Manama: A Kuwaiti court has adjourned to September 30 the trial of a man who reportedly used his wife’s identity to obtain a hotel room and spend the night with another woman whom he claimed he had married.
The man, an Egyptian national, who arrived to the hotel with the woman, presented a copy of his marriage contract and the identity card of his wife to the hotel receptionists who, believing that they were dealing with a genuine couple, gave them a room, local Arabic daily Al Rai reported on Tuesday.
However, the man’s real wife showed up some time later at the hotel and was given access to the room since it was booked under her name.
She reportedly busted the couple in the room and reported them to the police. The wife also accused two receptionists of complicity for accepting a fake document.
However, the husband denied any wrongdoing, claiming that the woman was his second wife and that they had an urfi wedding — a marriage conducted by a religious figure in the presence of two witnesses, but without an official contract.
The receptionists said that they never suspected that the woman accompanying the man was not the same as on the ID and charged that he had abused their good intention.
Urfi weddings are becoming increasingly popular in countries like Egypt, particularly among young couples who cannot afford the high cost of marriages.
However, they have been resisted by several religious scholars who said that they amounted to legitmising sexual relationships or to a form of prostitution under a religious cover, especially if the families of the bride and groom are not informed about the marriage.
Under urfi marriages, a husband is not financially responsible for his wife.