MAKKAH, 29 February 2008 — The professor, who was sentenced to eight years in jail and 180 lashes for being in a state of khulwa (seclusion) with an unrelated woman, has a bad reputation of unbecoming behavior and that requests were made to remove him from his post as a lecturer at a local university, informed sources told Arab News yesterday.

Meanwhile, lawyer Abdullah Al-Sanusi said he did not represent the professor and denied giving statements to the press.

The head of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice in Makkah, has hit back again at claims that commission members had conspired against the professor.

Referring to news reports that cited Al-Sanusi representing the professor, Ahmed Kasim Al-Ghamdi, head of the commission in Makkah, said that the lawyer had denied giving statements to the media and did not represent the professor, as reported by several newspapers.

Al-Sanusi confirmed Al-Ghamdi’s assertions to Arab News saying that he had not spoken to the press on the issue. He added that he had never represented the professor, who was in fact represented by a lawyer who works for his office.

Al-Ghamdi said that allegations that commission members targeted the professor to take revenge after failing their exams were unfounded. The commission chief said that the professor’s course does not include a final test and students are not given pass or fail grades.

A reliable source told Arab News that the professor had previously been arrested a number of times in the company of unrelated women. In 2006, he was arrested after picking up one of his students in a luxury car. When commission members questioned the couple, the professor claimed that he did not know the girl and was just offering her a ride.

Investigations proved that the girl was the professor’s student. The girl’s mobile phone also contained several flirtatious text messages sent by the professor.

The professor was again arrested in the same year with a married woman in her 30s. The arrest followed a complaint by the woman that the professor was harassing her by repeatedly telephoning her.

The woman had initially telephoned the professor to speak about a problem she was experiencing with her daughter. However, the professor began speaking indecent and asked to meet her in a restaurant to discuss the problem. The woman accepted and informed the commission members who arrested the man.

On arrest the professor’s mobile phone included several indecent text messages that he had sent to the lady in question and other young women. The professor is reported to have admitted wrongdoing and signed a confession.

Other sources told Arab News that the professor has a bad reputation and that a number of parents had complained about his behavior and asked he be removed from work.