All through her life, Samiya has been in pursuit of verifying her identity to no avail. Even though there are some official documents that show she is a Saudi citizen, others show that her mother is a non-Saudi. As such, she has been treated as someone with an unknown identity. The young woman is in utter confusion — losing affection for her parents and also the opportunity to show her identity. She possesses neither an ID card of a Saudi citizen nor an iqama (residence permit) of a foreign national. Subsequently, she has been deprived of many benefits and legal rights.
Samiya says that she was brought up under special circumstances at a social care center managed by Al-Birr Charitable Society in Jeddah. The center takes care of abandoned children and orphans until the time of their marriage.
“Nearly five years ago, I was told that I am not a Saudi citizen, as my mother is a foreigner. The director of the school I was studying at asked me to prove my Saudi identity. This was followed by a series of correspondence between the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Department of Education for Girls. As an outcome of this, it was revealed that I am a Saudi girl whose identity was not recorded at the Civil Affairs Department due to certain special circumstances. This fact was certified by the director general of the Department of Social Supervision for Women in Makkah province.
“However, when I contacted the director of Al-Birr Society to know the exact position of my identity, I was told that I had the nationality of my mother, who was deported to Yemen immediately after her delivery. I was also informed that there was no proof to issue either a Saudi ID card or an iqama, denying me both the status of a Saudi as well as a foreigner. The only way left for me to acquire an identity, was to apply for an iqama. When I approached the Passport Department and the Yemeni Consulate General for this matter, they told me that the nationality column in my mother’s passport was blank. The Passport Department therefore rejected the application for an iqama.”
She continues, “Why didn’t the authorities deport me to Yemen together with my mother when I was born? Was there any hurdle to issue a Saudi ID for me, taking into consideration my special circumstances? What is wrong with me to deny me both an ID and an iqama?”
Samiya urges top-priority intervention of the concerned authorities to put an end to her ordeal. She is facing myriad problems due to an “identity crisis.” “It is very difficult for me to continue my studies, receive treatment, take advantage of the social insurance scheme or be able to get social security benefits for orphans, or even get married.”
Commenting on her problem, Dr. Muhammad Al-Sahli, director of the Islamic Studies Center at the Sharia Faculty at Umm Al-Qura University, says that Samiya should not be treated as a foundling.
“The name of this young woman was recorded at her birth certificate and hence, she is linked to her mother. The authorities should take urgent steps to alleviate the suffering of Samiya caused by errors by the concerned agencies, including the ministries of Social Affairs, Interior and Foreign Affairs, as well as the Yemeni Consulate in Jeddah.”
He urged the authorities to take steps to secure her Saudi citizenship.
