ஜாதி வெறி பிடித்த அரபு முஸ்லீம்கள் தம்பதியினரை விவாகரத்து செய்ய வலியுறுத்தல்

அரபு நியூஸில் வந்த செய்தி.

ஏற்கெனவே அல்-திமானி குடும்பம் இவ்வாறு ஜாதி வெறி காரணமாக ஷரியா கோர்ட்டில் விவாகரத்து கொடுக்கப்பட்டது செய்தியாக எழுதியிருந்தேன். அந்த திருமணத்தில் அல்-திமானி குடும்பத்தில் கணவன் கீழ் ஜாதியாக இருந்ததால், மேல்ஜாதியை சேர்ந்த பெண்ணின் குடும்பத்தினர் ஷரியா கோர்ட்டில் சென்று கட்டாயவிவாகரத்து வாங்கி பிரித்துவிட்டனர். வெளியே இருந்தால் கணவனிடம் போய்விடுவாள் என்று பெண்மணியை சிறையில் வைத்திருக்கின்றனர் சவுதி அரேபிய அரசாங்கம்.

இது போலவே நிறைய கட்டாய விவாகரத்துக்கள் சவுதி அரபியாவில் நடைபெறுகின்றன.

இந்த செய்தியில் ஜாதிக்கு வெளியில் திருமணம் செய்ததால், சாதிதலைவர் அந்த குடும்பத்தினரை மிரட்டி அவர்களை விவாகரத்து செய்யச் சொல்லிவருகிறார். அந்த ஜாதியை சேர்ந்தவர்கள் அந்த குடும்பத்தினருக்கு போன் போட்டு மிரட்டுகிறார்கள். சாதிக்குள் மட்டுமே திருமணம் செய்யவேண்டும் என்று கட்டாயப்படுத்துகின்றனர்.

அரபி முஸ்லீம்கள் தங்களது சாதி வெறியை விட்டுவிட்டு நல்ல மக்களாக வாழ இறைவனை இறைஞ்சுவோம்.


Tribe Forces Couple to Divorce
Maha Akeel, Arab News


JEDDAH, 3 March 2007 — Another case of tribal incompatibility as a basis for intervening in a marriage and forcing the couple to divorce against their will has come to light.

This time, an Eastern Province couple, who go by the initials H.M. and A.O. to protect their identities, have been receiving harassing phone calls and threats from the family of A.O., led by an elder who firmly believes marriages must remain within the tribe.

“It was a daily nightmare,” said A.O., the wife who works as a public health specialist for a leading company. “No one stood by us.”

The couple have complained to police about intimidation, harassment and outright death threats by tribal members in Al-Hassa, led by a tribal elder.

The case is complicated by the fact that H.M. followed standard cultural procedures that included obtaining permission from A.O.’s legal guardian — her brother — and the wife’s mother (her father has passed away). Women of any age in Saudi Arabia require a legal male guardian who must be a family member.

Shortly after their marriage in December, the tribal elder in Al-Hassa appeared and objected to the marriage, claiming that all members of the tribe must marry inside the tribe. A.O. says she and her branch of the tribe had not heard from this man in years.

Still, this elder took action, filing an objection to the marriage at the Eastern Province municipality. Alkhobar authorities tried to resolve the conflict amicably, but the elder was insistent on the annulment of the marriage, which H.M. refused.

Then the threats began. Members of the tribe living in distant parts of the country began phoning threats. It appeared to be some kind of campaign organized by the tribal elder to threaten, harass and intimidate the couple. H.M., who works as the general manager of a large company in Alkhobar, said tribe members visited him at his workplace to make threats. Other members of A.O.’s family were also targeted with threats.

“These people had every intention of harming my wife and her brother and they made that very clear,” said H.M., who pointed out that some of the people making the threats and vulgar, highly offensive comments to A.O.’s mother are prominent government workers and college professors.

The couple have filed complaints regarding these harassments with police in Al-Hassa, but little has been done.

“We want to know who have been calling and sending those text messages because this is chaos and complete disrespect of the law,” said A.O.

They saved all the phone numbers and text messages, most of which were made through calling cards. But some were also made from home phones or mobiles. They submitted a list of suspected names behind these threats.

Meanwhile, A.O.’s mother’s health has been deteriorating and the couple decided the only way to stop the harassment of the mother was to file for divorce. H.M. signed the divorce papers in January.

“The main reason I decided to divorce is for the sake of my wife’s mother,” said H.M. to Arab News. “They were under so much pressure and it was taking a toll on her health and I was really starting to get concerned about them and if something happened to any of them I would never be able to forgive myself.”

The couple are now examining their options for seeking justice through the courts. However, recent reports of other high profile forced-divorce cases have given the couple little hope.

“I feared that the chances of winning a case are slim given that in similar cases the outcome was unfavorable. There is no clear and consistent ruling in these cases,” H.M. said.

H.M. was referring to the controversial Jan. 21 Court of Cassation (appeals court) ruling that upheld the decision of a lower court that forcibly divorced Fatima and Mansour Al-Timani at the request of Fatima’s half brothers. In that case, the divorce was sought based on tribal incompatibility.

Fatima’s family claims Al-Timani deceived them on his tribal background. They were divorced in absentia last year then later arrested for co-habiting outside of marriage.

Fatima languishes in an Eastern Province prison, unwilling to return to the custody of the family members who forced the divorce.

The couple have two children — one in prison with the mother and the other in custody with the father