Media reports indicate there are presently an estimated 1.5 million unmarried Saudi girls, with the number expected to increase to 4 million in the next five years. This means the number of unmarried Saudi women will rise to alarming levels.
At the same time, the number of Saudi men marrying foreign women is on the increase. Indications are that we are heading for a social catastrophe and no one can predict where it will lead.
Based on the trial and error theory, the marriage of non-Saudi women has proved to be a failure. I would not be exaggerating if I said that marriage with those from outside the Kingdom always carries with it the seeds of failure. Such relationships have much to overcome since the couple soon discover many contradictions and differences which push them apart.
It is a clash between the old and the new, indigenous customs and new traditions, between varying laws, systems and religious affiliations. If the marriage fails for any reason, the victims are always the children who find themselves drawn into the confusion of two different legal and social systems.
Marriage requires a minimum of understanding and agreement on social, cultural and economic aspects. Marrying a non-Saudi woman means ignoring important aspects of this requirement and that alone is often enough to cause the marriage to break down. Many cases are no more than a marriage of convenience with both parties seeking gains.
Material advantage is usually the main consideration here. The husband may seek a beautiful foreign wife at an affordable price. The wife may see in him a treasure chest from heaven. Obtaining Saudi nationality is a dream sought by many who do whatever is needed to get it.
Many marriages end with the wife filing for divorce after becoming a naturalized Saudi. The question is why a non-Saudi woman would agree to marry a Saudi man in the autumn of his life or agree to marry someone with a number of wives and agree to live with him in a totally different environment and subject herself to a strict system of do this and don’t do that.
In the long run, we may be heading for a real tragedy that could shake the very foundations of the Saudi family. The proponents of this kind of marriage may cite beauty and low cost as reasons. They should realize, however, that chances for such a marriage to succeed are very slim compared with those who choose a wife from their own country.
Arab News From the Local Press 30 July 2003
