http://www.arabnews.com/?page=13§ion=0&article=74522&d=15&m=12&y=2005&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Local%20Press
Sunday, 11, December, 2005 (10, Dhul Qa`dah, 1426)
Ban on Forced Marriages
Haya Al-Manie . Al-Riyadh
The Council of Senior Ulema issued a decision banning the practice of
forcing or preventing marriage. Anyone violating this decision now faces
punishment. We are happy with the council's decision because it shows a
willingness to protect women.
Unfortunately, there are cases where women are still forced into
marriage, or prevented from marrying. Many women are suffering this fate due to
tribal or financial reasons. Some parents love to control their daughters and
insist on being their caretakers. But women want to get married for fear that
age will overcome their ability to do so and have children.
I wish the council would take more brave steps to enforce its decision
and help these women who are often at a loss to find a solution and deprived of
their basic right to make their own decisions and live as they choose.
While the decision of the council is a definitive and universal one, it
is not applied in many parts of the Kingdom. In villages and desert areas, the
decision is unheard of and is not obeyed.
It is very important to make sure that the decision of the council is
applied and, more important, awareness must be raised in these rural areas
about the rights of these women, and what recourses they have. It is unfair
that their rights are lost because of tribalism.
Many tribes feel that preventing a marriage is a form of protection from
strangers entering the tribe. The motive could also be greed. A woman from a
wealthy family may be prevented from marrying due to suspicions of the man's
true motives.
The council's decision made many women happy, but I am afraid that many
of them will not benefit from the ruling. It is difficult for women to visit
any enforcement agency that could take action to guard their new right. Women
need to be educated on to whom they should go to for help. Another problem is
shyness: Some girls are afraid to talk to men about their problem. Special
female sections need to be created to receive complaints in this regard.
Preventing or forcing women to get married is against Islam. I am sure
that the authorities want to protect every member of our society. What is
needed are ways to carry out the council's decision in order to enforce its
purpose.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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