Moderate Islam: Immoral to employ women--Eatery Owner Flees to Escape Lashing:

"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."

Good luck, guys. Besides, if you're serious, you'll end up on some "Brotherhood"'s death list.

Then there's this:

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.