JEDDAH, 2 December — A Saudi woman, who wanted to get her late husband’s name removed from the family records, was recently advised by the Passports Department here to place an advertisement in a newspaper saying that the man — a foreigner — has deserted her, Al-Bilad daily reported yesterday.
The paper said the woman sought to remove her late husband’s name from the records because she wanted to apply for social security benefits for her five orphaned children. “A department official asked her to publish an advertisement in a local paper saying the man had run away,” Al-Bilad said.
The woman could not believe what she was hearing. She thought the official was cracking a joke, but he made it clear that he was serious.
The woman tried to convince the official by producing a copy of her husband’s death certificate, but to no avail. He insisted on placing the ad in the newspaper.
