- I am asking myself a painful question: Are we living in a new dark age in the 21st century? The so-called Adhl — preventing daughters from getting married — cases would certainly make you think so.
If a woman wants to get married, she needs the consent of her guardian, often a father or brother. If she doesn’t get it, she cannot marry.
I have a copy of the latest report of the Human Rights Commission (HRC) in the Kingdom in front of me. The women’s branch of the HRC in Riyadh said it registered 233 cases involving women last year. When a young woman fails to get the consent of her guardian to get married, she can go to court to sue for her right. Nineteen women took that step in 2010.
The report gives the rate of unmarried professional Saudi women who are older than 28 as 44 percent. The rate is so high mainly because their guardians did not approve of their marriage. This worrying development clearly has an adverse effect on Saudi society.
Researchers attribute the Adhl cases to two main factors: Guardians do not approve of the tribe of prospective suitors or the greedy among them want to keep women’s salaries to themselves.
But there are even guardians who are trading in their daughters. This is a crime punishable by law with up to 15 years imprisonment.
We are dealing with a serious issue that is a threat to Saudi society and something that is against the teachings of our Islamic religion. The Holy Qur’an and the Prophet’s Sunnah strongly warn against standing in the way of women wanting to get married.
Adhl cases are a crime against Saudi women, a blow to their dignity and a dark blot on our society. What can we do to prevent this crime? Are we back in the dark ages?
