MAKKAH, 16 June 2006 — The general court in Makkah is presently reviewing a case filed by the father of three women who accuses them of going against his wishes and being disobedient.
However, the three educated women have denied the allegations saying that the father behaves like a bully, takes their money and has even forbidden them from marrying.
Muhamad Hassan Al-Ruwaees, a lawyer representing the three women, refutes the father’s claims saying that he mistreats his own daughters especially the eldest who is a 43-year-old PhD student at a local university.
Speaking to Arab News, Al-Ruwaees said, “The father is ignorant and does not know how to treat his daughters according to the principles set by Islam. He prevents them from going outside the house and has even banned them from marrying.
“The father takes possession of the daughters’ salaries and takes them to task for each and every riyal. He’s even prevented them from buying textbooks saying that they’re a waste of money.”
The lawyer explained that the situation got so bad that the father even prevented the eldest daughter from pursuing her doctorate.
Relatives and family friends finally managed to convince the father who then allowed his eldest daughter to continue her education.
“After a while he wanted to stop her again and then used to beat his daughter with the help of his eldest son who is just as bad as the dad. They even prevented her from going to the hospital for treatment,” said Al-Ruwaees.
Al-Ruwaees explained that Islam forbids beating women and that a father has no claim over a woman’s finances in how and where she spends.
Things then took a worse turn when the father tried to stop two of the daughters from working as teachers in the Ministry of Education.
This prompted one of the younger brothers to find another house for the three sisters to live in away from the family home.
When the father realized that he couldn’t control them anymore, he filed a lawsuit against them and the youngest son accusing them of being disobedient.
The Commission for Investigation and General Prosecution reviewed the case and ruled there was no disobedience. A court in Makkah is now looking into the case.
Al-Ruwaees said that the sisters and younger brother did not file a lawsuit against the father in spite of his violent behavior and absurd rules. Al-Ruwaees says he has accumulated evidence supporting the daughters’ case and hopes that justice will soon be done.
Many young working women are rapidly missing out on the opportunity of finding husbands due to the selfish intentions of their fathers.
