Manama: A Saudi father has asked prison authorities in the Red Sea city of Jeddah to keep his daughter in prison until her death.
When contacted to inform him that he should come to pick her up from prison, the father said that he refused to take her back and wanted the authorities to keep her imprisoned.
The daughter was found guilty of involvement in an immoral activity, Saudi daily Okaz reported, without elaborating.
A judge talked with the father to convince him that the daughter could not be kept in jail and that he had better take her back in their home. He told him that all people are likely to make mistakes and that God forgives all those who repent sincerely. People, especially close family members, should forgive and start a new page with those who had erred, the judge told the hysterical father, the daily added.
He added that as a father, he had a duty to look after his daughter after she leaves prison and that he will be responsible before God for what happens to her.
Several social media users said they could understand the father’s bitterness, but insisted on the need to adopt a more positive attitude towards his daughter.
“We feel for the father because I am sure he had the shock of his life when he heard about what his daughter did,” Proud, a blogger, said. “We pray for him and for the family. However, she is his daughter and he has to come out of this shock and move on with his life and lead his family. She has reportedly erred, but he should not lapse into the mistake of ignoring her and shattering her life and his own family.”
Faisal, another blogger, said that he was not keen on the daughter regaining the family home.
“With a father who has such feelings, I do not his daughter will be safe,” he posted. “They should wait until he calms down physically and morally so that he has a less pessimistic approach towards the whole situation, no matter how painful it is,” he said.
