Princess Adela will address the inaugural session on the achievements of Saudi women in the economic field. Sheikha Mai Bint Muhammad Aal Khalifa, the Minister of Culture in the Kingdom of Bahrain, is also expected to speak at the event.
