MADINAH, 9 March 2007 — A father here is so convinced that Saudis that travel abroad get polluted with all kinds of immoral thinking that he has made it a requirement for any suitor seeking the hand of his daughter in marriage, according to a report in yesterday’s Al-Madinah daily.
The report said the father has already rejected one suitor who was unable to bring the requisite letter from the Passport Department stating he had never traveled abroad, because, in fact, he travels abroad quite a lot.
The father told the paper this was his only requirement for future sons-in-law.
In Saudi Arabia, a woman has a right to decline a marriage proposal, but is typically under intense family pressure when it comes to choosing a husband.
Families effectively retain veto power, although under Islamic law a daughter may seek the help of a Qadi (a Shariah judge) if she happens to have a particularly unreasonable father.
It’s unclear, however, if the daughter in this case has any profound issue with her father’s requirement.
It might simply be easier for the young lady to find a husband who dislikes “the outside world” as much as her father.
