MAKKAH: There are ways to prevent your daughter from rejecting a suitor you suggested, but calling in a minibus bomb threat is probably not the best way. According to Al-Watan newspaper, a 65-year-old man had been insisting his daughter marry one of his friends. The rest of the family took their daughter’s side in rejecting this absurd notion that a father can force his daughter to marry someone against her will. So with the help of the eldest son, 32, the family planned a trip to Madinah without the family patriarch to visit the Prophet’s Mosque. The trip just happened to coincide with the date the father had set for his daughter’s marriage. By the time the father realized what was going on, the family had packed the minibus and were on their way out of town. So the father decided the best thing to do then was to be incredibly stupid: He called police saying a minibus filled with family members was a coverup for smuggling arms and explosives. The police responded appropriately by halting the bus and searching the vehicle. When they didn’t find any weapons, they arrested the old man. He is now facing charges and, much to the girl’s relief, it seems the wedding plans have been interrupted by the ordeal.
