RIYADH, 2 May 2005 — Before a Saudi man makes a heroic attempt to keep a woman from being kidnapped, he should think twice. A.R. was cruelly beaten after saving a young girl from being kidnapped. Ironically, the 27-year-old man was assaulted by the girl’s family.
The story began after midnight when A.R. was on his way home. He came upon three young men trying to kidnap a 16-year-old girl. He did not hesitate for a minute. He quickly jumped out of his car to help the girl. The three men ran away after a fight that did not last long. He asked her why she was out so late. She was crying and explained that her stepmother had kicked her out of the house.
According to A.R. he offered her a ride home but she refused. “She was afraid that her father would punish her. She asked for my mobile to call her mother and explain what had happened. I was surprised later to receive a call from her father threatening to kill me for insulting his daughter,” A.R. said.
The young man was furious; after all he had just rescued the young woman and this is how he was repaid. “I introduced myself to him politely. I then asked him to pick up his daughter.”
That was the beginning of the nightmare. The father along with her uncle arrived at the scene. They immediately, with no questions asked, began to beat A.R. He said, “I respect my elders and I cannot fight them.”
When the police came, they were all taken to Olaya police station. It was about 1 a.m. The girl’s father tried to accuse A.R of kidnapping his daughter. The girl also gave her statement. After two hours of deliberations, the officer closed the case.
He explained to the family that there was a misunderstanding. The courageous young man they had beaten actually had saved their daughter’s life. “The family apologized to me and regretted what they had done. They even invited me to a dinner in my honor,” A.R. said.
An official source explained that the case could get complicated if A.R. talked to a lawyer. The lawyer might demand that his client be compensated for the assault; however, A.R. refused any compensation. The family’s apology was enough.
