THE GUARDIAN: Saudi women who wish to marry non-Saudi Muslims face social prejudice and official discrimination
Accompanied by her father, Hassna'a Mokhtar went to the Saudi Arabian interior ministry in Jeddah to sign papers for a marriage licence. She was hoping to get a sense of how long it would take to get permission, so that she could plan her wedding. But that was not the case.
A Saudi woman falling in love with a non-Saudi Muslim leads to more obstacles than a Capulet falling in love with a Montague. In most parts of society, a father can decline a suitor simply because he is not a Saudi. The tribal mentality has changed, at least to some degree, among the middle and upper classes. But even if the father consents, the Saudi government makes it arduous for the couple to proceed with the marriage.
All Saudi men and women must obtain a permission to marry a non-Saudi Muslim before marriage (nikkah). And there is one set of rules for men and another for women. "Why is it so difficult to get the permit?" Mokhtar asked the female officer at the interior ministry. "The country wants to protect you," she recalls the officer responding. The officer told Mokhtar that she, too, wanted to marry a non-Saudi Muslim but would have to resign from her government job to do so.
Mokhtar, now 32, was ready to marry, but faced many hurdles. She applied for the marriage license in June 2007 and finally received it a year later. "They [the Saudi government] are not going to solve the problem by forcing men or women to marry another Saudi," said Mokhtar. "They should leave the choices open."
When she finally did get married, it was the beginning of another set of problems. In that, she is not alone. Her husband was not automatically eligible for a residency permit (iqamah). He can visit her in Saudi Arabia on a visa that can be extended up to two months, on which he can neither work nor own a car or a property. And there is no set of procedures for obtaining residency; it could take months if you know someone who can get it done through the back door, or it could take years. >>> Fahad Faruqui | Saturday, April 03, 2010
