Unless, of course, "here" happens to be Saudi Arabia.
JEDDAH, 3 July 2007 — The story of the forcibly divorced couple Fatima and Mansour that shocked the Saudi street for over a year has not found closure and, according to the husband in the case, has continued with his unjustified detention and coercion in signing a gag order that the National Society of Human Rights says is illegal.
In this highly publicized case, a judge nullified Fatima’s marriage to Mansour Al-Timani on July 20, 2005 after her family intervened that the husband had lied about his tribal background. By the time the legal action against the couple was instigated by the wife’s half-brothers, the husband and wife were the parents of two children. The wife and younger child remain in a women’s shelter because she refuses to return to the custody of the men who intervened on her marriage, which has been sanctioned under Islam but apparently not on tribal grounds.
The elder daughter is living with her father in Alkhobar. Because a judge officiated the divorce imposed on the wife and husband by the wife’s half-brothers, Fatima cannot legally return to Al-Timani’s custody because the husband is no longer considered such by the courts, and therefore he cannot have legal custody of her. (Under Saudi law, all women regardless of age can only be returned to their legal male guardian, or mahram, who must be a relative by blood or marriage, or, in some cases where legal custody is being disputed, a court judge.)
So why was Al-Timani, the husband (or ex-husband), detained and forced to agree to a gag order?
. . . Fatima’s family members complained to a high official that Al-Timani’s statements to the press are harming the reputation and family name.
His wife's (or ex-wife's) relatives didn't like the publicity the case has been generating. I can see why.
No, this could not happen here in the USA. Thankfully . At least not yet.
BTW, with completely accidental irony, Saudi News also published this report last week.
JEDDAH, 5 July 2007 — A large number of foreign men and women in the Kingdom are embracing Islam each year after learning more about the faith. According to one report, 4,285 expatriate women in the Eastern Province alone have become Muslim in the past five years.
Many Saudi and non-Saudi women are actively engaged in the propagation of Islam among non-Muslim women and compete with their male counterparts, believing that helping a person embrace Islam is one of the greatest achievements done by a Muslim.
Because Islam, especially in Saudi Arabia, is so supportive of women. Or could it possibly have something to do with the fact that no other religion may be legally practiced in Saudi Arabia? I just don't know.
