DAMMAM: Three local men have made a formal complaint to the Eastern Province (Asharqia) Chamber of Commerce and Industry against inclusion of women in the elections to the board of directors of the chamber.
The local Arabic daily Al-Watan reported on Thursday that the three men, who believe it is against Shariah to have women and men serving together on a board, approached the secretary-general of the chamber Adnan ibn Abdullah Al-Naeem and told him about their objection.
The men described the meeting as cordial and said that Al-Naeem defended the inclusion of women by saying it is an official decision being observed by all chambers in the country.
For its part, the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haiah) denied media reports that the men were affiliated with the morality police.
The Al-Watan newspaper quoted an unidentified source at the Haiah as saying: “These are volunteers propagating Islamic dawa (summons) working on their own.”
It said the three men were members of the Dawa and Guidance Center in Zahran who were inspecting commercial establishments for any unethical violations.
Four businesswomen were contesting the elections but one of them withdrew her candidacy at the last moment, chamber sources said.Lama Al-Suleiman, who won the elections for the board of directors of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), believed that tribalism will be a decisive factor in elections which are scheduled to take place in December. Dawood Al-Qusaibi, candidate from the manufacturer group, withdrew from EPCCI election earlier this week.
The number of candidates currently stands at 38: 10 from the manufacturer group and 28 from the executive’s group. An expert committee will choose 21 observers to supervise the election from seven polling centers.
Chambers of commerce in Saudi Arabia wield considerable power, acting as quasi-governmental organizations that issue licenses and other official paperwork necessary to conduct business or work in the Kingdom.
