Forced Annulment Keeps Couple Apart - U.S. Politics Online: A Political Discussion Forum

Steerpike · #1 (**permalink**) 01-23-2008

Quote:

(01-20) 13:14 PST RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) --

Two years ago, a knock on Fatima and Mansour al-Timani's door shattered the life they had built together.

It was the police, delivering news that a judge had annulled their marriage in absentia after some of Fatima's relatives sought the divorce on grounds she had married beneath her.

That was just the beginning of an ordeal for a couple who — under Saudi Arabia's strict segregation rules — can no longer live together. They sued to reverse the ruling, publicized their story and sought help from a Saudi human rights group.

But the two remain apart and Fatima said she is considering suicide if her recent appeal to King Abdullah does not reunite her with her husband.

"Only the king can resolve my case," Fatima told The Associated Press by telephone in a rare interview. "I want to return to my husband, but if that is not possible, I need to know so I can put an end to my life."

Fatima's case underscores shortcomings in the kingdom's Islamic legal system in which rules of evidence are shaky, lawyers are not always present and sentences often depend on the whim of judges.

The most frequent victims are women, who already suffer severe restrictions on daily life in Saudi Arabia: They cannot drive, appear before a judge without a male representative, or travel abroad without a male guardian's permission.

Recently, the king did intervene and pardon another high-profile defendant — a rape victim who was sentenced to lashes and jail time for being in a car with a man who was not her relative.

The two cases have brought Saudi human rights once again into the international spotlight, revealing not only the weakness of the kingdom's justice system, but the scant rights of Saudi women.

"When I heard that the (rape victim) was pardoned, I couldn't believe it. My case is so much simpler than hers, since my divorce is invalid," Fatima said.

Fatima said her husband, a hospital administrator, followed Saudi tradition in asking her father for permission to marry her in 2003.

You may discuss any aspect of the article, but who should have the right to decide whether two consenting adults have the right to be married?

drgoodtrips · #2 (**permalink**) 01-23-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steerpike

You may discuss any aspect of the article, but who should have the right to decide whether two consenting adults have the right to be married?

If marriage is indeed a 'right' doled out by the government, then the government. If it is a 'right' doled out by religion, than some religious figure.

Personally, I don't think that in a free society, there should be restrictions on who people can and cannot live with (excepting certain outrageous or criminal situations). But, if the people want the government in the business of arbitrating marriage, then they have to live with the consequences.

erikvv · #3 (**permalink**) 01-23-2008

I'd migrate.

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