Abdullah Al-Dani Okaz/Saudi Gazette JEDDAH – The Grand Mufti of the Kingdom and Chairman of the Board of Senior Ulema and Religious Research and Ifta Administration Sheikh Abdulaziz Abdullah Al-Asheikh said trafficking or trading in housemaids by transferring them from one region to another and profiting by selling them is an evil practice and the income derived by this trade is an evil income. In his Friday sermon at Imam Turki Bin Abdullah Grand Mosque in downtown Riyadh, he said there are brokers who trade in housemaids in black market. They deal with the housemaids as if they are a commodity to be sold in order to make private gains and money. He said that this deed is forbidden (Haraam) in the Shariah. Al-Asheikh said brokers and recruiters who turn housemaids into a commodity that they trade from one city to another and one region to another in order to profit without consideration for the housemaids' rights and following legal procedures is a big mistake. He called on authorities to enact stern laws in order to curb this activity, and arrest those involved in these practices. Meanwhile, the Grand Mufti called on Muslims to adhere to the principles of Ramadan by worshipping Allah Almighty, reciting the verses of the holy Qur'an and performing obligatory and Taraweeh prayers. He said the holy month is a season for doing good deeds, seeking Allah's reward, and abstaining from sinning.
