The leader of radical Islamist political party Hizb ut-Tahrir will argue a woman who is suing the organisation for $100,000 over claims of sexual discrimination simply does not understand Islam.
Freelance journalist Alison Bevege is taking the hardline group to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal after she was asked to sit at the back of a hall with other women at a public meeting last October.
She claims that, despite her protestations, she was told she had to sit separately to the men in the hall and was the victim of sexual discrimminsation.
But the group’s leader Ismail Alwahwah will categorically refute the claims.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal Mr Alwahwah is of the view that Alison Bevege doesn’t understand the Muslim religion and that the separation of men and women is part of Islam itself and not reserved to religious gatherings in mosques.
Mr Alwahwah will argue that Hizb ut-Tahrir requested women like Ms Bevege in attendance on the night sit at the back of the hall, rather than ordered them to separate.
Ms Bevege compared her treatment to the racial divide in the US before the African-American Civil Rights movement, saying she felt like “Mississippi blacks” who were forced to sit at the back of a bus.
The Sydney reporter last night said she was left heartbroken and “annoyed” when told she had to sit separately and despaired for moderate Muslim women who are becoming voiceless.
“Secular Muslim women in the middle are getting crushed,” she said.
“It breaks my heart, I’m so sad to see what is happening to our country.”
Rather than being motivated by money, Ms Bevege said she wanted to make a point for equality and that if successful in her legal action she would donate any damages to atheist and secular Muslim charities, including the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science.
“This is about human rights, the right to equality for women is enshrined by the United Nations and inalienable,” she said.
“This was not a religious gathering, it was an open political meeting.”
NSW Anti-Discrimination Board president Stepan Kerkyasharian was unable to comment on the case specifically as it has been before his board.
“If I am of the view that there has been a breach of the Anti-Discrimination Act I refer it to the Tribunal,” he said.
“I try to resolve it through conciliation. If that fails I refer it to the Tribunal.”
Sociologist and feminist Eva Cox described the incident as “trivial” but pointed out her opposition to segregation on gender lines.
“Sitting at the back of some religious group’s tacky way of separating men and women is not worth $100,000.”