[Mb-civic] CBC News - SAUDI ARABIA CALLS FORCED MARRIAGES 'UN-ISLAMIC'

Tue Apr 12 17:30:49 PDT 2005

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SAUDI ARABIA CALLS FORCED MARRIAGES 'UN-ISLAMIC'
WebPosted Tue Apr 12 15:34:09 2005

Riyadh---The top religious authority in Saudi Arabia has banned the
practice of forcing women to marry against their will.

In an unprecedented step, the kingdom's mufti, Sheik Abdul-Aziz al-Sheik,
issued a statement saying that coercing women to marry was "un-Islamic"
and "a major injustice."

A Saudi woman's family typically picks her husband.

"Fathers who insist on making their daughters marry those they do not
desire should be punished by imprisonment, and should not be released
until they change their minds," al-Sheik said in the statement.

Forced marriages are believed to be the reason behind the country's 50
per cent divorce rate.

The directive is considered a major victory for women's rights in a
country where they face many restrictions. Women cannot drive a car or
mix with men in public. They are obliged to cover themselves in a robe
from head to toe when in public and are also barred from running or
voting in elections.

Women were not allowed to get separate identity cards until 2001, even
then it required the permission of a male relative.

Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy, governed by a conservative
interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.