Saudi men have been banned from marrying women from three Asian and one African country as the Gulf state toughens the rules restricting marriage with foreigners. This was made known by AFP.
According to report, marrying women from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar and Chad is no longer permissible.
It said that the total population of these communities in Saudi Arabia has exceeded 500,000 people, citing unofficial statistics, implying that this might be the reason.
The report further stated that the new restrictions are now stipulated in the application forms that any Saudi wishing to marry a foreign woman should present to authorities.
It also cited the Mecca police chief, General Assaf al-Qurashi, confirming that the four countries have been excluded.
Moreover, the formalities for marrying a foreigner have been toughened, according to Makkah.
“A Saudi should be older than 25 to be able to apply for a permit to marry a foreigner. If recently divorced, he has to wait six months before applying for the licence, according to the newspaper.
If married, a Saudi man wishing to take a foreign woman as a second wife, would have to present proof that his first wife has cancer, is disabled or unable to have children” the report said.
However, following the ban people, have started reacting. For Lina Al Sayed, a 35 year old Saudi doctor “Only men could have come up with a rule that supports their claims, grant them more pleasure and maximum satisfaction. Look at how it makes Saudi men look, since pride is of utmost importance. It feels like a grotesque HBO drama series,”.
Major General Assaf Qureshi, director of Makkah police, reportedly told Saudi paper that marriage requests for foreign nationals are processed through official procedures under very strict terms.
“I don’t understand why it is so difficult to get married to a Saudi national. Now on top of that, they are going to ban marriage to these four nationalities. Why? This isn’t Islam. Our religion even allows men to marry Jews and Christians, so why are we disputing this? On top of that, you make foreign women look like replacement tools. We are not what you can use if your first wife is disabled or dying. Saudi men should be able to choose us first if they like,” Farah Aboodi, a 26-year-old Irish national living in Jeddah said.
A Lebanese national living in Riyadh said other non-Saudi countries are confused as to why they weren’t chosen to be a part of a selective campaign.
“It almost feels like they chose all the refugee countries and believe it or not, this might be a great thing. No more financial support needed in exchange for child brides,” Rana Ali said.
The government has not made any official statements clarifying the new restrictions on marrying foreigners. Saudi Arabia allows men to take up to four wives, in accordance with Islamic law.
It is instructive to state that Foreigners in Saudi Arabia Kingdom represent around 30 percent of a population exceeding 27 million.
AFP
0 comments:
Post a Comment