JEDDAH, 20 December 2005 — It is a common thing to see marriage officials advertising their services in streets these days, the daily Al-Madinah reported. Marriage officials advertise their names and phone numbers in posters as if they are commercial brand names.
In order to oraganize this service, many are calling for laws and regulations, including the appointment of a presidency that oversees marriage officials.
A source from the Ministry of Justice said that marriage officials do not get any financial payment for the service they provide. He said marriage officials are not authorized to advertise for themselves. They are allowed only to place a sign outside their office and another near the street to point out their location.
Marriage official Khaled Al-Jadaani said advertising is the only way to point out his location. He said there was nothing wrong if the signs were placed there legally.
“As long as signs are near the location of the marriage official then there is nothing wrong with it. There are marriage officials who are placing signs in north Jeddah when their office is in south Jeddah. I am also against placing advertisement for marriage officials in commercial malls and underneath bridges because that is turning the service into a business,” said Al-Jadaani.
Ahmad Al-Mabi, another marriage official, criticized those who are placing signs with names and phone numbers in public areas. He says it makes them look more like businesses. “This is a negative thing that did not exist in the past. It needs more organizing,” said Al-Mabi.
He suggested that marriage officials exchange information among themselves, and make the information available to the public in the courts. He also called for fixing the payment for marriage officials instead of making the service free. He suggested between SR300 to SR500 as the fee for the service. Marriage officials currently receive huge payouts from families that sometimes reach SR1,000.
Sheikh Saleh ibn Habbad, president of the marriage court in Jeddah, warned marriage officials against charging fees for their service. “It is illegal,” he said, adding that any marriage official that charges money for his service will be fired from his position and his license revoked.
