Saudi couple victim of rise in 'forced divorce'

[PSP JEDI]

By Daniel Howden
Published: 17 February 2007

Fatima al-Timani is facing the end of her sixth month in prison in the Saudi town of Damman. Her only crime is to refuse to be separated from the man to whom she had been happily married for the past four years and with whom she has two children.

Fatima is the latest victim of a growing practice in the oil-rich Saudi kingdom of forced divorce, when disgruntled relatives have used hardline Islamic courts to dissolve matches against the will of the married couple.

The plight of 34-year-old Fatima, who was pregnant when court proceedings began in 2005 and is now in prison with her one-year-old son, Suleiman, has drawn widespread public sympathy in the tightly controlled kingdom.

Fatima is forbidden from seeing her husband, Mansour al-Timani. He now looks after their two-year old-son Noha, who has only been allowed occasional visits to his mother. Fatima's relatives have accused Mansour of lying about his tribal background to win their father's approval for the marriage and want it annulled so she can have an arranged marriage to a spouse of their choosing.

She was arrested in October of last year in the city of Jeddah and charged with living illegally with Mansour. The couple's efforts to be reunited suffered a further setback this month when an appeals court in the capital, Riyadh, upheld the original ruling forcing the divorce.

Mansour said he will not accept the appeals court ruling and that he still considers Fatima his wife."This ruling is a non-Islamic one and, therefore, I refuse to acknowledge it," he said.

"If her family wants to marry her to another man while we both still consider ourselves married then there is nothing I can do about it. But God will be our judge."

A human rights activist, Fawziya Al-Ouyoni, one of the women behind a petition calling on Saudi's King Abdullah to personally intervene said: "When the divorce is carried out with the couple's approval then this is just the way it happens all over the world. But when the divorce is forced on the couple with an order from a high court then that is a massive disaster."

Saudi Arabia has possibly the worst record on women's rights of any country. The kingdom has been ruled since the 1920s by the House of Saud whose clerical allies, the Wahhabists, have imposed an austere state faith on what had been a religiously diverse mixture of Muslims with Sunni, Shia and Sufi communities.

Under Wahhabi rule, women have no voting rights, almost no employment rights and are barred from even driving.

Despite a concerted effort to present a more reformist image to the outside world since the death of King Fahd in August 2005, rights groups have noted continuing erosions of human rights under his successor Abdullah. Dr Irfan Al Alawi a British Muslim and director for The Centre for Islamic Pluralism based in London, said that the case was not an isolated incident and that as many as 19 forced divorces were working their way through the courts.

The case of Rania Albou-Enin, a 27-year-old Saudi physician has caused particular concern. In her last month of pregnancy, she is anxiously awaiting an appeals court decision in a case of forced divorce brought by he father.

Her husband, Saud Al-Khaledi, is being held in a police jail in Alkhobar, according to her lawyer Ibrahim Al-Behairi. Rania, who had been paying all her family's bills, has claimed she was beaten by one of her brothers and that the family brought the case to ensure they would not lose their main breadwinner.

[Theodore]

Beyond words.

[Duncan]

What a daft and awful law.

The case of Rania Albou-Enin, a 27-year-old Saudi physician has caused particular concern. [...] Rania, who had been paying all her family's bills, has claimed she was beaten by one of her brothers and that the family brought the case to ensure they would not lose their main breadwinner.

One those frustrating instances where you know the obvious advice has already been thought of... But the article won't tell us why it didn't work.


Anyway...
I advice her to cut them off..... Not a penny.

[Janissary]

I feel sorry for the native arabians who are oppressed by these saudi occupiers.

[Duncan]

I posted this on my blog, http://exmypar.wordpress.com/2007/02...-saudi-arabia/
and I got a comment linking to this: http://muslimahwritersalliance.com/m...ick_stats.html

It has links to a petition, http://www.petitiononline.com/no24orce/petition.html
and some info regarding:

Saudi Arabia is "listed" as a signing state to the The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly, often described as an international bill of rights for women, however, on the same date they "signed", September 7, 2000, they also filed "declarations or reservations".

Those reservations being

1. In case of contradiction between any term of the Convention and the norms of Islamic law, the Kingdom is not under obligation to observe the contradictory terms of the Convention.

2. The Kingdom does not consider itself bound by paragraph 2 of article 9 of the Convention. [Parties shall grant women equal rights with men with respect to the nationality of their children.] [...]

And then some nations state their reservations to the Saudi's reservations....

Very formal and legalise... so I only skimmed the first.
I suppose I'll also add this to the action alerts forum.

[saladin1970.5]

Originally Posted by PSP JEDI

By Daniel Howden
Published: 17 February 2007

Fatima al-Timani is facing the end of her sixth month in prison in the Saudi town of Damman. Her only crime is to refuse to be separated from the man to whom she had been happily married for the past four years and with whom she has two children.

Fatima is the latest victim of a growing practice in the oil-rich Saudi kingdom of forced divorce, when disgruntled relatives have used hardline Islamic courts to dissolve matches against the will of the married couple.

The plight of 34-year-old Fatima, who was pregnant when court proceedings began in 2005 and is now in prison with her one-year-old son, Suleiman, has drawn widespread public sympathy in the tightly controlled kingdom.

Fatima is forbidden from seeing her husband, Mansour al-Timani. He now looks after their two-year old-son Noha, who has only been allowed occasional visits to his mother. Fatima's relatives have accused Mansour of lying about his tribal background to win their father's approval for the marriage and want it annulled so she can have an arranged marriage to a spouse of their choosing.

She was arrested in October of last year in the city of Jeddah and charged with living illegally with Mansour. The couple's efforts to be reunited suffered a further setback this month when an appeals court in the capital, Riyadh, upheld the original ruling forcing the divorce.

Mansour said he will not accept the appeals court ruling and that he still considers Fatima his wife."This ruling is a non-Islamic one and, therefore, I refuse to acknowledge it," he said.

"If her family wants to marry her to another man while we both still consider ourselves married then there is nothing I can do about it. But God will be our judge."

A human rights activist, Fawziya Al-Ouyoni, one of the women behind a petition calling on Saudi's King Abdullah to personally intervene said: "When the divorce is carried out with the couple's approval then this is just the way it happens all over the world. But when the divorce is forced on the couple with an order from a high court then that is a massive disaster."

Saudi Arabia has possibly the worst record on women's rights of any country. The kingdom has been ruled since the 1920s by the House of Saud whose clerical allies, the Wahhabists, have imposed an austere state faith on what had been a religiously diverse mixture of Muslims with Sunni, Shia and Sufi communities.

Under Wahhabi rule, women have no voting rights, almost no employment rights and are barred from even driving.

Despite a concerted effort to present a more reformist image to the outside world since the death of King Fahd in August 2005, rights groups have noted continuing erosions of human rights under his successor Abdullah. Dr Irfan Al Alawi a British Muslim and director for The Centre for Islamic Pluralism based in London, said that the case was not an isolated incident and that as many as 19 forced divorces were working their way through the courts.

The case of Rania Albou-Enin, a 27-year-old Saudi physician has caused particular concern. In her last month of pregnancy, she is anxiously awaiting an appeals court decision in a case of forced divorce brought by he father.

Her husband, Saud Al-Khaledi, is being held in a police jail in Alkhobar, according to her lawyer Ibrahim Al-Behairi. Rania, who had been paying all her family's bills, has claimed she was beaten by one of her brothers and that the family brought the case to ensure they would not lose their main breadwinner.

As ususal what a load of rubbish propaganda. Where is the source for this?
and where ,anywhere in islam is there a law that allows a family to force annulment of a marriage, unless there is a specific islamic reason behind it such as the man apostated.

If you cannot give any proof, then as i expected it is some jahil sufi stunt such as the mosque dispatches, or it is zionists

ANd i don't mean the quoting the independent. Where are the original sources

[Duncan]

saladin1970.5
What about the Muslimah writers' alliance I linked to?

[Peacenik]

Originally Posted by saladin1970.5

As ususal what a load of rubbish propaganda.

Where is the source for this? Where are the original sources

I was thinking exactly the same thing.

PSP, I've noticed a lot of anti-Saudi postings from yourself.

You're not very subtle are you ?

[PSP JEDI]

Originally Posted by Peacenik

I was thinking exactly the same thing.

PSP, I've noticed a lot of anti-Saudi postings from yourself.

You're not very subtle are you ?

Unfortunately Peacnik, its very difficult to censor such obvious and blatant injustice's masquearading as Islamic laws.

When Saudi's and there ilk stop violating people's rights I will start to be more subtle!!

[Peacenik]

PSP, I can appreciate your frustration at Saudi Arabia (and I'm sure you're not blaming every single Saudi citizien; just the Government, right ? )

But please, as a poster suggested, could you provide a credible source for your article ?

Thank you.

[PSP JEDI]

Peacnik, I am sure you are aware that getting credible or indeed any sources from one of the most strictly cencsored regime's is difficult at the best of times.

However Duncan has managed to do just that in the links he has provided!!

I know you find it very hard to accept Peacnik, but I believe this story to be very true.!

[saladin1970.5]

Originally Posted by Duncan

saladin1970.5
What about the Muslimah writers' alliance I linked to?

You mean the Washington, D.C.-based organization.

Once again, where is the proof, where are the details of the case. If the man apostated, etc is this given. Nope, Like i said sufi, or zionist propoganda.

The saudi law is written down and legislated.

[Peacenik]

Originally Posted by saladin1970.5

The saudi law is written down and legislated.

Amen to that

[PSP JEDI]

http://www.metimes.com/storyview.php...6-021844-7041r

http://english.webislam.com/?idt=1002

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayA...February68.xml

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&sect...d=7&m=2&y=2007

Amen to This..!!

[PSP JEDI]

Originally Posted by saladin1970.5

You mean the Washington, D.C.-based organization.

Once again, where is the proof, where are the details of the case. If the man apostated, etc is this given. Nope, Like i said sufi, or zionist propoganda.

The saudi law is written down and legislated.

I hope the above posts meet your 'stricter than usual' source requirements..!

Regards.

[Peacenik]

Lol !




BTW PSP, I notice you've posted some links from an Iranian source (no surprises there I guess )

[PSP JEDI]

Originally Posted by Peacenik

Lol !




BTW PSP, I notice you've posted some links from an Iranian source (no surprises there I guess )

I feel honoured and priveleged that you have taken the time to read thru my previous links!!

However, after nagging away, again and again, have you read the posts from the more credible sources I have posted!!

Would be interesting to see what your opinion of this is now!! lol

[Peacenik]

PSP, if indeed this did occur, it's a rarity.

You seem to think it's rather prevalent.

Why ?

[saladin1970.5]

Originally Posted by PSP JEDI

I hope the above posts meet your 'stricter than usual' source requirements..!

Regards.

Yes I read this bit with interest

"Fatima’s brothers filed a lawsuit demanding that her three-year marriage be annulled “on the grounds that (the married couple) were tribally incompatible.”

This is not a prerequisite for legitimate marriage under Sharia (Islamic law), said her husband Mansour Al Timani. He also argued that an appeals court in Riyadh revoked the divorce ruling in a similar case in the city of Unaizah in Qasim a year ago and questioned why this case was not taken as a legal precedent."

And there you have your answer. Nothing to do with Islam, or Saudi law.

[PSP JEDI]

Originally Posted by saladin1970.5

Yes I read this bit with interest

"Fatima’s brothers filed a lawsuit demanding that her three-year marriage be annulled “on the grounds that (the married couple) were tribally incompatible.”

This is not a prerequisite for legitimate marriage under Sharia (Islamic law), said her husband Mansour Al Timani. He also argued that an appeals court in Riyadh revoked the divorce ruling in a similar case in the city of Unaizah in Qasim a year ago and questioned why this case was not taken as a legal precedent."

And there you have your answer. Nothing to do with Islam, or Saudi law.

Excellent, so you'll have no problem signing the petition below then...Get all your mates to do it too!!

http://forum.mpacuk.org/showthread.php?t=23744